Petra
Thriving Nabatean city at the time of Jesus.
Inhabitants
The Man of Petra and his two children healed by Jesus: Phara and Tamar.
Description
Jesus had planned to evangelize Petra:
"I would like to go to Petra and beyond… But I shall be able to go half that distance, perhaps less."[1]
A chance encounter with a beggar provided the opportunity for remarkable information:
"They say that he is a robber and for years he has been robbing and killing, and he came down from the mountains of Caracamoab and Sela, which is now called Petra by the rulers, those who make roads in the deserts."[2]
At the time Maria Valtorta wrote, the theory that Petra could be identified with the biblical Sela[3] 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?
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 come from Petra, Lord. I carry goods coming from the Red Sea as far as Damascus [...]"[4]
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 based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel, by Jean-François Lavère.