Translated material
In the footsteps of John the Baptist
A surprise has been prepared for Vladimir Putin's arrival in Jordan
The Russian president, who began his first trip to Israel in April 2005 with a prayer at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, remains faithful to the tradition of visiting Christian shrines even with an extremely busy schedule of foreign visits. This time, such an opportunity will appear in the Kingdom of Jordan, where Vladimir Putin will visit on February 13 after negotiations in two more monarchies - Saudi Arabia and Qatar (the first visit to these Arab countries in the history of our relations begins this Sunday).The majority of Jordan's population of five million are Muslims, but the state traditionally tolerates representatives of other religions. The most revered places in the kingdom are located near the capital Amman - Mount Nebo, where the prophet Moses is buried, and the Jordan Valley, or rather, that section of its eastern bank, where the prophet John baptized Jesus Christ. It was there that Saint John, thin after a strict fast (he ate wild honey and locusts, this is something like an edible locust) and dressed in a mantle made of camel hair belted with a leather belt, announced: “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who comes for me stronger than me.” And it was there that the heavens opened when Jesus emerged from the waters of the Jordan, and the holy spirit in the form of a dove fluttered over his head.
Vladimir Putin will visit this place. A pleasant surprise has been prepared for the visit: few people know about it yet, but Vremya Novostey has learned that a one-hectare plot on this shore has recently belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Jordanian King Abdullah II generously handed it over for the indefinite and free use of the Russians on January 10, but so far this event, clearly timed to coincide with the president’s arrival, has not been made public.
There have been speculations in the past that the great Epiphany took place on the West Bank of the Jordan (Israel-Palestinian territory), but recent archaeological excavations point to the East Bank. In appearance, the sacred place is unremarkable: a narrow path leads through the thickets to a thin strip of a tributary of the Jordan River, known as Wadi Harar (the river itself has changed its course over the centuries), with several churches visible at a distance. But for believers this shore is holy, and many pilgrims feel a special energy here. Vladimir Putin will probably feel it too.