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A Guide to the Holy City of JerusalemIn His Footsteps
In His FootstepsA Guide to the Holy City of Jerusalem
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quality pdf from www.Jerusalem.com
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At the heart of all the prophecies for the world, there is Jerusalem. Discover the places where Jesus ministered, and be uplifted through prayer.
Here the stories of the Bible come alive, among the stones, mountains and the leaves of every olive tree that thousands of years ago bore witness.
From the sweeping vistas of the Mount of Olives, home to Gethsemane, to the ancient stones of the Old City and the Western Wall, Jerusalem reverberates with powerful echoes of the past, that are just as significant now as they ever were. It was in Jerusalem that the first Church was founded, and where some of the most pivotal events in the world have taken place—as they will again in days to come.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for it is here that the past, present and future coalesce—where the fate of our world continually hangs in the balance.
The Jerusalem Experience
Christian Initiatives Support Jerusalem
In the past decades, Christian initiatives to support the Holy Land have grown exponentially. Whether it is with pilgrimages, advocacy, charity or prayer, Christians have been turning their hearts toward Jerusalem in its time of greatest need.
Now more than ever, Christians are fulCilling the Biblical mandate to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. In these momentous days, Israel is the center of world turmoil like never before. The turbulent political realities that threaten Jerusalem on a daily basis are merely the instrument by which the Hand of God is revealed in our time.
In this hour of deepest turmoil, Christians are rallying to strengthen the Holy Land and the Jewish people. Thousands converge upon Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles with festivities and parades, meeting with Israel’s spiritual leaders, and providing essential aid to its poor. And for those unable to make a pilgrimage, prayer is the eternal bond that even the distance of oceans cannot sever.
The Mount of Olives
Just beyond the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, a sweeping vista of silver-‐green olive trees is interspersed with landmarks of the past. The Mount of Olives holds special signiCicance for the Christian faith, as the place where some of the most pivotal events in the New Testament took place. From the prophecies of Zachariah to the anguish of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives stands as a historic monument to the living faith it inspires in our age, and for all time.
In Jewish tradition, the Mount of Olives is closely associated with the concept of resurrection. The Biblical prophet
Zachariah foretold that when the Messiah arrives in Jerusalem, the Cirst dead to be resurrected will be those who are buried on the Mount of Olives. This is why many Jews are buried on the mountain, with some of the graves dating back to the First Temple period.
The mountain is mentioned at several points in the Bible, most notably when King David Cled to the Mount of Olives for refuge during the rebellion of his son Absalom.
In Christian tradition, the Mount of Olives is of central importance. It was from these slopes that Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem took place.
Borne by a donkey, this entry to Jerusalem could be seen as a fulCillment of the prophecy of Zachariah, in which the prophet foretells the arrival of a king “gentle and riding a donkey.” (Zachariah 9:9-‐10)
Soon after this climactic event, Jesus prophesied on the Mount of Olives to his disciples about the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This prophecy, known as the “Apocalyptic Discourse,” has been subject to many interpretations by scholars and laymen alike, seeming to portend to the end of the world rather than just the Temple.
Jesus is also said to have frequented the road from Jerusalem to Bethany that runs along the Mount of Olives, to visit his friend Lazarus.
At the foot of the mountain is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus and his disciples prayed after the Last Supper, the night before the cruciCixion. The garden is also the site of the infamous betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. A Christian pilgrimage destination for hundreds of years, Gethsemane is exquisitely preserved, shaded with olive trees that are centuries old. (Gethsemane comes from the Aramaic Gat Shamanim, which means “oil press.”) It is believed that at least some of these olive trees existed in the time of Jesus.
GethsemaneJust beyond the Old City walls are the shining slopes of the Mount of Olives, where the silvery sheen of olive trees cover the mountainside. It is on this mountain that the Garden of Gethsemane is located—the place where Jesus was experience anguish, and Cinally was betrayed by Judas and arrested. Here is where the infamous Judas Kiss took place, and where Jesus made the fateful decision to allow the cruciCixion to go forward. Today, the ancient olive trees, cared for by monks, endure as a peaceful testament to this momentous event in history.
Anguish, Betrayal and Arrest
The Garden of Gethsemane, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, is an essential landmark in Christian tradition. It was in this place that Jesus spent much time in prayer and contemplation, and where he counseled his disciples. The name Gethsemane literally translates to “olive press,” and many of its trees are hundreds if not thousands of years old.
