 homevideosguided
toursarticleslocation
profilespicturesiPIX |
 |
 |
|
|
| |
 Jerusalem
Photos  Scriptures
ref.
| ||
| Table of content: |
Historical significance: Major milestones in the history of Jerusalem INDEX
Biblical Significance of Selected Sites INDEX
1. Golgotha: INDEX Two main locations have been identified as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial:
The Garden Tomb: When the British General Gordon visited Jerusalem in 1883, he became impressed with the topography of an area near the northern wall of the city just north of the Damascus gate, and particularly with the skull-like appearance of a limestone bluff. Nearby, to the west of this site, he discovered what he thought could have been Jesus’ tomb. Archaeological research in the area, however, does not support this conclusion. Certain features indicate that it was constructed in the Byzantine Period (after A.D. 330) rather than in the Roman Period of the first century. The setting is one of beauty and tranquility, however, with meticulously maintained gardens and trees, and accommodation for some five hundred worshipers. The empty tomb, with its significantly open doorway carved into the lower rock face, provides a focus for visitors as they reflect on Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher: This site has the strong support of tradition although this rests primarily on a sequence of historical events and conclusions drawn from them. For instance, Emperor Hadrian, expressing his anger over the Bar Kochba rebellion of A.D. 132-135, built a temple to Venus over what he assumed was the site of Jesus’ resurrection. Later, following the conversion of Emperor Constantine in the early fourth century, his mother visited the Holy Land and "identified" several sacred sites. In A.D. 335, Constantine destroyed the temple of Venus and, based on the prevailing tradition of the day, located a basilica (a "house of prayer") on the site.
Furthermore, research in 1980 revealed that no first century tombs existed within 1,100 yards of the temple and therefore none have been found in the vicinity of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Also, an execution site at this location would have been unacceptably close to Herod’s palace.
The most important consideration is the location of the site with reference to the city wall since Jewish law would not permit an execution or burial inside the city. Reconstructions of the city walls for the first century have been contoured with a deviation to place Golgotha outside of them. There is no archaeological evidence for this sudden change in direction of the wall, nor would it have been militarily acceptable. This means that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was constructed on a site that was apparently not outside the city wall at the time of the crucifixion.
Conclusion: It is not likely that either of these traditional sites is authentic. Jesus would have been crucified in a location outside the city wall where there was traffic. The place would have accommodated several crucifixions at one time, and included space for soldiers and many spectators to have surrounded the crosses. (This is contrary to the commonly held image of three crosses close together on a lonely hilltop.) Further, during the intervening years, quarrying and building in the area, and the general spread of the city with the re-contouring of the topography to accommodate this growth, would have erased any evidence of the original Golgotha scene.
It is significant that there is no evidence that Christians expressed any interest in or veneration for historically sacred sites before the fourth century. Our inability to identify the exact location of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection complements the fact that He Himself is not presently visible. The historical event that placed Him on a cross somewhere outside the city walls of Jerusalem in the spring of A.D. 30 and brought Him out of a nearby new tomb three days later, is infinitely more important than our seeking to locate the scene of these events amid the building and bustle of this city twenty centuries later. If the early Christians were more interested in His return than the sites of the cross and the tomb just a few years after these events, they would seem to challenge us to join them in "looking for His appearing."
2. Gethsemane: INDEX The name of this historic site means "olive press," appropriately reflecting the presence of extensive olive groves on this western slope of the Mount of Olives. Although it is usually referred to as a "garden," this was probably an enclosed orchard, a designation that is compatible with the word used here. It was presumably owned by a wealthy citizen of Jerusalem, possibly John Mark’s father, who also provided the upper room for Jesus to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. This may have accounted for the presence of the "young man," possibly John Mark, near the orchard when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51,52). That the grove was enclosed by a wall is suggested by the preposition and adverb used in the accounts of Jesus’ arrest. "…where there was a garden, in which He entered with His disciples" (John 18:1). "So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them ‘Whom do you seek?’" (John 18:4)
The general location of the Garden of Gethsemane is not disputed, although the exact site cannot be empirically established. It was very likely near the present Greek and Roman churches on the lower slope of the Mount of Olives, almost opposite the St. Stephen’s Gate on the eastern side of the city.
