Orthodox Christians mark Jesus baptism in Jordan River

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2008

JERICHO, West Bank (AFP) — Thousands of Orthodox Christians made a pilgrimage on Friday to the Jordan River site where Jesus is believed to have been baptized.

The event marked the Feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus began his public ministry by receiving baptism from John the Baptist.

Western Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6, or 12 days after Christmas. The Orthodox, who continue to use the old Julian calendar, mark the date on January 18.

The celebrations began with prayers by the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, at the fifth-century monastery of St. John the Baptist on a hill overlooking the river.

The monastery and the riverside site where the baptism is believed to have taken place are located in what has been a...