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Identification
editI got sources confirming the identification of the site in Jordan near Madaba, through a 10-year study conducted by Dr. Mohammad Waheeb. Makeandtoss (talk) 09:07, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
- Great. Somehow the page got it wrong, though. — LlywelynII 09:27, 21 May 2022 (UTC)
East is West and West is East
editThe final section, on the Matabara Map, states that with the Dead Sea on the right side of the map (and the River Jordan on the left side) Bethabara (below the Jordan) must be on the west of the river and Aenon (above the Jordan) must be on the east of the river. The opposite is true. Geographically, the Dead Sea is south of the Jordan and the Jordan is north of the Dead Sea. So Bethabara must be on the EAST of the river and Aenon must be on the WEST of the river. That is what the first section, on the Gospel text, already says. I intend to correct the edit. O Murr (talk) 19:33, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
"Matabara Map" should, of course, be Madaba Map. We all make mistakes. O Murr (talk) 19:39, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
"Matabara Map" should, of course, be Madaba Map. We all make mistakes. O Murr (talk) 19:39, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
"Matabara Map" should, of course, be Madaba Map. We all make mistakes. O Murr (talk) 19:39, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
Talk Page wants me to write out "We all make mistakes" three thousand times. O Murr (talk) 19:42, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
I hope I can finally sort this matter out now. I was misled by the section on the Gospel text which does say that Aenon must have been on the west of the Jordan, quoting the Gospel of John, which says that Jesus went into Judea, and the province of Judea was on the west of the Jordan. On the east of the Jordan, immediately opposite Judea, was the province of Perea. I've enlarged and scrutinised the Madaba Map, and there is no doubt that the Greek lettering does show Bethabara on the WEST of the Jordan and Aenon on the EAST of the Jordan. If this 6th Century map is correct then Aenon was in Perea, not in Judea. Then what are we to make of John's Gospel account? Does it mean that John the Baptist and his disciples were on the east of the Jordan, in Perea, while Jesus and his disciples were directly on the opposite side of the river, on the west of the Jordan, in Judea? The two groups were apparently in competition, both offering baptism. Originally, John the Baptist had been baptising in Bethabara, on the west of the Jordan, in Judea. Then, for some reason, he moved to the opposite side of the river and into Perea. Into the territory of his enemy Herod Antipas, who had him arrested and beheaded. O Murr (talk) 20:57, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
Be more careful
edit
The reason the map distinguishes "Aenon now called Sapsaphas" here is precisely because it is NOT "Aenon near Salem", which is further north along the Jordan. Given the Madaba Map is oriented east, Aenon near Salem is further left along the map. We can talk about both Aenons on this page (along with any other 'Ain or 'Ein sites that became known as Ainon, Aenum, or Aenon under the Romans and Greeks) but we can't use an image of the wrong Aenon to illustrate the other one. — LlywelynII 09:31, 21 May 2022 (UTC)