Several geographical implications of this site should be noted. When Jesus made His official entry into Jerusalem on the previous Sunday, He would have passed very near to this place where, four nights later, He would be arrested and taken for trial. Near this spot, He paused on that occasion, to weep over the city (Luke 19:41). Farther up the slope from this place, on the following Tuesday, He had taught His men about the future of the city and their people in His Olivet Discourse.
3. The High Priest’s residence: INDEX The location of this house has not been positively identified. Josephus located it in the Upper City, just south of the present Jaffa Gate, where the ruling class and the wealthy lived. An alternate site was excavated in 1888 and 1911. Located seven hundred feet south of the city, Theodosius referred to it as "The Church of St. Peter," now called, St. Peter in Gallicantu ("cock crow"). Although fifth century remains of a church have been found at this site, there is no archaeological evidence to establish that this was the location of Caiaphas’ residence. Indeed, this would have placed it at a distance from the sector occupied by Jerusalem’s elite, which would have included the high priest and his family.
Caiaphas’ house would presumably have been an extensive "villa," the official residence of the high priest and his family. Since his father-in-law Annas had been the high priest until fifteen years before, and Jesus was brought first to Annas after his arrest, it is very likely that he had continued to live in this residence. (Annas retained so much influence that he could arrange for several family members to be appointed high priest.) This complex had a gate from the street that led into a courtyard where soldiers could assemble and build a fire. The residence was probably of the insula architecture, with several connected family dwellings allowing Annas and Caiaphas to share the same complex.
4. The Mount of Olives: INDEX The Mount of Olives, which generally parallels the city on the east side, across the Kidron Valley, comprises a line of three low hills, averaging approximately 2,700 feet in elevation. From here, the drop to the Dead Sea, twenty-five miles to the east, is 4,200 feet. Because of this extreme difference in elevation, the Dead Sea and the mountains of Moab beyond are clearly visible from the Mount of Olives.
The range of hills called the Mount of Olives includes, from the north, Mount Scopus (probably Nob, 1 Sam 21:1, the residence of priests in Saul’s time), Olivet proper (2,900 feet) and the Mount of Offense, or the Mount of Scandal where Solomon built houses for his pagan wives.
The central part of the Mount of Olives was a favorite resting-place for Galileans when they came to Jerusalem for the feasts, attested by the fact that this sector of the hill was called "The Men of Galilee." Jesus and His disciples had often visited this very area to rest and to reflect on the events that were transpiring in His ministry (Luke 21:37; John 8:1; Luke 22:39).
Several historical events are connected with this hill along the east side of Jerusalem:
5. The Pool of Bethesda: INDEX The name of this ancient pool in Jerusalem could mean "place of mercy" or "place of outpouring." It was constructed in the riverbed of the Beth Zetha valley in the northeastern part of Jerusalem. (Today the pool may be seen just inside St. Stephen’s gate on the east side of the city, adjacent to the Church of St. Ann.) The Pool of Bethesda actually consisted of two pools whose original purpose was for the washing of sheep to be sacrifice in the temple area nearby.
By the first century, the pool had become known as a place of healing, either by God or by pagan deities. If, as is likely, the pool had been dedicated to pagan gods at that time, including Asclepias, the Greek-Roman god of healing, Jesus’ healing of the lame man (John 5:1-9) would have demonstrated publicly His superiority over these gods.
The "stirring of the water" of John 5:7, was attributed to "an angel of the Lord." The pools were fed by rainwater and underground springs. The cause of this disturbance may have been an overflow from the upper pool at the end of the rainy season or an intermittent surge of water from a spring.
6. Pool of Siloam: INDEX The name comes from the Hebrew word shiloah, meaning "aqueduct," or, more literally "the sent [of water]" (Isa 8:6). The pool was located in the lower Tyropoean Valley, west of the City of David, the site of the original Jebusite city. The Gihon Spring fed the pool through the tunnel constructed by Hezekiah when the Assyrians were threatening the city (2 Kgs 20:20). Originally the pool was about eighty square feet, although today it has been reduced by various modifications to 50 x 15 feet.