But in Jesus’ day, this deceptively idyllic garden of olive trees became the site of pain, betrayal and acceptance of a terrible fate. It was in Gethsemane that Judas Iscariot completed his betrayal of Jesus to Pontius Pilate. His kiss—the source of the proverbial Judas kiss—led the guardsman directly to Jesus.
Yet the cruciCixion could have been averted if Jesus had not resolved to allow it to happen, for the sake of mankind. But this decision—which entailed his acceptance of one of the most painful forms of execution in existence—caused him great anguish on the eve of his arrest. The scene of this anguish and arrest was Gethsemane.
Gethsemane Today
Because of its great signiCicance, Gethsemane is surrounded by landmarks to Christianity. One of these landmarks is the Church of All Nations, also known as the Basilica of Agony. This church was Cirst built in the fourth century, but was destroyed in an earthquake and built anew in the 20th century. Its distinction is that it houses the Rock of Agony, the bedrock beside which Jesus is said to have prayed on the night before his cruciCixion.
Other holy sites near Gethesemane include the Church of Mary Magdalene and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary, where Catholic Christians believe Mary was buried before her Assumption.
Today, the olive trees that visitors see in Gethsemane are some of the same trees that Jesus himself once saw, though in his day they would have been mere saplings.
The Garden Tomb
Many Christians believe that Garden Tomb, a peaceful site outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, once set the scene for one of the most pivotal moments in history. This ancient tomb that was certainly located outside the city limits in the time of Jesus is powerfully evocative, as well as an ideal place for prayer and contemplation.
Many believe that the The Garden Tomb is the garden and tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man who donated his own grave for the body of Jesus. It is said in the Gospels of Nicodemus that Joseph requested permission from Pontius Pilate to remove the body of Jesus from the cross and prepare him for burial. Pilate acquiesced, and swathing the body of Christ in linen, Joseph interred the body in the sepulcher that he had built for himself. Later, he reported to Jewish elders that had had witnessed a miraculous resurrection.
Hundreds of years later, British General Charles Gordon called attention to the Garden Tomb while stationed in Jerusalem in 1883. What initially drew his interest was the skull-‐like formation of the rocks—Golgotha, the hill whereupon the cruciCixion took place, is described as resembling a skull. The eerie formation of the rocks by the Garden Tomb seem like the deep-‐set eyes of a skull brooding over a long guardianship of this site.
Residing nearby are a garden and ancient tombs which Cit the description of Christ’s tomb as it is recorded in the Gospels. It is this striking resemblance to gospel accounts that lends the site its particular power, whether or not it is in fact the place where Jesus was laid to rest. For many Christians, the authenticity of the Garden Tomb as Jesus’ burial place is secondary to the inherent signiCicance of an ancient tomb outside the walls of Jerusalem. Here is a place where it is possible to connect, mentally and emotionally, with the events of that fateful night.
Authenticity of the Site
The main argument against the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as an authentic site is the fact that it is situated within the city limits of Jerusalem. It is against Jewish custom to bury the dead within the city walls. Moreover, the Romans would not have performed a cruciCixion within city limits either. In contrast, the newly discovered Skull Hill, being near the Old City of Jerusalem but still outside it, would have been an ideal location for executions. There is in fact some evidence to indicate that executions were carried out in this place during the Second Temple era.
Where the cruciCixion and burial took place is a question that has intrigued the faithful and scholars for generations. But regardless of which is correct, the remarkable nature of the Garden Tomb as a site to be seen is indisputable.
The Western Wall
Jews all over the world pray towards Jerusalem. But in the Holy City itself, they pray towards the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites in Judaism. For thousands of years, this wall that Clanks the Temple Mount has been the scene of much yearning and heartfelt prayers. For centuries, Jews from around the world have been visiting the Western Wall—to pray, to discover their roots, and to dream of the long-‐lost days of the Temple. Above all else, they pray for peace and a world redeemed by their Messiah.
Today’s Orthodox Jews consider themselves to be in exile, even those who live in Jerusalem itself. Without the Temple,
the 2000-‐year Diaspora begun by Titus of Rome is still in effect, and without the Messiah, the Temple cannot be rebuilt. Thus the Western Wall, a remnant of the walls that surrounded the Second Temple, represents the highest aspirations of the Jewish religion. In the Wall the Jewish people see not only their past but their hopes for the future. Jews of all walks of life pray daily at the Western Wall; businessmen and beggars, religious and secular alike. Many leave notes in crevices of the wall, begging for their heart’s desires, whether they are for the recovery of a family member from a deadly illness, for spiritual enlightenment, or for the ultimate redemption from exile.
