Jerusalem

The next four days we spent touring Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a holy city for three religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible only about a bazillion times and in Old Testament times was the only place where offerings to God could be offered. All Jewish festivals took place in Jerusalem and all Jews were commanded to celebrate the festivals there.

The Temple, originally built by King Solomon, was situated on the Temple Mount. This is the place, Mount Mariah, where Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). The Temple was destroyed when the Babylonians carried the Israelites off into captivity in the 7th century BC. Ezra and Nehemiah rebuilt the Temple and the City Walls about 586 BC after returning from Babylon.

The Temple was again re-built by Herod the Great in about 100 BC and was destroyed again by the Romans in 70 AD. It has not been rebuilt to this day.

In the 600’s AD, the Moslems built a mosque on the site, the Dome of the Rock. Moslems believe that Abraham indeed attempted to sacrifice his son on the spot, but that it was Ishmael, not Isaac who was to be sacrificed. Therefore, the spot is also holy to Moslems and the reason for the Dome of the Rock to be erected on that site.

These days non-Moslems are only allowed on the Temple Mount for about an hour twice per day. We are not allowed to enter either of the two mosques on the mountain. Moslems, of course, can ascend the mountain and enter either of the mosques at any time. When we were in Jerusalem in early 1967, about two months before the 6-Day War, we were allowed to visit at any time and also to enter the Dome of the Rock. I’m sure we have some pictures from that time and will have to look them up when we get home.

Also during that time, Jordan was in control of the old city of Jerusalem. Since the war ended, Israel has controlled the city and all the land eastward to the Jordan River. In order to promote peace, Israel has relinquished control of the land east of Jeusalem and along the Jordan River (known as the West Bank) to the Palistinian Authority. Israel has also allowed and protected Arab sections of cities and even entire cities to Palistinians.

Currently, some foreign diplomats are trying to broker a two-country solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. What these diplomats do not recognize is that the Palistinian areas are pockets in otherwise Jewish areas.

While in Jerusalem we toured many historical sites from Bible times. We stood on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus walked and ascended into Heaven. We walked in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed so fervently the night he was betrayed and was lead away to be tortured until he was crucified. We walked around and on the Temple Mount where Jesus walked and worshiped at the Temple.

We visited two sites which could have been the place of crucifixion and burial. There is no way to be certain as to the exact spot, but one, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, is generally regarded by historians as the more likely place. The other, the Garden Tomb, is more likely to look like the spot of Jesus’ burial and is near a hill and limestone quarry that looks like a skull - Calvary.

It was most inspiring to walk the places where Jesus walked, to stand where He stood and to see the sights that He saw. Our guides are 100% certain of one spot in particular that He had to have stepped. The place is a rock at the base of the southern wall of the Temple Mount. We know that He entered the Temple from that direction on more than one occasion and in order to access the gate there He would have stepped on this rock.

---

---