View source for Jacob's Well (Nablus, West Bank)

[[Image:Church of Jacob's Well.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Church of Jacob's Well, within the monastery complex of Jacob' well. Nablus, 2008.]]
'''Jacob's Well''' also commonly known as '''Jacob's fountain''' and '''Well of Sychar''' (Arabic: <big>بئر يعقوب</big>, (''Bir Ya'qub'' or ''Bir Ya'kub''); Greek: Φρέαρ του Ιακώβ) is a deep well hewn of solid rock that has been associated in religious tradition with Jacob for roughly two millennia. It is situated a short distance from the [[w:Syro-Palestinian archaeology|archaeological]] site of ''Tell Balata'', which is thought to be the site of biblical [[w:Shechem|Shechem]].<ref name=Hornep50>Horne, 1856, pp. 50-51/</ref> The well currently lies within the complex of the [[Greek Orthodox]] [[monastery]] of the same name, in the city of [[w:Nablus|Nablus]] in the West Bank.<ref name=Bromileyp955>Bromiley, 1982, p. 955.</ref><ref name=Hastingsp535>Hastings and Driver, 2004, pp. 535-537.</ref> 

==Religious significance==
[[Image:St Photina.jpg|thumb|right|St. [[Photine of Samaria|Photine]] of Samaria meets Christ at the well of Jacob.]]
[[Judaism|Jewish]], Samaritan, Christian, and [[Islam|Muslim]] traditions all associate the well with Jacob.<ref name=Bromileyp955/> The well is not specifically mentioned in the [[Old Testament]]. The [[Book of Genesis]] (33:18f) states that when Jacob returned to Shechem from [[w:Paddan-aram|Paddan-aram]], he camped "before" the city and bought the land on which he pitched his tent. Biblical scholars contend that plot of land is the same one upon which Jacob's Well was constructed.<ref name=Bromileyp955/><ref name=Hastingsp535/> 

Jacob's Well does appear by name in the [[New Testament]]'s [[Gospel of John]] (4:5f), where it is recorded that [[Jesus]] ''"came to a city of [[w:Samaria|Samaria]], called [[w:Sychar|Sychar]], near the field which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there."''<ref name=Bromileyp955/> The Gospel of John goes on to describe a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman that took place while [[Jesus]] was resting at the well.<ref name=Becchio>Becchio and Schadé, 2006. Listed under the entry for "Jacob's fountain".</ref>

==History==
The writings of [[pilgrim]]s indicate that Jacob's Well has been situated within different churches built at the same site over time.<ref name=Bromileyp955/><ref name=Hastingsp535/> 
===Byzantine era===
By the 330s CE, the site had been identified as the place where Jesus held his conversation with the Samaritan woman, and was probably being used for Christian [[baptism]]s.<ref name=Pringlep258>Pringle and Leach, 1993, p. 258.</ref> By AD 384, a cruciform church was built over the site, and is mentioned in the 4th century writings of Saint Jerome.<ref name=Pringlep258/><ref name="Semplici"/> This church was most likely destroyed during the [[w:Nablus#Samaritan_revolts|Samaritan revolts]] of 484 or 529.<ref name=Pringlep258/> Subsequently rebuilt by [[Justinian I|Justinian]], this second Byzantine era church was still standing in the 720s, and possibly into the early 9th century.<ref name=Pringlep258/> 
===Crusader era===
The Byzantine church was definitely in ruins by the time the Crusaders occupied Nablus in August 1099. Early 12th century accounts by pilgrims to the site speak of the well without mentioning a church.<ref name=Pringlep258/> There are later 12th century accounts of a newly built church at Jacob's Well. The first such definitive account comes from Theoderic, who writes: ''"The well ... is a half a mile distant from the city [Nablus]: it lies in front of the [[altar]] in the church built over it, in which [[nun]]s devote themselves to the service of [[God]]. This well is called the Fountain of Jacob."''<ref name=Pringlep258/> This Crusader era church was constructed in 1175, likely due to the support of [[w:Melisende of Jerusalem|Queen Melisande]], who was exiled to Nablus in 1152 where she lived until her death in 1161.<ref name=PUSH/> This church appears to have been destroyed following Saladin's victory over the Crusaders in the [[w:Battle of Hattin|Battle of Hattin]] in 1187.<ref name=Bromileyp955/><ref name=Hastingsp535/>
===Ottoman era===
In March 1697, when [[w:Henry Maundrell|Henry Maundrell]] visited Jacob's Well, the depth of the water in the well measured 15 feet (4.6 m).<ref>Maundrell, [http://books.google.com/books?id=LG09AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA85&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0#PPA105,M1 p.105], [http://books.google.com/books?id=LG09AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA85&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0#PPA106,M1 p.106]</ref><ref name=Hastingsp535/> [[w:Edward Robinson (scholar)|Edward Robinson]] visited the site in the mid-19th century, describing the ''"remains of the ancient church,"'' lying just above the well to the southwest as a ''"shapeless mass of ruins, among which are seen fragments of gray, granite columns, still retaining their ancient polish."''<ref name=Robinsonp132>Robinson and Smith, 1856, p. 132.</ref> Local Christians continued to venerate the site even when it was without a church.<ref name=Semplici/>. 