It was from the Pool of Siloam that the priests drew water for ritual purification, e.g. the red heifer offering (Num 19:2-10) and, in the first century, for the libation of the Feast of Tabernacles. It was in connection with this high moment on the last day of the feast that Jesus invited those who were spiritually thirsty to come to Him and drink (John 7:37-39). All that week, in mid-September, priests had been bringing water from the Pool of Siloam. Amid the waving of the lulav and the singing of the Hallel, this water had been poured out on the altar of the great temple in Jerusalem. This ceremony reminded the people of God’s miraculous provision of water in the wilderness wanderings, and called them to pray for rain for the coming agricultural season.
Several weeks after this feast, at the celebration of Hannuka in December, Jesus healed a blind man not far from the temple in Jerusalem. He applied clay to his eyes and said to him, "Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." As the text notes, Jesus’ command was linguistically related to this destination, Siloam meaning "sent" (John 9:6,7). Jesus’ giving this man sight for the first time in his life, involved a challenge to the spiritually blind leaders of the nation (John 9:39-41). This message derives from Isaiah’s warning to Judah (8:6-8). Using a play on words, the prophet accuses his contemporaries with "rejecting the gently flowing waters of Shiloah," meaning dependence on God’s help rather than the Northern Kingdom and Syria. The result would be that "the Euphrates," referring to Assyria, would overflow and almost drown them. Jesus’ selection of this means of healing a blind man, sending him to the Pool of Siloam, was intended to impress on the religious leaders their need for obeying His word ("And he went away and washed and came back seeing") to heal their blindness.
7. The Praetorium: INDEX The Fortress of Antonia: This fortress may have been the "praetorium," the site of Jesus’ trial before Pilate, although this is not certain. When the exiles returned from the Babylonian exile (538 B.C.), they rebuilt Jerusalem, though on a much smaller scale. As they repaired the walls and built the temple, they also constructed a new fortress called Bira. When Herod the Great began his extensive building program (37 B.C.), doubling the size of the Temple Mount, he restored Bira and named it Antonia in honor of his patron, Marc Antony. Until the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, this fortress on the northwest corner of the Temple Mount served as the base of Roman authority in Jerusalem, a strategic location from which they could monitor any disturbances in the temple area (see Acts 21:30-33).
Herod’s Palace: According to the historian Josephus, Herod the Great built an extensive, luxurious palace in the "upper city" of Jerusalem just south of the present Jaffa Gate. A fortress itself, it was built against the western wall of the city for further strength. On its north side, Herod built three towers, each named for a person close to him: Hippicus, a friend who died in battle, Phasael, one of his sons, also killed in battle, and Mariamne, his Hasmonean wife whom he murdered out of jealousy. In the intervening years, the Arabs, Crusaders and Turks have occupied this site and progressively destroyed it. Only the base of the Phasael tower has been identified as Herodian, under what today is known, inaccurately, as David’s Tower, a part of "the Citadel."
When Herod died, the palace passed over to his son Archelaeus who was given control of Judea and Samaria. When Archelaeus was deposed in A.D. 6, the palace became the official residence of the Roman prefect (or procurator). The prefect was appointed by the emperor and responsible to him for governing Judea and Samaria. His residence and administrative headquarters were at Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast. When he came to Jerusalem, usually for feast days, he resided either at the Fortress of Antonia or Herod’s Palace.
Conclusion: At the time of Jesus’ trial, the prefect Pilate, was accompanied by his wife to Jerusalem. It is almost certain that on this occasion, Pilate stayed in Herod’s Palace rather than in the more Spartan facilities of the Fortress of Antonia. Historical considerations: Philo records that Pilate resided in this Palace during feasts in Jerusalem. In addition, one of his successors, Gessius Florus also stayed there in May of A.D. 66 as the Jewish Revolt was about to break out.
Of the four Gospel records of this event, only John mentions the praetorium (John 18:28). If Herod’s Palace is to be identified as the praetorium at that time, it would mean that the Sanhedrin brought Jesus to the courtyard of this extensive structure, just north of the residence of the high priest. When Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas from there, He would have been taken across the city to the Hasmonean Palace near the western side of the Temple Mount (Luke 23:6-12). On His return, Pilate made two offers to the Sanhedrin, to accept his beating of Jesus ("Behold the man") and to release Jesus or Barabbas (John 18:39-19:16). The praetorium is mentioned several times during these events, and at the end becomes the place where Jesus was mocked and beaten (Matt 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19). From the praetorium, then, Jesus was led out to Golgotha to be crucified. If the "praetorium" is to be identified as Herod’s Palace, we have a more accurate sense of the geographical context in which these historical events occurred.
