The ruins of New Testment Jericho are about a mile south of Old Testament Jericho. Here Jesus visited many times. The story of Zacchaeus took place here (Luke 19:1-10). Jesus also healed Blind Bartimaeus here (Mark 10:46-52) and two other blind men (Matthew 20:29-34). Jesus was baptized not far east of Jericho, and was tempted a short distance west of Jericho, in the traditional Mount of Temptation. The most famous story about Jericho is the battle of Jericho which Joshua led, when the walls fell outward, rather than inward (Joshua 6). This happened about 1, 400 B. C. But the history of Jericho goes back hundreds of years before Joshua. Jericho is actually three cities--the Old Testament city and the New Testament city, separated by about a mile, and modern Jericho near Old Testament Jericho. In modern Jericho we find Elisha's Springs, or Elisha's Fountain, known today as the Ain es-Sultan Spring. When the people of Jericho complained to Elisha that the water was bad, Elisha threw a bowl of salt into the spring and miraculously purified the water (2 Kings 2:19-22).

jericho; judea; israel; wall; battle; war; joshua; elisha; elisha's spring; Joshua 3--8; 2 Kings 2:19-22; elisha's fountain; ain es-sultan spring; miracle; walls; battles; wars; miracles