Jerusalem day 2
Tour day 6 - 2nd April
Today began at the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of Gethsemane, on the other side of the Kidron Valley. The garden is a small grove of olive trees, which would have once been much bigger before the area was developed and roads were built. It’s probably impossible that any of the current olive trees were there on the night when Jesus asked his disciples to “watch and pray” and before he was betrayed by Judas. But the trees that are there now look gnarly and quite old, and there were other lovely plants thriving around the perimeter.
The church has been built on the site within the gardens, and is maintained by the Franciscans, as are most of the holy sites in Jerusalem.
We then continued on to the Garden Tomb, which archeologists now believe is looking to be the most likely location of Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb, in which Jesus’ body was placed after his crucifixion. A local guide explained the typical design of a family tomb, the particular significance of this place, especially its proximity to the site of Golgotha, the place of the skull, and the archeological evidence that makes it the most likely candidate. He also said that they have a staggering 2000 visitors each day, and significantly more at Easter, for which they were preparing by constructing additional terraces.
It was hard to make out the "skull" from where we sat listening to our guide, but luckily he had an old photo that showed it much more clearly. This is part of the reason scientists believe this to be Golgotha, and far more likely that the tomb is hereabouts rather than at the traditional location.
The gardens surrounding the tomb are very pretty and the whole place is peaceful, in spite of the many tourists queueing to view inside the tomb.
We were then assigned a terrace overlooking the tomb, where we gathered to celebrate communion and contemplate the fact that, whether or not this was the actual tomb, we can be sure that Jesus’ body was buried either in this tomb or one like it, either here or really near, and that most importantly, he rose from the dead 3 days later and walked out, leaving the tomb empty and appearing over the next 40 days to his disciples and others. Hallelujah!
Next we headed to the Old City of Jerusalem, entering via the Damascus Gate, but not before we enjoyed a quick browse at the street vendor carts just outside the Old City, buying something to nibble on as we walked - crusty, chewy and delicious bagels. Yakov introduced us to Zahatar, a blend of hyssop and other seasonings, into which we dipped our pieces of bagel. Yum!
Just inside the gate we followed Yakov through the colourful markets, selling all manner of fresh vegetables, spices, olives, sweet things, and a variety of other paraphernalia.
Heading along the Via Dolorosa again, eyes darting, cameras and phones snapping to take in all we were seeing, we followed Yakov as he led us past the last stations of the cross, including station VII, where Jesus was purported to fall for the second time. Arriving at Saint Helen’s Coptic Church, station number IX, we made our way through the tiny church.
We spent some time wandering through the church in which the “tomb” is located, peeping into all the little nooks and crannies that seem to be so prevalent in orthodox churches, and ogling the ornate decor of this old and complicated church. There was a long, long, long line waiting to go into the “tomb”, but as a group we had again agreed that we were not interested in waiting to see something that is not only dubious, but just a hole after all.
Curiosity sated, we headed out of the church and back into the courtyard, to wait for the rest of our group to finish their wanderings, appreciate the architecture some more, and sit on the steps in the occasional sunshine that peeked through the clouds.
But not for long! No sooner were we were all present and accounted for, than we were setting off again, following Yakov as he made his way through the Jewish quarter, with the ultimate goal of finding somewhere for lunch. The initial venue was super busy, so we went our separate ways and found various options - falafel, shawarma, pita, salad, the usual suspects - and then had an enjoyable and leisurely wander after lunch.
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| Yes, we're in the Jewish Quarter! |
Meeting up with our group again, next it was through the Zion Gate to Mt Zion and into the Byzantine church which claims to be the location of the Upper Room, where Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples the night he was betrayed. This is part of the first Christian church and the David’s tomb complex, near the Abbey of the Dormition, built in the early 20th century. Clearly, given that this is a Byzantine church (built sometime after 330 BCE), it would not be the ACTUAL upper room, but it may be a reasonable facsimile. Or maybe not. Who would actually know!! The reality is that Jesus did celebrate the Passover meal with his disciples, in an “upper room” somewhere in Jerusalem, and if not here then probably not far away.
From here it was on to David’s tomb, which was restored and renewed in 2013 for those who wish to visit and pray at the site. Being an orthodox Jewish site, it was women to the left, men hats on and to the right. There was a barrier in place, so the women saw the left half of the draped tomb, the men saw the right. It’s just one of those things we’ve gotten used to in Jerusalem.
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| The women's side - what she saw............ |
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| ...... and the men's side - what he saw! |
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| Jewish woman reading the Torah near David's tomb |
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| Jewish man reading the Torah near David's tomb |
Our last stop for the day was the church of St Peter In Gallicantu (Peter and the rooster) which refers to Peter’s three-time denial of Jesus before the rooster crowed, the night before the crucifixion (or in Yakov-speak "the crucification").
To the side of the church is a terrace overlooking what is believed to be the Valley of Hinnom, otherwise known as Gehenna, which was historically the area where the locals threw their refuse and dead bodies for burning. But not only that, it was first the place where some of the kings of Israel sacrificed their children, and therefore it was deemed to be cursed (Jeremiah 7:31).
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| Gehenna |
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| Mount of Olives |
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| Old City |
On the hillside below the church are the remains of the House of Caiaphas, the Jewish high priest during the time of Jesus' ministry, and the one instrumental in the plot to kill Jesus.
Beneath the church are some caves, which were rediscovered in 1889. Their physical characteristics, their proximity to Caiaphas’ palace, and their contiguity with the Sacred Pit (dungeon) all suggest the public jail where, according to a 4th century Jerusalem tradition not recorded in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, Jesus would have been scourged not only by Pilate but also by Caiaphas, and where the apostles Peter and John would have been held and scourged for preaching the name of Jesus in the temple area after the resurrection (Acts 5:19 - 42).
Aided by the context, Christians traditionally come here to contemplate some of the painful sufferings endured by Jesus during his Passion, regardless of where they actually took place, as well as by the apostles, the first believers in His name.
In the courtyard to the side of the church is a statue of Peter, on his knees denying Christ, with the words “I don’t know him” inscribed in Latin. This place, or somewhere very near here, is where Peter's heart-breaking betrayal would have taken place.
Below the church are fragments of the mosaic floor from the atrium of the crypt after its reconstruction in the 7th century. The Greek inscription from Psalm 121 reads: “May the Lord guard your coming in and your going out”. Nearby are the very steps that Jesus would have been led up in order to get to Caiaphas’ house, where he was asked “Are you the Messiah?”. It was all very moving.
And so day 2 in Jerusalem done, full of history and significant sites, and plenty of memorable moments. I think I could enjoy living in Jerusalem for a while. An apartment in the old city would be really cool, and it would be great to have plenty of time to explore the whole area thoroughly. Maybe we’ll come back some day.
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