Wanderings: Jerusalem

January 13, 2019

The Tomb of the Garden is outside the city walls. Some protestants think this location is where Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, rather that at the Holy Sepulchre Church (1). Unfortunately (and somewhat ironically) the site is closed on Sundays.

I went to visit the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock. I was surprised it was not well signed, with just a small sign in Arabic pointing the way. I soon found out why: as I approached, Israeli Soldiers told me: "Muslims only" (2).

The Via Dolorosa was nearby. A short video presentation at the Church of the Flagellation provided an overview, and I walked past a few the stations on the street named " Via Dolorosa."

Wandering across the Armenian Quarter of the Old City (3), I exited the old city at Zion Gate in thr southwest. I saw a sign for the location of the last supper. The site is not a church; it appears to be a former mosque that is now under the control of the Israeli Ministry of the Interior (4). The rooftop terrace of the building offers fine views of the Old City and Mount of Olives. The nearby Church of the Dormition, where Mary (Mother of Jesus) died (5) contained a number of evocative mosaics.

When leaving via Zion Gate earlier, I noticed an exit from the ramparts walk. I found the entrance at Jaffa Gate and walked the Ottoman-era ramparts atop the city walls on the south side of the city. The views were quite nice, but few people seem to take advantage of this opportunity.

The ramparts walk ended at Dung Gate, near the Western Wall. I stopped in for look again, noted a number of pigeons roosting in niches on the wall and other nearby surfaces (6), and took advantage of a virtual reality (7) recreation of Herod's Temple (i.e. the second temple) built on the Temple Mount.

(1) Not knowing exactly where events in Jesus' life happened seems to be a common theme. The historical (as opposed to scriptural) record from this period tends to focus on the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. by the Romans (a). The destruction of the city would have made it difficult to find the precise location of any event from before 70 C.E.

(a) "Jerusalem ... was so thoroughly razed to the ground ... that nothing was left that could ever persuade visitors that it had once been a place of habitation." - Josephus.

(2) It is possible for non-Muslims to access this area of the city through a different entrance, but only at very limited hours on certain days. Non-Muslim praying or religious displays are prohibited.

(3) The Old City has four neighborhoods (quarters): Christian, Moslem, Jewish and Armenian (b).

(b) Armenians are mainly Christian, but have their own Church, unaffiliated with either the Catholics or Eastern Orthodox.

(4) Celebrating mass is prohibited here except on 3 days of the year, presumably to avoid inciting religious discord that may arise from celebrating a Christian Service at a former Mosque.

(5) Or fell into a deep sleep according to some accounts, hence the Church's name: Dormition, from the Latin for sleep.

(6) Pigeons are officially rock doves, whose natural habitat is cliffs. When people began to build cities, it was a great boon to the birds, who found building ledges, etc. quite familiar and accomodating.

(7) In this case, basically a movie you watch through a drvice strapped to your head.

Mosaic depicting the imprisonment of Jesus at a Greek Orthodox Church on the Via Dolorosa

Epiphany display at Franciscan Church

In the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem in the "Ho Ho Holy Land" (as the sign says). Note Santa on a Camel above the door.

Window in building at the Last Supper site, presumably indicating the building's former use as a Mosque (there is also a Mehreb in the room and a Minaret on the building)