Holy Week in Jerusalem

I am definitely not an expert archeologist or theologian, but I did have the chance to spend a lot more time in Jerusalem than the average person. I will forever love and be fascinated by that city. 

Temple Mount just before the start of Shabbat-
both the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock are visible.

My thoughts tend to turn back to Jerusalem during the Easter season. This is my attempt to paint a picture of the locations of Holy Week.

Jerusalem is a city on a hill. Or hills. It is actually in the Judean Mountains. The Mount of Olives is one of the summits that overlooks the Old City. It is home to the Garden of Gethsemane and a 3,000 year old Jewish cemetery. Today it is also dotted with churches full of Christian tourists, in addition to residential neighborhoods. 

Dome of Al-Aqsa on the left, Jewish cemetery on the hill on the right.

In the cemetery- Jewish tradition is place rocks on graves instead of flowers.

One of my favorite churches on the Mount of Olives- Pater Noster,
location of the giving of the Lord's Prayer.

Neighborhood on the Mount of Olives.

The Mount of Olives has a beautiful view of the Dome of the Rock and the entire city. In Jesus' day it would have been a view of the temple.

Bethphage was a village on the Mount of Olives located near Bethany, where Jesus was staying. It's about half a mile from the city walls, and considered the starting point of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

There is a Franciscan church there, which is typically the start of the yearly Palm Sunday procession (that takes place on years when Iran isn't sending missiles).

From Bethphage the route of the triumphal entry descended the Mount of Olives, passed by the Garden of Gethsemane, descended further into the Kidron Valley, and then went up into Jerusalem through the Golden Gate (also called the Gate of Mercy).

Kidron Valley- you can see that from the Mount of Olives
 you go down into the valley and then up into the Old City.

Golden Gate.

The gate now standing was built around the 6th century on the foundations of an older gate. Jewish tradition says this is where the Messiah will enter Jerusalem. Christians say it's where Jesus entered the city, and where he'll enter again.

This particular gate was sealed shut by Sultan Suleiman in 1541. Legend has it that he had it sealed in an attempt to prevent the messianic prophecy.

On the next few days of Holy Week, Jesus spent time cleansing the temple on Monday and teaching there on Tuesday.

The Dome of the Rock has crowned Jerusalem's skyline since the 6th century. The rock that the shrine (and the temple before it) was built around is called the Foundation Stone- where Jews believe the creation of the world began, and the place where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac. The large Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest in Islam, is also located on the mount.

Non-Muslims can't enter either building, but the Temple Mount is an impressive place to visit- for the historical and religious significance of the location, the current architecture, and the view of the Mount of Olives.

The Temple of Herod was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. This is a model of what it looked like, found at the Israel Museum.

The closest that Jews can get today is the Western Wall- part of the retaining wall of the temple complex (they are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount).

It's usually crowded and full of prayer and often joyful celebrations. I only got a picture with no one there because it was January and Israelis get cold easily.

You can still see evidence of the Roman destruction of the temple- these rocks are debris. 

In the 1970s the stairs that led to the temple entrance in Jesus' time were uncovered in the Jerusalem Archeological Park. Out of the many, many biblical sites throughout Israel, apparently this is the most likely place where Jesus actually walked in this exact location.

Neil A. Armstrong visited when he came to Jerusalem and said "I am more excited about stepping on these stones than I was about stepping on the moon." 

Just outside the walls of the Old City, on Mount Zion- another of Jerusalem's hills, you can visit the traditional site of the Last Supper. 

The Cenacle is a Crusader-era building built on older foundations that likely date to the Herodian period.

It's essentially an empty upper room filled with Gothic arches and a mihrab (left over from its time spent as a mosque). There is decent evidence that this site was venerated by early Christians for a long time, but that doesn't necessarily prove that this was the exact place.

The Cenacle is closely surrounded by other holy sites- King David's tomb, Dormition Abbey (location of Mary's death/ ascension), and the St. Peter in Gallicantu church (location of Peter denying his association with Jesus). It's pretty normal in Jerusalem that you can't take a few steps in any direction without running into a holy site.

The Garden of Gethsemane can be found back across the Kidron Valley near the foot of the Mount of Olives. 

These olive trees are old but not quite 2,000 years old... although you can find olive trees even older than that elsewhere in Israel (I believe in Galilee!).

The Basilica of the Agony/ also called the Church of All Nations, which commemorates Christ's suffering in the garden, is next door to the olive grove.

Like the Cenacle, there is some evidence and a lot of Christian tradition about this being the location, but no concrete evidence.

The Via Dolorosa, traditionally believed to be the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion, winds through the narrow streets of the Old City. It begins near Lion's Gate in what is now the Muslim Quarter (which used to be the area of the Antonia Fortress), continues past the stations of the cross, and ends in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On Friday afternoons, Franciscan monks lead a procession along this path. It's a miracle that a crowd of any size can follow them through the tiny, ancient marketplace streets.

I already wrote a few years ago about the two famous possible locations of Golgotha/Calvary and Jesus' tomb (Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb). I'll add a few pictures but if you want to read more about these places click here. I love both places!

Tomb in the Holy Sepulchre.

I tend to generally be a sceptic that we can know the exact spot of most of these events. 2,000 years is a long time ago and the city has obviously changed and been through a LOT of upheaval since then. At the same time, I feel like the fact that the actual events were at least very nearby and that these particular spots have been visited by sincere believers for thousands of years makes them holy places as is even if they're not the exact locations.

Happy Easter everyone! This holiday makes me happy, and even though it's been a while now, I'm still so happy that I had the chance to spend time in the amazing city of Jerusalem, Israel.

See also: Tour of the Old City