Petra
Thriving Nabatean city at the time of Jesus[1].
Inhabitants
The Man of Petra and his two children healed by Jesus: Fara and Tamar.
Description
Jesus had planned to evangelize Petra: "I would like to go as far as Petra, and beyond… But I will only make it halfway and even less"[2].
A chance encounter with a beggar provided the opportunity for remarkable information: "He is a thief who for years has stolen and killed, coming down from the mountains of Caracamoab and Sela, the latter called Petra by the occupying troops who watch over the desert paths"[3].
At the time Maria Valtorta wrote, the theory that Petra could be identified with the biblical Sela[4] was not an established fact and remains debated.
Its name
Petra, Sela. The etymology of the name "Sela" is related to the Hebrew "סֶלַע" (Sela), which means "rock" or "stone". This term is used to designate a fortified place or fortress. It is given as such in the Crampon Bible, for example, but it is translated as "The Rock" in the AELF Bible. It is indeed fitting that the Romans renamed it "Petra," which has the same meaning in ancient Greek and so aptly characterizes the rocky landscape.
Where is it mentioned in the work?
EMV 358. EMV 498 EMV 499
Learn more about this place
Capital of the Nabatean kingdom, Petra was a vast thriving city at the time of Jesus. Caravans loaded with incense, silks, spices, and other exotic products stopped at Petra where they found protection and plenty of water. As attested in the work by a merchant: "I am from Petra, Lord. I transport on behalf of others goods coming from the Red Sea up to Damascus"[5].
According to local tradition, the "Stream of Moses" (Wadi Moussa) would be the spring that Moses made gush forth with his staff, but the hypothesis is not confirmed by historical research. However, at the time of the Patriarch, the region of Petra was inhabited by the Edomites, descendants of Esau and hostile to the Hebrew people.
Explore
- 30° 19’ 50’’ N / 35° 26’ 36’’ E /
- +910m
Notes and references
- ↑ Article partially written from the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel, J.-F. LAVÈRE.
- ↑ EMV 498.1
- ↑ EMV 358.1.
- ↑ 2 Kings 14:7 | Isaiah 16:1.
- ↑ EMV 499.3.