Holy Land Review:
By Joy Atkinson (Summer Intern)

Holy Land is located just north of Universal Studios at Interstate 4 and exit 78 . Orlando, Florida embraces a religious theme park to it's many others.

Holy Land is a new amusement park. This theme park is a story of the life of Jesus Christ. The great enjoyment of this park is putting words into pictures. It is based off of the Holy Bible. Many of the settings come from the stories and writings in the Holy Bible. When entering into the Holy Land you will walk in the Jerusalem marketplace. This is to go along with the area which the Israelites bought livestock to bring to the temple. Upon walking though the Jerusalem marketplace, I stumbled into the temple. The temple of the Great King and the Plaza of Nations is the centerpiece of this theme park. This 60-foot-high temple is a replica of the Herodian Temple of biblical times. It is surrounded by Roman columns and hanging oil lamps. Just by looking at this temple I was able to tell that it was a place of importance. The marble representations, the golden trim, the magnitude of the structure were all factors into realizing how important this temple was in Israel.

During the time I visited Holy Land, they presented a Passion play at Calvary's Garden Tomb. This Passion play illustrated the time when Christ was being crucified. The soldiers came down the path with Christ carrying his cross. There was music and songs. Roman soldiers hoisted him up onto the cross as his crying friends mourned his death. Through song and narrative, I was able to understand his story and why he had to die. However, death could not hold him. The audience members were invited to come and look at the tomb where he was laid, for it was empty, he had risen! The Passion play at Calvary's Garden Tomb only is shown once a day. It is the most powerful spectacle within the park. It lets the visitor understand why Jerusalem, Holy Land, and the experience contains so much religious value to the Christians. The Theater of Life shows the movie "The Seed of Promise," telling of temple life during this period. There is also a replica of the Qumram Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

In one of the air-conditioned buildings, that I enjoyed on a hot Florida day displays a large-scale model of Jerusalem. A resident historian tells a story of the city. He pointed out many of the buildings and people that are mentioned in the Bible. Viewing the city, as it would have looked around the time of Christ's life gave visual imagery to many of the stories I learned in Sunday school. This building also contained a lecture hall or concert hall. At different times during the day, this room was used for two purposes. A historian would speak on the landscape and history of a time long ago. Revealing truths that most history books forget to mention. Additionally, worship music was played. This music is nothing to just sit and listen to, hands should be clapped and standing up on your feet might be enjoyed. Music to keep one energized through the course of the day.

Word to the wise, make sure to pick up a schedule when entering the park. The shows start at various times throughout the day and you want to make sure that you do not miss them. Coming soon will be a review of the new Scriptorium . This building is told to have artifacts from Bible times. I am sure you would not wish to miss that!

A magnificent new addition to The Holy Land Experience opened this past summer. The Scriptorium: Center for Biblical Antiquities is one of the most unique facilities of its kind in the world. This 18,000-square-foot museum, built in fourth-century Byzantine architectural style, houses the finest private collection of authentic biblical artifacts in the world. Inside, ancient cuneiform, scrolls, manuscripts, and Bibles. Many of which are extremely rare or the only known copies in existence are available for you to see up close. Each treasured piece is exhibited in the historical and geographical environment out of which it came. The Scriptorium takes you on a magnificent journey as it exalts God's Word and charts its preservation throughout history.

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