Just East of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem
One of the supreme pleasures of visiting an ancient city is seeing the many layers of history, sometimes literally on top of one another. That is certainly the case in Jerusalem, and even in the most unexpected places. One of those places is the East side of the Temple Mount, facing toward the Mount of Olives. While the Mount of Olives (seen above) certainly merits its own consideration in a separate post, equally worthy of attention is the East side of the Temple Mount and the valley of the Kidron between the two mountains.
Even before leaving the Temple Mount itself, one item should catch the visitor's attention--and by that I do not mean the unsightly garbage pile shown here, less than a hundred yards East of the Muslim Dome of the Rock. (Perhaps visitors are not supposed to venture into this area...hmmm... Anyway...)
Even before leaving the Temple Mount itself, one item should catch the visitor's attention--and by that I do not mean the unsightly garbage pile shown here, less than a hundred yards East of the Muslim Dome of the Rock. (Perhaps visitors are not supposed to venture into this area...hmmm... Anyway...)
What the visitor should notice just yards away from the garbage pile is the Eastern Gate (left)--also known historically as the Beautiful Gate. This is the same gate (or at least the same location) as that described in Acts 3, where a man who was lame from birth was healed in an encounter with Peter and John, not many days after the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As we might guess, the occasion of his healing quickly became an occasion for Peter and the other disciples to proclaim the message of Jesus.
As one can see in this picture from inside wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the gate is closed and not in use. In fact, it has not seen any kind of consistent use in many years. The wall seen here is a small piece of the defensive fortification surrounding the entirety of the Old City which was built by the Ottomans in the sixteenth century. It is, of course, only the latest of several walls which were built around the city, dating back more than 3,000 years.
As one can see in this picture from inside wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the gate is closed and not in use. In fact, it has not seen any kind of consistent use in many years. The wall seen here is a small piece of the defensive fortification surrounding the entirety of the Old City which was built by the Ottomans in the sixteenth century. It is, of course, only the latest of several walls which were built around the city, dating back more than 3,000 years.
Looking at the same gate from the outside in the valley below (right), one can see that beautiful arches have been filled in with stone. This has in fact been status of the Eastern gate for most of the last 1300+ years, since the initial Muslim conquest of Palestine shortly after the death of Muhammad. In addition, a curious addition to this side of the Temple Mount is the Muslim cemetery all along this side of the wall.
Why? It is the Judeo-Christian belief that the Messiah (identified by Christians as Jesus, of course) will return via the Mount of Olives, as foretold in Zechariah 14:4. It is also the place from which Jesus rose into heaven (Acts 1:1-11). For that reason, the sides of the Mount of Olives have become a huge Jewish cemetery, as seen in the cover picture above. In the Kidron valley below there are also thousands of Christian graves dating as far back as the third century. This gate would be the Messiah's natural route of entry onto the Temple Mount. But since Muslims believe that the Messiah cannot dwell among the dead, the planting of the cemetery in front of this gate is apparently an attempt to prevent Jesus' return.
Why? It is the Judeo-Christian belief that the Messiah (identified by Christians as Jesus, of course) will return via the Mount of Olives, as foretold in Zechariah 14:4. It is also the place from which Jesus rose into heaven (Acts 1:1-11). For that reason, the sides of the Mount of Olives have become a huge Jewish cemetery, as seen in the cover picture above. In the Kidron valley below there are also thousands of Christian graves dating as far back as the third century. This gate would be the Messiah's natural route of entry onto the Temple Mount. But since Muslims believe that the Messiah cannot dwell among the dead, the planting of the cemetery in front of this gate is apparently an attempt to prevent Jesus' return.
An interesting site in the Kidron valley and just adjacent to Gethsemane is the grave of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Often missed by Protestant tourists because of an aversion to what they mistakenly perceive as Mariolatry, it is nevertheless a worthwhile site in its own right. Deep in a cave (watch out going down the 60+ steps!) below a third-century Byzantine Christian cemetery, it offers a welcome respite on a hot day. Visitors will notice a strong similarity in appearance to Jesus' tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City. This is because of the Greek Orthodox administration of both sites, of course, which affords a sense of holiness and divine presence to visitors with any sense of archaeological value and artistic taste.
And, naturally, there are the olive trees of Gethsemane, some of which may date back as far as the lifetime of Jesus and therefore be the same trees under which Jesus prayed. Since the gate was open, we conveniently ignored the sign prohibiting visitors for the opportunity to just walk among the ancient trees. But it was not long until we were chased out by one of the monks tending the property.