In 1860, the site was obtained by the [[Church of Jerusalem|Greek Orthodox Patriarchate]] and a new church was constructed shortly thereafter. An earthquake in 1927 in Palestine destroyed that building.<ref name=Semplici/> 
[[Image:Dome of the church of Jacob's Well.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The dome of the Church of Jacob's Well as photographed in 2008.]] 
===Modern era===
Since the [[w:Israeli occupation of the West Bank|Israeli occupation of the West Bank]], Jacob's Well has been a site of contention between Christians and Jews.<ref name=Semplici/> In November 1979, a week after a [[w:Zionism|Zionist]] group came to the monastery claiming it as a Jewish holy place and demanding that all religious iconography be removed, the custodian of the well, [[Archimandrite]] [[Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well|Philoumenos]], was found hatcheted to death inside the crypt housing the well. His assailant, Asher Raby (spelled "Rabi" in some newspaper accounts), a mentally ill 37-year-old resident of Tel Aviv who had murdered several other people, had intruded the monastery, threw a hand grenade inside, which caused substantial damage. Fr. Philoumenos is said by investigators to have been fleeing the explosion and fire caused by the grenade when he was pursued by Raby and hit multiple times with an axe.<ref name=JPOST>"TA eccentric 'confesses' to 1979 murders, police say". Jerusalem Post. 2 December 1982.</ref>

Father Justinus, a well respected Greek Orthodox priest in Nablus, later spearheaded a huge reconstruction project.<ref name=Semplici>Semplici, Andrea and Boccia, Mario. [http://www.ucodep.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=631&Itemid=90 - Nablus, at the foot of the holy mountain] pp.35-37.</ref> Jacob's Well has since been restored and a new church modelled along the designs of the Crusader era church, houses the well inside of it, in a crypt on a lower level.<ref name=PUSH/><ref name=Semplici/>

==Physical description and location==
[[Image:Jacob's Well 20th century.jpg|thumb|right|The well in 1934.]]
Jacob's Well is located 76 meters (249 ft) from ''Tell Balata'' in the eastern part of the city of Nablus within the grounds of the Jacob's Well Monastery.<ref name=PUSH>"[http://www.pushproject.org/page78/page8/page5/Al-Quds%20Sites.html Bir Ya'qub (Jacob's Well)]". PUSH (Promoting dialogue and cultural Understanding of our Shared Heritage. Retrieved 2008-12-07.  </ref><ref name=Bromileyp955/> The well is accessed by entering the church on the monastery grounds, and descending the stairs to a [[crypt]] where the well still stands, along with ''"a small winch, a bucket, ex-voto icons and lots of lit candles."''<ref name=Semplici/> Joseph's Tomb, a related site, is located just north of Jacob's Well in an Ottoman era building marked by a white dome.<ref>"[http://www.atlastours.net/holyland/nablus.html Nablus, Holy Land]". Atlas Tours. Retrieved 2008-12-07.</ref>

According to Major Anderson, who visited the site in 1866, the well has <blockquote>"a narrow opening, just wide enough to allow the body of a man to pass through with arms uplifted, and this narrow neck, which is about 4 ft. long, opens into the well itself, which is cylindrically shaped, and opens about 7 ft. 6 in. in diameter. The well and upper part of the well are built of masonry, and the well appears to have been sunk through a mixture of alluvial soil and limestone fragments, till a compact bed of mountain limestone was reached, having horizontal strata which could be easily worked; and the interior of the well presents the appearance of having been lined throughout with rough masonry."<ref name=Bromileyp955/></blockquote>

Based on a measurement made in 1935, the total depth of the well is 41 meters (135 ft).<ref name=Bromileyp955/>

==See also==
* [[Philoumenos (Hasapis) of Jacob's Well]]

==References== 
<div><references/></div>

==Bibliography==
* Becchio, Bruno; Schadé, Johannes P. (2006), Encyclopedia of World Religions, Foreign Media Group. ISBN 1601360002, 9781601360007  
* Bromiley, Geoffrey W. (1982), International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: E-J, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN 0802837824, 9780802837820  
* Horne, Thomas Hartwell (1856), An Introduction to the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans & Roberts.  
* Hastings, James; Driver, S R (2004), A Dictionary of the Bible: Volume II: (Part II: I -- Kinsman), The Minerva Group, Inc.  
* Maundrell, Henry (1836). A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem: At Easter, A.D. 1697 : to which is Added an Account of the Author's Journey to the Banks of the Euphrates at Beer, and to the Country of Mesopotamia. 271 pages. 
* Pringle, Denys; Leach, Peter E. (1993), Churches of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Corpus, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521390362, 9780521390361  
* Robinson, Edward; Smith, Eli (1856), Later Biblical Researches in Palestine and the Adjacent Regions: A Journal of Travels in the Year 1852, J. Murray.

[[Category:Pilgrimage Sites|Jacob's Well]]
[[Category:Monasteries|Jacob's Well]]
[[Category:Greek Monasteries|Jacob's Well]]
[[Category:Palestine Monasteries|Jacob's Well]]

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