Bethel
Bethel was an ancient city in Canaan, in west Asia.
Contents
History
According to Shahrizad, it was in Bethel where Jacob first stumbled upon the Stone of Destiny, also known as Jacob's Pillow. ("The Rock")
Real World Background
According to the Book of Genesis, Bethel was originally named Luz, a Canaanite city. The earliest human presence in the area dates as far back as 5000 BC, with the first settlements dating to around 3200 BC. It wasn't until about 1750 BC that the village became a fortified town. [1] After Jacob had his vision (as depicted in the comics), he purportedly named the site Beth-el (in Hebrew, בֵּית-אֵל), "House of El", a reference to the Canaanite god El. (Genesis 28:10–19)
In the 12th Century, Bethel became a fiefdom to the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem during the reign of King Baldwin V. When Sultan Saladin defeated the crusading forces in 1187, the area was largely abandoned.
Believed to have been located north of Jerusalem, today it is associated with the Palestinian city Beitin, in the West Bank.
