Bether
The city of rose gardens, residence of Johanna of Chuza.
Inhabitants or natives[edit | edit source]
Joanna, the wife of Chuza the steward of Herod, native of this city, Esther her nurse, the widow of Cornelius, Levi his son.
Description[edit | edit source]
Birthplace castle of Johanna of Chuza ten kilometers southwest of Jerusalem. She cultivates vast rose gardens there that make these valleys an Eden of bWaterté and Peace. Joanna lives there freely and safely amid her peasants who alone guard all this wealth.
The castle[edit | edit source]
“We are already in Johanna’s estate. That village in that little valley is Bether. The large building on that top is the castle where she was born."[1]
"The garden in front of it widens out forming a semicircular open space by means of two green pincer-shaped wings. The central part of the open space is bare and is bordered by old tall leafy trees”[2]
The rose gardens[edit | edit source]
“Can you smell this perfume in the air? It comes from the roseries which begin to give off scent in the moring sun. In the evening it is a powerful fragrance. But it is so beautiful to see them in the cool morning, covered with dew drops, like millions of diamonds thrown on to millions of opening corollas. When the sun sets they pick all the roses that are completely open. Come. I want to show you from a knoll the view of roseries that overflow from the top, like a waterfall, down the crags on the other side. A cascade of flowers, which climbs back up again, like a wave, on two other hills. It is an amphitheatre, a lake of flowers. It is really wonderful. The road is steeper. But it is worth while climbing up, because from that spot one overlooks all this paradise. And we shall soon be at the castle. Johanna lives there in perfect freedom, amongst her peasants, who are the only guards of so much wealth. But they are so fond of their mistress, who has turned these valleys into a paradise of beauty and of peace, that they are worth much more than all Herod’s guards. Here, look, Master. Look, my friends» and he points at a semicircle of hills invaded with roses. Wherever one’s eyes rest, one can see roseries, under very tall trees, to shield them from winds, from excessive heat of the sun and hailstorms. There is sunshine and air also under this light roof, which is like a veil but is not oppressive, and is duly controlled by the gardeners, and the most beautiful roseries in the world grow there. There are thousands and thousands of all kinds of rose-bushes. There are miniature, low, tall, very tall plants. They grow in tufts, like cushions studded with flowers, at the foot of trees, on very green meadows, as hedges along paths, on the banks of streams, in circles around irrigation vats, spread over the whole park which comprises hills, or twined round tree trunks, or from tree to tree forming flowery festoons and garlands. It is really a dream. All sizes and shades are present blending beautifully, with the ivory hue of tea-roses close to the blood red of other corollas. The true roses, which like the cheek of a child, shade on the contours into white tinged with pink [...]”[1]
Notable events[edit | edit source]
Joanna, the wife of Chuza, reveals to Jesus during one of his stops that Judas is conspiring behind her back with the powerful Romans to seize power.[3] The castle becomes a refuge for all kinds of children as the Trials of the Passion loom.[4] It is also a place of retreat for the two friends rejected by their husbands after the Passion: Joanna and Valeria.[5]
Its name[edit | edit source]
Bether, Bétir, Bittir, The stronghold.
Today: Betar - Bétir.
Where is it mentioned in the work?[edit | edit source]
GRM 224
GRM 400 GRM 401 GRM 402
GRM 583 GRM 586
GRM 630
Learn more about this place[edit | edit source]
One of the cities assigned to Judah during the division of the promised land.[6]
Jesus stayed there in the spring of the second year of his public life. Maria Valtorta specifies:“[...] the village spread[s] on the western slopes of the mountain on which the castle rises.”[7]During the visits at Bether, Jesus exhorts the inhabitants to remain firm in their faith in Him:
“and who is good may not be upset in the hour of darkness."[8]The city is mentioned in the Bible,[9] but exegetes struggle to identify it. Eusebius of Caesarea[10] speaks of it as a “small highly fortified town, located a short distance from Jerusalem”. It was probably there that the Bar-Kokhba Jews, revolting Against Rome under Hadrian, resisted for two and a half years against the troops of Julius Severus (132-135). The ruins of Khirbet el Yahud[11] are certainly part of the ancient citadel.[12] The current site, with its terraced crops, seems to have partly preserved the bWaterté of the time of the rose gardens of Johanna of Chuza.
Explore[edit | edit source]
• 31° 43’ 48’’ N / 35° 07’ 49’’ E
• +670m
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
Article partially based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel by Jean-François Lavère.