Jews believe that the Divine Presence rests on the Western Wall, as it once rested within the Holy Temple. Therefore if someone has not visited the Wall for 30 days, they are bidden to tear their clothes in mourning when they at last return. (The tearing of one’s garments is a frequent sign of mourning in Judaism.)
The Wall was built by King Herod, who in 37 A.D. renovated the Second Temple by Clattening the peaks of the Temple Mount and building support walls around it. The Western
Wall was once one of these support walls, but its main distinction is that it was the wall that was nearest the Temple’s Holy of Holies, home of the Divine Presence.
For centuries, Jews endured hardship and persecution in order to pray at the Western Wall, since it was not in their control. It was only after the Six Day War in 1967 that the Jews obtained control of the Western Wall, for the Cirst time in thousands of years.
The Western Wall Tunnels
The Western Wall as visitors know it is only a piece—the full wall, built by King Herod, extends all along the Temple Mount, but until recently it was concealed from view. Ancient mysteries lie just beneath the surface of the Old City stones. While the Old City of Jerusalem carries evocative echoes of the past, the most intriguing part of the city is underground. The excavations along the length of the Western Wall have uncovered many treasures from Jerusalem’s most distant past, and provide clues to its many mysteries. Layer upon layer of carved stone tells thousands of years of a story.
Discovering the Western Wall Tunnels
The Cirst excavations along the Western Wall were begun in the nineteenth century by the British archaeologists Charles Wilson and Charles Warren. After the conclusion of the Six Day War, Israel’s Ministry of Religious Affairs spearheaded an excavation of the entire Western Wall. This complicated process was undertaken with the help of engineers, to make sure that the walls did not collapse.
To this day, the expertise of engineers accompanies each step of the delicate excavation process, which includes making the tunnels visitor-‐friendly, handicap accessible, and air-‐conditioned, while still maintaining the original condition of the site.
Secrets of the Western Wall Tunnels
It is only in the tunnels that the streets of thousands of years ago, in their original form, still endure in Jerusalem. Archaeologists have found a marketplace in the tunnels that they estimate was in use during the time of the Second Temple, and possibly even earlier. The carved stone passageways date back to Herodian and the even earlier Hasmonean periods.
Stones weighing more than 500 tons (the weight of about 70 elephants) form the foundation of the Western Wall. It is possible now to see, from markings on the stones, that they were transported through means of technology that was remarkably complex for the period.
These streets were transformed into tunnels after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, when the Muslims decided to link the two higher parts of the city above the valley in between. Thus they built arches over the streets, turning them into tunnels, and put them to use as cisterns and sewage tunnels.
Above, the sunny Old City is bustling with visitors, markets, and children at play. Below, history lies in wait, whispering its secrets to passersby in the darkness.
Here it is: the place where it all began, and the focal point of an intense, passionate spirituality that has endured for eons. The heat of the sun glancing from the pale stones seems a living metaphor for the searing Clames of faith. But there is another facet of the Old City beyond the requisite holy sites: its beating pulse, embodied in the people who have chosen to make their lives at the center of the vortex.
By and large, most people who live in the Old City are devoutly religious, and have become accustomed to living in a Cishbowl. But what is really going on in the fabric of daily life, here in the contentious center of three faiths?
The Old City
First, explore the colorful Arab market, rife with the loud cries of bargaining and the thick scents of Middle Eastern spices. (Without a guide, it’s best to keep to the main market streets.) But beyond this market that is mostly aimed at tourists, there are signs of an independent world. Notice the grafCiti on facades of many Arab homes: these symbols tell a story.
An Arab who has completed the Haj, the journey to the Muslim holy cities Mecca and Medina, returns and paints a symbolic account of his journey on the wall of his home, by way of announcement.
In the Jewish Quarter, visit the Roman arcade of the Cardo, now enlivened with bustling shops. Israeli shoppers think nothing of the fact that they are strolling on an authentic Roman street, where Cigures out of history once walked and shopped.
In the courtyard near the Cardo, hear the melodic chanting of ultra-‐Orthodox schoolchildren, learning to read the Scriptures from an early age. All morning the chanting goes on, becoming one with the other sounds of the Jewish Quarter: wind chimes, children playing, the rushing sound of Quarter residents watering their roof gardens. A rooftop view of Jewish Quarter homes reveals a wild array of color and greenery that is invisible from the street.
