Day 9: Jerusalem & Herodion

We began today a little later than normal today and ended a little earlier as well, but we still managed to fit a full day’s worth of sight-seeing as we spent most of the day walking around the city.  Our starting point was the top of the Mount of Olives, where we had a panoramic view of the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. This is the site of Jesus’ agony and betrayal, and also of his Ascension into Heaven. This hill has been used as a cemetery since 2400 BC and during Jesus’ time, was also covered with olive trees, for which it was named.

From the top of the hill, we walked down the path of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry on Palm Sunday and paused at a few stops along the way to the city. First, we popped in to the garden surrounding the Dominus Flevit Chapel, which literally means “The Lord Wept” and commemorates Jesus’ tears over Jerusalem. The view from this garden is also great, and you can easily imagine what Jesus saw as he looked out and wept for the future of Jerusalem.

Our next stop down the hill was at the Garden of Gethsemane, the site where Jesus’ prayed with his disciples, where he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, and where he was arrested by the Romans on the night before his crucifixion. The garden is much smaller than it was it Jesus’ time, but it is still beautiful to walk in, and there still remain some centuries-old olive trees, including one that is 2,000 years old. In the garden is also the Church of All Nations, built in 1924 with donations from 12 countries over the site of multiple churches from as early as the 4th century BC. The beautiful mosaics, domes, and stained-glass windows make this a great place to sit and reflect on the beginning of Jesus’ journey of sacrifice. We also spent some time each by ourselves in the garden across the path, praying and reflecting.

After reaching the bottom of the hill, we passed through the Kidron Valley and headed up to the Temple Mount. We crossed into the Old City through St. Stephen’s Gate, also known as Lions’ Gate, named for Stephen, the first Christian Martyr, who was stoned to death supposedly near this site. Our first stop right inside the gate was at St. Anne’s Church. On the site of the church are 2 large cisterns that were built in the 8th and 3rd centuries BC and under Herod turned into curative baths. This is the site of the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus cured the paralysed man who could not make his way to the waters. Remains of the steps into the pool can still be seen to this day. After viewing the pool, we went into the church, a Crusader church built in the 1130s AD on the supposed spot where Anne and Joachim, the parents of Mary, lived. The church is well-known for it’s wonderful acoustics, which we tested out by singing a few hymns. Luckily, good acoustics can fix a lot of issues, and though we might not be the best group of singers, we sounded wonderful!

From St. Anne’s, we headed down the street a little, and then down underground to see the moat from Antonia Fort that was later turned into a cistern so they could build above it, and some of the original street and paving stones from Jesus’ time. When we came back on top, we started walking along the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus walked with the cross, which took him from Antonia Fort, where Pontius Pilate was, to Golgatha, where he was crucified. Much of the Via Dolorosa winds through the Muslim Quarter and the Souk, or market. It was crowded in there both with tourists and vendors trying to get you to buy anything from jewelry to stuffed animals to funny t-shirts to antique coins. Pretty much anything you could possibly want, you could find in the Souk. It was tough to stay together, but we managed, and we even noted the special markings for the “stations of the cross” along the route, commemorating the different events of Jesus’ journey with the cross.

Eventually, we made our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the likely site of Golgotha and Jesus’ tomb. The first chuch was built here around 326 AD by Constantine, and it has been rebuilt, enlarged, and revamped through the years. A tiny fraction of the original site remains, and what you can see is almost overshadowed by the massive and ornate cathedral that surrounds it. Inside, you can go up and see the Golgotha, the rock that Jesus’ cross was placed in to. On the opposite side of the church, you can go into Jesus’ tomb, which was built around the cave where Jesus’ body laid until his Resurrection. We can’t know if these sites are 100% accurate, but excations and evidence support this site as the most likely one for both the crucifixion and burial. As we reflected on Jesus’ sacrifice and his death and resurrection, although it is amazing to be in the site it all took place, I think most of us found it more special to do so at the Garden Tomb. Though that site is probably not accurate as the actual location, in spirit and feeling, it reflects more of Jesus’ time period and how events really unfolded back then.

After leaving the church, we headed to the Jewish Quarter, where we saw the remains of the Cardo, Jersalem’s main road in the Byzantium era, originally built by the Romans. By the placement of the columns, we can see that Jerusalem was orginally laid out with wide streets like we saw in Beth Shean. We also saw the foundations of a 22-feet thick wall thought to be built by King Hezekiah in the 8th Century BC to fortify the city before the Assyrian invation, as well as the reamins of houses from that time period that were demolished to make way for the wall, which was described by Isaiah. We walked through Hurva Square, on which sits the recently reconstructed Hurva Synagogue, which was destroyed in 1948 during the fighting between the Arab and Jewish armies. Walking through the streets of the Jewish Quarter is much more relaxing than walking through the Muslim Quarter - you can tell they value their peace and quiet.

After leaving the Jewish Quarter, we walked alongside the Armenian Quarter and headed to the top of Mount Zion, and the site of the Last Supper. No one really knows where exactly on Mount Zion the Last Supper took place, but since the Crusades, this site has been traditionally know as the place where Jesus’ held his last Passover meal with his disciples, gave them the first communion, and washed their feet. Today, the room is crusader in style, and rather unadorned. While we visited, we read from the gospels the story of the Last Supper, then prayed, remembering the honoring the event. Below this upper hall, and perhaps the reason why this particular upper room was chosen, is the supposed site of King David’s tomb. Though no evidence has been found to either support or refute this claim, this site has been considered so since the 11th century AD. Mount Zion was the last stop on our 5-mile and 5-hour walking tour.

Once we boarded our bus again, we headed south of the city to visit Herodion, the circular city and fort Herod the Great had built in 24-15 BC and named for himself.  The fort was built upon a man-made hill that is volcano-like in appearance and can be seen from miles around. This is also the site of Herod’s tomb, which has been found only in the past year and is still not open for visitors. During the second Jewish revolt in 132 AD, Herodion became the Jewish headquarters, and the rebels turned the cisterns inside the hill into a series of escape tunnels. After climbing the hill and walking around the top, taking in the view of the surrounding countryside, we were able to climb down the winding steps and passageways through the cisterns. It felt like a maze that you could easily get lost in if you weren’t paying attention.

Today was a long day packed full of interesting and significant places, and tomorrow promises to be no different, as we leave at 6:30 to explore the Western Wall Tunnels. Check back to see how we did tomorrow!

Categories: Holy Land.