St. Luke tells us that John was born when Herod was tetrarch of Galilee. It means John lived when Herod 2nd, son of King Herod Great, ruled northern and eastern part of country. Many years later, this tetrarch (Roman prince) arrested John and executed him in a brutal way, by beheading him.

Why was he imprisoned and eliminated? Some of Gospels tell us that John rebuked tetrarch publicly for his evil deeds. But great Jewish historian Josephus tells us another story. John was regarded as politically dangerous. St. Matthew insinuates that this version is reliable, when he says that Herod "feared multitude, because they counted him (John) as a prophet".

The main contribution of Josephus to our story is telling us where John was imprisoned and murdered. It was in fortress of Machaerus (Mikhvar, in Hebrew), remains of which can be seen nowadays in kingdom of Jordan.

Kibutz Tzuba (the correct Hebrew name is Tzova) where cave was found, is located only four kilometers from Ein kerem, which probably was birthplace of John, as mentioned above. But we should recall that John did not operate there. He needed "much water". In Tzuba-Ein-Kerem area water is scarce. The Historical sources put scene in a different site: Jordan River, apparently near Jericho. Why not believe them?

A few hundred meters from Tzuba cave, on top of another hill, remains of a small fortress can be seen. The Crusaders built it to control a secondary way to Jerusalem, used by Pilgrims. Those days Crusaders did not control main road to Jerusalem any more, and had no choice but to use their productive imagination to "create" new "biblical sites". Nearby Abu Ghosh is one of them. It became Emmaus.

Is Tzuba Cave a modern such an adjustment of versions? May be .But it could also be a place where John Baptist really did some baptizing. Why not? He was born not far away from there. His parents could still live in Ein Kerem. May be he used cave when he came to visit them?

We are dealing here with speculations. And these are beyond scope of our discussion. Most of Holy sites in Israel are believed to be original ones without having any firm scientific proof. Does it matter? Apparently answer is negative. Belief is a matter of heart, not of science.

What Archaeologists do know for sure is that Tzuba cave was used by Jews for a long period of time, starting during reign of Judean kings some 600 years before John's time. It continued to be used by Christians until 300- 400 years after John's time. There are some carvings from that time on wall which are symbols related to John Baptist, including his image, a drawing of his decapitated head and a cross shape.

Inside cave, archaeologists found many pottery shards, indicating cave could be used for baptizing. Is it enough for proving anything? The answer is no. Is it worth a visit? The answer is absolutely yes. But for that purpose people should wait. The cave has not yet been opened to visitors.

The Author is a freelance journalist and a tour guide in Israel

Websites:

http://israel.electrical-contractor.net/

http://pr4u.bravehost.com/

Terroir

The terroir of Sonoma Valley AVA is dominated by unpredictable fog patterns. A substantial amount of fog from Southern San Pablo Bay regularly covers region. Additionally, a lesser amount of fog creeps through a gap in mountains near Santa Rosa in north.

The Southern Sonoma Valley is very cool and includes eastern part of Carneros AVA. Temperature steadily rise as one travels north. The town of Sonoma is located about one-third of way north within AVA and has a moderate, pleasant climate. The northern towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood are substantially warmer.

Wines, Wineries, and Varietals

As alluded to earlier, unpredictable fog patterns make it difficult to typecast specific areas in Sonoma Valley AVA as being suited to particular varietals. Although exceptions abound, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay generally thrive in southern part of Appellation. At same time, there are areas around Kenwood in northern part of AVA that produce great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir from Sonoma Valley varies dramatically from south to north. Northern Pinots have almost Rhone-like characteristics, while southern Pinots are lighter and more reminiscent of production from Russian River Valley.

The eastern hills of valley below Sonoma Mountain are increasingly best known for Zinfandel. McCrea Vineyards is an exceptional example of this production. While great Cabernet Sauvignon can also be found on Eastern Sonoma Mountain, Louis M Martini's Monte Rosso in Western Mayacamas Mountains has arguably been most consistently excellent Cab grown by any Sonoma Valley Winery. Exceptional Gewurztraminers and Sauvignon Blancs are also produced in Sonoma Valley AVA.