The best way to experience the Jewish Quarter is in the evening, when residents are at home and tourists have evacuated to their hotels. Quiet settles in the tangled streets, and the blossoms of night-‐blooming jasmine begin to release their seductive scent into the air. The emergence of the moon lights your way, joining with the rosy light of windows. Discover hidden archways, spiraling stairways that descend into secret levels. Find the shortcuts that the residents know by heart, and arrive at last at a breathtaking view of the Western Wall, gleaming against the night.
For the most atmospheric experience of all, explore the Old City on a Saturday evening. In the Jewish Quarter, families are all inside, singing the melancholy yet hopeful ballads of the evening Sabbath meal. And then, adding to the singing comes the chant of the Muslim muezzin, the call to evening prayer. The church bells of the Christian Quarter begin to toll, sonorous in the dusk stillness. Three voices of three disparate faiths intertwining, utterly separate yet at the same time united in the moment here, in this place.
Today the Christian Quarter is home to approximately 40 Christian holy sites, with the Holy Sepulchre acting as the natural epicenter. In the fourth century, the fortunes of Jerusalem changed irrevocably. With the Emperor Constantine’s uncovering of the Holy Sepulchre, the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina became holy to Christianity. The Christian Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City is an evocative monument to the earliest foundations of Christianity in the Holy City.
No longer a pagan city, the name of Jerusalem was restored. No longer was Jerusalem accursed as the place where Jesus
was killed. Instead it was revered as the city where he had lived and breathed.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built to the glory of Christianity, and a burgeoning community sprung up in its wake. Constantine and his mother Helena also are said to have discovered the True Cross upon which Jesus was cruciCied. Jerusalem became a pilgrim destination and central holy city of Christianity and would remain so forever after.
The Christian Quarter
But just as the sanctity of the place was ratcheted up, so was its importance. For hundreds of years, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the center of a maelstrom of divisions and conClicts. The Persian invasion in 614 A.D. cost the church the True Cross and caused Cire damage to the building.
But this hardly compares to the events of 1009 A.D.: under Muslim rule, the church was destroyed in its entirety. The destruction sent a ripple effect of rage and dismay throughout European Christendom. Nearly a century later, Pope Urban II could channel this emotion to incite the Crusades.
Today, though the surrounding country has changed tremendously, very little has fundamentally changed in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem over hundreds of years.
Just as they did in centuries past, pilgrims from across the globe gather here to follow the path of the Via Dolorosa. They walk the stone streets of ancient Jerusalem and bask in its timeless atmosphere. And just as in centuries past, a Ciery passion ignites the air in this place, as a myriad of emotions and beliefs converge, clash, and blend in a choir of many voices.
The atmospheric Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City is popular with tourists, but is often overlooked as a neighborhood with a thriving Orthodox Jewish community. Each evocative side street and alleyway is not far from a window or a door of someone’s home—a home that is often bursting with small children.
Residents of the Jewish Quarter, more than anywhere else in Jerusalem, see themselves as the keepers of a sacred tradition. Their observances of the daily rituals of Jewish law are performed against the backdrop of the original Holy City. They live steps away from the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, and the pulsing energy of the Western Wall.
To be Jewish in the oldest part of Jerusalem is a blessing which many residents believe is a fair trade for the many inconveniences of living at the center of a tourist attraction.
There has been almost a continual Jewish presence in the Jewish Quarter since the 8th century B.C. Over the course of hundreds of years, the neighborhood was home to Jews and other peoples alike, including Turks, Arabs and Christians. The Hurva Synagogue, which is now undergoing restoration, was the central synagogue of the Old City for hundreds of years.
In 1948, the Jordanians invaded the Jewish Quarter and bombed the Jewish homes. The Jewish residents of the neighborhood were forced to Clee, never to return until Israel retook the Old City in 1967.
The Jewish Quarter
Life in the Jewish Quarter
Living in the Jewish Quarter is in itself a religious experience, because every aspect of life is affected by living at the center of Judaism. The quarter is regularly mobbed with tourists of every description, particularly during the holidays. During such times, leaving the Old City by vehicle is
nearly impossible; thus residents of the Jewish Quarter often feel cut off from the rest of the city.
But at the same time, there is a reason that holidays draw such crowds: from the festive lights of Chanukah to the booths of Sukkot, the Jewish Quarter during holidays is pervaded with an atmosphere of intense spirituality.
“In His Footsteps” from www.Jerusalem.com is licensed under CC.Concept & Design: Jack ReichertEditor: Ilana TeitelbaumPhotos by Flash90
