But long before there was a city here, we read about a man named Abraham who once passed this way. In a test of faith, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his son Issac in a place that He would show him. Abraham sets out with Issac from their home in Hebron and comes to a spot on a hill, marked by a certain rock. According to tradition, this rock is said to be the foundation stone of the world. There Abraham builds an altar to God, binds Issac, and is about to carry out the sacrifice. An angel of God tells Abraham not to harm his son and provides a goat for sacrifice instead.
Centuries later, King David attempts to retrace Abraham’s steps and finds the spot where he believes Abraham proved his devotion to God. David decides this is the spot on which he will build a city and a Holy Temple to God. It is awe-inspiring to think that we are also retracing the route of Abraham, Issac, and David, among others.
Though it was David who conceived the idea, King Solomon actually built the First Temple in 950BCE. The First Temple is destroyed in 586BCE, and the Jews are exiled to Babylon. After about 70 years, the Jews are allowed to return, and the Second Temple is built on the same spot as the first, on top of the Foundation Stone. King Herod rebuilds and expands the Second Temple around year 1CE but it is destroyed by Rome in the year 70CE beginning a Jewish exile that lasted approximately 2000 years. Today, the Muslim shrine, “The Dome of the Rock,” stands on the spot of the foundation stone. Muslim tradition says that this is the spot from which Muhammad ascended to heaven.
Photos from this vantage point show how difficult it is to attack the city from the south or the east due to the terrain. In the background is the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. Burial plots on Mount Olive are considered the most prestigious in the world for Jews because they provide a front row seat for the coming of the Messiah and the resurrection.
The Mezuzah on the entrance to the Zion gate, south wall of the Old City, is made of shell casings from the Six Day War. Though Israel won the War of Independence in 1948, the Old City and the Western wall was lost, captured by the Jordanian Army. The Jewish Quarter of the Old City was evacuated. Jews were not allowed access to the Old City or the Western Wall until 1967 when it was re-taken by Israel.
During the battle for Jerusalem, the Jewish Quarter was heavily damaged by the fighting. Prior to rebuilding, it was decided to use the opportunity to excavate and see what was beneath this part of the city. As a result of this archaeological project, sections of the Cardo were discovered. The Cardo was the main road into the city in ancient times. A portion of a broad rock wall that surrounded the city during the time of the Second Temple was discovered along with columns and evidence of an ancient marketplace.
After visiting the Old City, we went to the Israel Museum. Then, we returned for a tour of the tunnels that run beneath the Muslim Quarter along the lower part of the Western Wall. This used to be street level in ancient times. Over the millennia, layer upon layer of newer structures have been built on top of the old. It is amazing to peel back the layers to see what was originally underneath, to actually walk the streets that were traveled by the people who lived in and visited Jerusalem over 2000 years ago, to touch the stones that support the Temple Mount, and to offer prayers next to the site of the Holy of Holies.
Wednesday’s adventure was a trip to Qumran and the Dead Sea, and a return to Jerusalem… in the snow!!! More about that soon…
-Wayne