8. Streets and Stairs: INDEX Jerusalem was built over hills and valleys. Most streets required steps for the people to navigate the frequent differences in elevation. When Herod the Great expanded the city, he developed the Tyropoean Valley into a main street, beginning near the Ephraim (Damascus) Gate, and merging just north of Robinson’s Arch with the street that ran along the retaining wall of the Temple Mount. This street descended, with a number of steps, to the Pool of Siloam. A causeway-type road led westward from the temple (over "Wilson’s Arch," spanning the Tyropoean Valley), to Herod’s Palace on the west side of the city.
In Jesus’ day, Jerusalem was often crowded with pilgrims from many parts of the empire, and with local people making their purchases in the market. The focus of traffic was the western and southern sides of the Temple Mount. Recent excavations near the southwestern corner of the mount have revealed the pavement of the street from Herod’s Jerusalem and along it, the entrances to small shops. The traffic of worshipers from places far and near would pass this area as they proceeded to the entrance of the temple on the southern wall of the mount. Robinson’s Arch, the base of the massive staircase that led from the temple down to the street into this valley, would bring people into the midst of this merchandise center. It is possible that it was near here that Jesus found the blind man whom He sent down the valley to the Pool of Siloam.
A twenty-four-foot wide street along the seven hundred-foot southern wall of the Temple Mount provided access to the temple area. Pilgrims would enter by one of the Hulda Street Gates in that wall and ascend through an underground passage to the platform of the temple near Solomon’s Porch. They would then leave the mount by the other Hulda Gate.
Since Hulda Street was at a level considerably lower than the south wall of the Temple Mount, extensive stairs were built to allow pilgrims to reach the level of the gates. One series of steps, below the eastern triple gates, was fifty feet wide and the other, leading up to the western double gate, was 210 feet wide. It is likely that Jesus stood on these broad steps as He taught the people entering and leaving the temple area.
It is likely that Peter also preached from these steps on the Day of Pentecost. Below this southern wall of the Temple Mount were hundreds of mikvoth (ceremonial baths) that would have accommodated the several thousand baptisms that day (Acts 2:37-41).
9. The Temple Mount: INDEX When Herod the Great began to rebuild the temple originally constructed by Zerubbabel and dedicated in 520 B.C., he greatly enlarged the elevated area on which it and Solomon’s temple had stood. Anticipating huge crowds of pilgrims and visitors from all over the empire, he doubled the size of the platform to 1,576 x 985 feet, one hundred feet longer than the massive platform at Persepolis in Persia. This expansion required constructing massive retaining walls. (The Western Wall, also called the "Wailing Wall" from the grief of Jews who, for many years, could not visit it, is the only one of these walls remaining today.)
Without disturbing the temple services, Herod completely restructured the temple itself, using a thousand priests whom he had trained as masons and builders. The height of this new sanctuary was sixty feet and its width forty-five feet. The colonnaded Solomon’s Porch and The Royal Stoa surrounded the temple area. It was in these porches and the large plaza that Jesus did much of His teaching and where the apostles preached after Pentecost. The large plaza was called "The Court of the Gentiles," the only area on the Temple Mount where non-Jews could assemble to worship or observe. It was this area, which had been taken over by commercial activities, that Jesus cleared at the beginning and again near the end of His ministry.
The construction and beautification of the temple had been proceeding for forty-six years when Jesus cleansed it. It was not completed until A.D. 66, just before the Romans destroyed it. In one of Jesus’ last conversations with His disciples, the temple and the porches were so beautiful that they remarked about them. In response, Jesus warned them that everything on this Temple Mount would be destroyed, a prediction that was fulfilled in the summer of A.D. 70.
10. The Upper Room: INDEX The traditional site of the Upper Room was marked in the fourth century by the Church of the Holy Sion, which appears on the Medeba Map (from the seventh century). According to an historian of the fourth century, the emperor Hadrian found the upper room still in existence. There is no archaeological or credible historical data that would locate this house with its historic guestroom. It is likely, however, that it was located in the upper city of Jerusalem, probably not far from the high priest’s villa, since this was the main residential sector of the city in Jesus’ time. (The Upper Room shown to tourists today was built by the Crusaders in the twelfth century.)
Click
here for more pictures of this area
