Mount Carmel (Keren-Carmel) (Mukhraka) (Israel)

City:

Haifa

State, Province, Region, or District:

Haifa District

Country:

Israel

Overview

Mount Carmel is best known as the site of the confrontation between the 850 prophets of Baal and the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18:1-40). Mount Carmel was a High Place of worship to the false god of Baal and Asherah during the period of Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings.

On the south-eastern peak of Mount Carmel, the site is now known as Keren-Carmel or Muhraka (“the Scorching”). It is marked by a dramatic stone statue of Elijah, sword raised to heaven as he slaughters a Baal priest, and a small Carmelite monastery, surrounded by a nature reserve. A superb view takes in the plain of Esdraelon and southern Galilee. On the plain below is the Kishon brook, where Elijah took the priests of Baal and had them put to death.

From ancient times, Mount Carmel has been considered a sacred place. It is often cited in the Old Testament for its beauty and fertility. The 6th-century Greek mathematician Pythagoras (best known for the Pythagorean Theorem, a fundamental principle in geometry that relates the sides of a right triangle) is recorded to have visited the mountain because of its reputation for sacredness, stating that it was “the most holy of all mountains, and access was forbidden to many”.

Alternate Names

Har haKarmel (Hebrew for the mountain with the definite article), the simpler Hebrew Karmel, and the general term Karmel, meaning "garden" or "orchard"; Jebel Mâr Elias (Mountain of St. Elias) in Arabic, reflecting its significance as the site where the prophet Elijah performed miracles

Geography & Location

Mount Carmel is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Biblical, Historical, & Archaeological Background Information

The great showdown between the Prophet Elijah and the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah began around 100 years earlier when King Solomon sowed the seeds that would destroy Israel morally. Against God’s clear commandments to the Israelites, Solomon married many foreign wives. These foreign wives worshipped false gods, and to honor them, Solomon built high places of worship all over Israel where these false gods could be worshipped. 1 Kings 11 recounts this tragic reality. As a result, the worship of false gods became rampant in the land.

Architecture

The Deir el-Mukhraqa Carmelite Monastery is a contemporary structure, with the current building dating to 1883, built on the site of an older church. The monastery itself isn't known for extensive architectural features, as it's a modern reconstruction, but its significance comes from its location and purpose as a memorial to the Elijah and prophets of Baal biblical event. It features a prominent twelve-stone altar, an outdoor statue of Elijah, and a large observation terrace with panoramic views of the surrounding Carmel mountains.

Biblical & Historical References

Mount Carmel (Mukhraka) is best known as the site of the confrontation between the 850 prophets of Baal and the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18:1-40).

Spiritual Lessons and Application

Do we fall away easily from the Lord and neglect Him?

Etymology

Mount Carmel – Hebrew: Karem El = "vineyard, plantation, garden land or fruit of God"