Greetings, and welcome to Joppa. I shall show you the holy places of our city. Since Constantine transferred the capital of the Empire to Constantinople, he made our Eastern half of the Empire safe by sea and land. Now pilgrims come from everywhere to see the places where Christ lived and died.

Quite frankly, pilgrims bring a great deal of money to a sadly impoverished land. Joppa is a major port of entry for people coming by sea. Unfortunately, Jesus never set foot in Joppa, as far as we know, so he left no sites to keep our pilgrim guests from hurrying on their way.

But Joppa has two important Christian sites. This is the House of Dorcas, or Tabitha. The Acts of the Apostles gives both of her names, and both names mean "gazelle." Since she had both a Hebrew and a Greek name, we believe she was a Greek convert to the Jewish religion. In those days, Joppa was home to Greeks and Jews alike. Some Jews took up Greek ways, but some Greeks became Jews as well.

At any rate, Dorcas was known throughout the city as a friend to those in need. She was always pleasant, and the whole city loved her. On a wicked day, she fell ill and died.

At the time, the Apostles were meeting in Council in Jerusalem to determine the role of non-Jewish Christians in the church. Paul said they need not be circumcised and convert to Judaism before becoming Christian and need not follow all the dietary laws. James and other Apostles disagreed with him. Amid the strife, Peter had begun to doubt his own authority. He had come to Joppa to pray and meditate about the question.

But back to Dorcas. From every corner, people gathered at the House of Simon the Tanner, where Peter stayed. All of them begged him to raise Dorcas from the dead.

"Rise," he told her. And she did! This miracle confirmed Peter as head of the Apostles. By raising Dorcas through Peter's intercession, the Lord showed that all Christians were dear to Him.

The second miracle occurred here at the House of Simon the Tanner. Peter was now prepared to return to Jerusalem to take charge of the Apostles' deliberations. He felt all Christians should, as Dorcas had, first become good practicing Jews, and then accept Christian Baptism. All Christians would obey the Jewish dietary laws and other regulations.

But while he sat on the rooftop at the tanner's house, angels descended to him. They bore a feast made of all the good things which Jewish law forbids. "Take and eat," they said and told him that the foods were no longer forbidden.

So, Peter returned to Jerusalem with a clear sign of the will of the Lord. From that time forward, Gentiles could become Christian without undergoing circumcision, and without practicing all the strictures of Jewish law.

You ask how we can know that this is the House of Simon the Tanner and the other place is where Dorcas lived. That is a very intelligent question. When Helena came here we had nothing to show her to compare to holy places in Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

But we felt that our two sacred sites were important, since it was here the Christian church had been turned from a Jewish sect to a universal faith. The Empress Mother agreed. She did not build churches here as she did elsewhere, but she did include our sacred sites in her report. We have been showing them to pilgrims ever since.

Now you ask how we knew where these places were, two hundred years and more after Peter left Joppa. I could simply tell you that people remember what is important to them. Parents point out important places to their children, and the memory is passed on.

But perhaps you remember that Joppa was totally destroyed by Vespasian during the final Jewish War and the inhabitants, Jew or Greek, Christians included, were massacred or sold into slavery. The Emperor resettled the city with Greeks--all the Jews were expelled.

We know there were many Greek Christians in Joppa at the time of its destruction. But, if all the former inhabitants were slain or enslaved, who was left to show the new settlers the House of the Tanner and the House of Dorcas?

First, not all the people of Joppa were slain. Some were enslaved, and of those, some managed to buy their freedom and return to Joppa. Second, some people who grew up in Joppa and knew where the holy sites were located lived elsewhere at the time of the destruction, and some of them also returned to the city. Third, in any conquest there are survivors. They may hide in a cellar or a large chest, but hide they do, and they survive. And finally, before and during any siege, people escape to survive in the hills or even as workers for the invading army.

Of course, there are some who believe Joppa badly needed what your age calls a "tourist attraction" and quite cleverly "found" these houses, either at the time of St. Helena, or at the time of the Crusades. I cannot deny that our holy places have helped our city economically. In the end, you must see for yourself and decide for yourself what is a genuine relic and what is not.

Dr. Giorgio (Marco) Rubin, a neurosurgeon at Beilinson Hospital, owner, with his family, of the Dizengoff Suites Hotel, located on the famous Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv, near restaurants, shopping, other Tel Aviv hotels and the beach. More information about Dizengoff Suites Hotel can be found online at http://www.dizengoffsuites.co.il.

About the Author

Dr. Giorgio (Marco) Rubin, a neurosurgeon at Beilinson Hospital, owner, with his family, of the Dizengoff Suites Hotel, located on the famous Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv, near restaurants, shopping, other Tel Aviv hotels and the beach. More information about Dizengoff Suites Hotel can be found online at http://www.dizengoffsuites.co.il.