In Roman times, the time of Jesus on earth, an old Roman road led from Jerusalem to Jericho, past the Inn of the Good Samaritan. Jesus walked on this road many times. 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; roman road; battle; war; joshua; elisha; elisha's spring; Joshua 3--8; 2 Kings 2:19-22; elisha's fountain; ain es-sultan spring; miracle; inn of the good samaritan; walls; battles; wars; miracles