T - (Part I)

Deu 7:7-8 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Tabgha Western shore of Sea of Galilee. Octagonal shaped Church of the Seven Springs. Traditional site of feeding of multitude of men and women. Also site of Franciscan Church of the Primacy of Peter, where an altar is built on around a stone outcropping known as the Lords Table (Mensa Domini). Where Jesus fed the disciples fish after His resurrection. (John 21:13)
Christians of the early Byzantine period built monasteries, churches and shrines in Galilee and on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to commemorate the ministry of Jesus and the miracles ascribed to him. Tabgha – an Arabic corruption of the Greek name Heptapegon (Seven Springs) – is the traditional site of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. (Matt. 14: 13-21) It is situated in a narrow, fertile valley on the northern shore of the lake, watered by several springs.
The earliest building at Tabgha was a small chapel (18 x 9.6 m) from the 4th century CE; only a part of its foundations was uncovered. This was probably the shrine described by the pilgrim Egeria at the end of the 4th century:
During the fifth century, a large monastery and a church decorated with exquisite mosaic floors was built on the site. The complex covered an area of 56 x 33 m. and included courtyards and many rooms used as workshops for a variety of crafts as well as for lodging for the monks and the many pilgrims who came to visit.
The monastery and church at Tabgha were destroyed in the 7th century, probably during the Arab conquest of the country, and buried beneath a thick layer of silt and stones. In the 1980s, after excavation, the church was restored to its Byzantine form, incorporating portions of the original mosaics.

Tamar Biblical city mentioned in Ezek. 47:19, as one of the border cities of the land. Thirty miles south of the Dead Sea, one of the main cities on the spice trade routes. Ongoing archaeological excavation

Tel meaning a hill or mound. Refers to ancient ruins of cities. When a city was overrun by enemies it was razed, and a new city built upon the ruins. Tel Megiddo has at least seven civilizations built one upon the other.

Tel Ahsas In Jordan. Biblical Succoth. Home of Jacob, Rebekah and Leah after his meeting with Esau (Gen. 33:17). Leah, the mother of Judah, is in the genealogy of
Jesus (Ruth 4:11), not beautiful Rebekah.

Tel Dor 1 Kings 4:7-8, 11, mentions a man from Dor who had a daughter (Taphath)who was married to King Solomon. Dor was King Solomon’s port city on the Mediterranean Sea. Locate 15 miles south of Haifa and eight miles north of coastal Caesarea. Excavations continue today. Also known as Tantura or Khirbet el-Burq (its Arabic names),

Tel ed-Duweir Biblical Lachish. One of the last two cities to fall in 586 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. A principle Canaanite, then later Israelite city. Twenty five miles southwest of Jerusalem. The top of the tel extends over 18 acres. Mentioned not only in the Bible, but in Egyptian and Assyrian references. The city was conquered and re-conquered repeatedly over the centuries. Archaeologists have discovered levels of civilization from the 13th – 4th Century B.C. Over twenty five Biblical references to Lachish (Josh. 10; 2 Chr.11:9; 2 Kin. 14: 19; 24; Jer. 34:7). Called the “second most important city in Judah, after Jerusalem” by archaeologists (BAR, July/August 2005 pg. 36, 39).

Note - if you have an interest in the women of the Holy Land be sure to see my other blogs: www.biblestudy4women.blogspot.com; www.biblestudy2women.blogspot.com.