"Masada"

One of the reasons why I went to Calgary besides taking my girls and some other youth to our district youth conference, was to finish these scrapbook pages I insisted I had to do for Sherri on Masada. Her husband Mel went to Israel last February and she started 2 books at our last Spring Fling...one for her husband and one for Mel's friend who took him. Mel is every scrapbooker's dream photographer...he takes awesome pictures of the details of everyday life in Israel. Anyway, years ago my pastor taught a series of bible studies on Masada and the place has always captivated my interest. Hence the need to scrapbook these photos for Sherri.


The fortress itself was nothing short of an architectural masterpiece with natural cisterns, groves, walkways, colonnaded porticos, gardens and storerooms for arms and provisions sufficient to supply 10,000 men for many years.

Herod used Masada only as an occasional winter resort and possibly a few vacation trips and after his death in 4 B.C., a Roman garrison was stationed there until A.D. 66. A large scale Jewish revolt broke out at that time and they made a raid on Masada, displacing the Romans. As fighting continued throughout Palestine, many zealous Jews made their way to Masada to strengthen their garrison.

After the fall of Jerusalem under Titus in A.D. 70, the few remaining Jews who evaded capture, made their way across the Judean wilderness to Masada to continue their battle for freedom.

In the fall of A.D. 72, Falvius Silva, theRoman general, took his Tenth Legion, it's auxiliary troops, thousands of Jewish POW's and laid siege to Masada, then defended by Eleazar. For long months the patriots defended themselves against the Romans, but eventually completed an enormous earthen ramp (using Jewish POW's) to the top, placed battering rams against the walls, and set fire to the fortification. In the meantime, inside he walls, Eleazar gave a speech which set in motion a page in history never to be forgotten. When the enemy broke through the gates, what they found was one of the most touching tragedies in human history. The Jews, not wanting to fall into the Romans hands and a fate much worse as a POW, decided it would e better to die at their own hands. So embracing loved ones, with sword or dagger, they dealt the fatal blow. Collecting all their treasures in piles, they fed them to the flames. Next they chose ten men by lots to slay all the rest. When the deed was done, they again cast lots to determine who would kill the nine and fall on their own sword.

April 15, AD 73. When the Romans broke through, they found alive only two women, and five children, who concealed themselves and a mass of 960 dead bodies.

I have always been fascinated by this historical tragedy and hope someday to visit Masada myself.



7 Responses
  1. Mrs. Wizzle Says:

    Laura, the pictures of the pages just simply do not do justice to the fabulous work you did on them. The grunge hinges with glimmer mist of multiple shades on the lift up pages for jounalling. The cricut cut letters, sanded and inked. The clear shiny stuff on the raised off the page word Masada. (You can tell the correct name for the stuff) The brads. The tearing, the inking, the sanding, the scruffing.

    Perhaps we should have gotten Rachel to take the pictures one page at a time instead of two.

    Anyhow, I still really like them and am in the process of replicating them for the other album. I think I am growing funny shaped muscles from all of the sanding though and I am not done yet!


  2. Angie Says:

    Hey, great pages!!! Here are the links I promised you:

    http://pagemaps.com/index.htm

    -if you go to the pdf archives, you can find the list of just the sketches without the finished pages to go with the sketch. You will also find the list of all the other *maps through that same link

    http://www.stickersnfun.com/sketches.asp

    Both have just been updated, they usually update at the beginning of the month. Enjoy!!


  3. Laura Says:

    Thanks Sherri for the kind words...I had fun doing the pages, especially being entertained by your "Kitty".

    Angie: Thanks for the links, I am continually looking for new ideas.


  4. What a sad time in history - enjoyed the read ....but hey you blogged - I am amazed! LOL Great pages - sorry I didn't get to see them in real life.


  5. Rachel R Says:

    Your creativity makes me sick. I love the "mini-scrapbooks" you made for me. Every one that sees them is like "Oh my word!!!!! This is sooo unique nice!!!!" :oD


  6. Kate Says:

    I LOVE history!!! Great write up. Did Herod die in 4 BC or 4 AD? I have a hard time keeping the "characters" of history straight but wasn't he alive at the birth of Christ? LOVE those pages, great tribute! Thanks again for helping me with my house book. I am going to send it in to CS if I ever get it finished...:0) I better do it now while I have the time, right? I'm going to pop any day now!


  7. Laura Says:

    Hey Kate, Herod died in 4 B.C.
    There is just something about this time in the history of Israel that grips my heart and my imagination.

    I am excited to hear when you have your baby...make sure you phone the store or something. I know one of us will check your blog regularly. Take care.

    Laura