The Mount of Olives
Last evening began Tisha B'Av, commemorating the destructions of both the first temple (by the Babylonians) and the second temple (by the Romans). Both destructions are believed to have occurred on the same date, but several hundred years apart. So in the evening I went down to the Wailing Wall, where there was a very large crowd. Because of the crowd, I stayed back and took a few pictures, but none of them captured the immense number of people there.
A telephoto shot.
The army was there providing security.
I couldn't figure out what these girls were doing other than exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Unless they were plainclothes police ... or something.
The Al Aqsa Mosque overlooked the entire scene.
Tuesday morning we traveled to the Mount of Olives.
A common sight along the way. During this time I think they're most concerned about Israeli hotheads -- some of whom we encountered.
We see these folks around town quite a bit. Don't know what they're doing.
From the top of the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Kidron Valley.
They really do have olives there.
Olive trees grow very old -- and gnarley.
No one really knows where Jesus' real tomb was, although several sites have been proposed. We visited "The Garden Tomb" today, which some archaeologists say is too old to be His. But it was very pleasant and interesting.
Here's an example of how a first century tomb worked. The one here (not at the Garden Tomb) shows a doorway into the tomb, with a large stone to be rolled between the entryway and the actual tomb opening. Someone is standing on the stone. In this case, when the body is placed in the tomb, the stone would be rolled to the right to close off the entrance.
The body is left in the tomb for about a year to allow it to decay. After a year, the family opens the tomb to retrieve the bones. This are placed in an ossuary box, making room for other bodies.
This is the opening to the Garden Tomb. For a variety of reasons, it's been proposed as the actual tomb where Jesus' body was placed, although no one claims this with certainty. The stones in the wall were placed there many years after the tomb was first used, apparently to repair earthquake damage.
This picture shows the groove along which a stone would be rolled to block the entrance to the tomb. Ignore the little sign and the block placed there to keep tourists from tripping.
This is where an actual body was once placed. Whose, we don't know.
We also visited the Dominus Flevit church on the Mount of Olives, built in the shape of a tear drop. The cross superimposes on the Temple Mount.
Many Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe that the final judgment will occur on the Temple Mount. (I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion on that one.) Many seem to believe there's some advantage in having a front-row seat. So here you have graveyards laid out before of the Temple Mount. The Jewish (nearest) and Christian (lower) graveyards are on the slope of the Mount of Olives. The Muslim graveyard is across the Kidron Valley (and the highway down there), up against the wall of the Old City.
When this territory belonged to Jordan (known as Transjordan), Jewish graves were desecrated by soldiers. Since the area was captured by the Israelis during the 6 Day War, they have tried to restore the graves.
The rocks on the grave cover boxes recall the rocks placed on the graves of Israelites who fell in the Sinai Desert during the Exodus and subsequent forty years of wandering. The rocks protected the bodies from animals that might dig them up.
We visited the Church of All Nations.
Afterwards, Amy and some friends went shopping in the Old City markets. (Dave took a nap.)
Amy was a good customer.
Tomorrow we travel to Galilee. I don't know if we'll have Internet service there, so I don't know I'll be able to update the blog for a few days.
A telephoto shot.
The army was there providing security.
I couldn't figure out what these girls were doing other than exercising their 2nd amendment rights. Unless they were plainclothes police ... or something.
The Al Aqsa Mosque overlooked the entire scene.
Tuesday morning we traveled to the Mount of Olives.
A common sight along the way. During this time I think they're most concerned about Israeli hotheads -- some of whom we encountered.
We see these folks around town quite a bit. Don't know what they're doing.
From the top of the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Kidron Valley.
They really do have olives there.
Olive trees grow very old -- and gnarley.
No one really knows where Jesus' real tomb was, although several sites have been proposed. We visited "The Garden Tomb" today, which some archaeologists say is too old to be His. But it was very pleasant and interesting.
Here's an example of how a first century tomb worked. The one here (not at the Garden Tomb) shows a doorway into the tomb, with a large stone to be rolled between the entryway and the actual tomb opening. Someone is standing on the stone. In this case, when the body is placed in the tomb, the stone would be rolled to the right to close off the entrance.
The body is left in the tomb for about a year to allow it to decay. After a year, the family opens the tomb to retrieve the bones. This are placed in an ossuary box, making room for other bodies.
This is the opening to the Garden Tomb. For a variety of reasons, it's been proposed as the actual tomb where Jesus' body was placed, although no one claims this with certainty. The stones in the wall were placed there many years after the tomb was first used, apparently to repair earthquake damage.
This picture shows the groove along which a stone would be rolled to block the entrance to the tomb. Ignore the little sign and the block placed there to keep tourists from tripping.
This is where an actual body was once placed. Whose, we don't know.
We also visited the Dominus Flevit church on the Mount of Olives, built in the shape of a tear drop. The cross superimposes on the Temple Mount.
Many Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe that the final judgment will occur on the Temple Mount. (I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion on that one.) Many seem to believe there's some advantage in having a front-row seat. So here you have graveyards laid out before of the Temple Mount. The Jewish (nearest) and Christian (lower) graveyards are on the slope of the Mount of Olives. The Muslim graveyard is across the Kidron Valley (and the highway down there), up against the wall of the Old City.
When this territory belonged to Jordan (known as Transjordan), Jewish graves were desecrated by soldiers. Since the area was captured by the Israelis during the 6 Day War, they have tried to restore the graves.
The rocks on the grave cover boxes recall the rocks placed on the graves of Israelites who fell in the Sinai Desert during the Exodus and subsequent forty years of wandering. The rocks protected the bodies from animals that might dig them up.
We visited the Church of All Nations.
Afterwards, Amy and some friends went shopping in the Old City markets. (Dave took a nap.)
Amy was a good customer.
Tomorrow we travel to Galilee. I don't know if we'll have Internet service there, so I don't know I'll be able to update the blog for a few days.
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