Damascus
It is on the way to Damascus that Saul converts: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?".[1]
Inhabitants
Ananias (Abel called Ananias), Joseph called Barnabas.
Description
During a stop at Gerasa, the wealthy merchant Misace explains to Jesus the strategic location of this city:“The Romans see its importance on this route that goes from the Red Sea, and consequently from Egypt, through Damascus towards the Pontic Sea”[2].
Where is it mentioned in the work?
GRM 287.4
GRM 390.1
GRM 499;3
Learn more about this place
It is on the road to Damascus, where he was going to persecute Christians, that Paul of Tarsus (Saul), struck down by Jesus, converts. He is baptized there by Ananias. He will later pass through several times.
The city is mentioned thirteen times in the Acts of the Apostles[3], once in the 2nd letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians[4], and once in the letter of Saint Paul to the Galatians.[5]
Excerpt from the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta, by Jean-François Lavère:
Capital of Syria, Damascus has been inhabited since the 4th millennium before Jesus Christ.
Damascus was a destination or a stop for countless caravans, as confirmed elsewhere by another merchant: “I am from Petra, Lord. I transport on behalf of others goods coming from the Red Sea, to Damascus”[6]. At Engedi, Maria Valtorta admires the grapes: “some clusters that... must be as sweet as the dried grapes of Damascus”.[7]
Explore
• 33° 30’ 44’’ N / 36° 17’ 54’’ E
• +680m
Notes and references
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.
Article written based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta, by Jean-François Lavère.