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| Western Wall and Mughrabi Ramp |
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem was once known as Mount Moriah, where God provided a sacrificial ram for the altar Abraham had built, redeeming the life of his son Isaac. Abraham called the place Yahweh-yireh, meaning “the LORD sees [to it]” in the sense of providing (Gen. 22:1-14). It was also here that David erected an alter to the LORD at the threshing floor purchased from Ornan the Jebusite, where God answered David’s plea to withdraw the suffering of the people consequent to his sin (1 Chron. 21:18-28). At the same location David’s son Solomon built the first Jewish temple in the 10th century BC (2 Chron. 3:1), destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, and rebuilt under the direction of Zerubbabel around 516 BC.
Nearly five centuries after the Second Temple had been constructed, Herod the Great began renovations and expansions (cf. John 2:20), completed by his great-grandson Herod Agrippa II. The temple platform was enlarged, including a massive retaining wall on the western side of the Temple Mount, the remains of which are now called the Western Wall. Only the huge stone blocks at the lower level survived the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
The Western Wall is called the Buraq Wall by Muslims (after Mohammed’s winged horse), while the Jews consider the popular reference to the Wailing Wall derogatory. Much of the enormous structure is below street level and hidden in the Muslim Quarter, but its most visible section faces a large open plaza in the Jewish Quarter. Although additional stones were added long after the temple’s destruction in AD 70, orthodox Jews believe this is the closest they can get to where the temple’s Most Holy Place once stood and is therefore their holiest site for prayer.
In the 7th century Muslims built the shrine of the Dome of the Rock where the Jewish temple was previously located, venerating the place Mohammed is believed to have ascended to heaven to receive from Allah the five-daily-prayers directive. Its large golden dome continues to be the most prominent feature of Jerusalem’s landscape. The surrounding courtyard, along with the Al-Aqse Mosque, are now accessible via eleven gates, only one of which is open to non-Muslims – the Mughrabi Gate via a covered wooden ramp from the Western Wall.
Pool of Bethesda
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| Ruins of Bethesda Pool |
At the east wall north of the Temple Mount is the Sheep Gate (Neh. 3:1-2), also known to local Christians as St. Stephen’s Gate (cf. Acts 6:8–7:60) and to Muslims as the Lion’s Gate. Near this entrance are the remains of the Pool of Bethesda, in what is now the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem. At one time it was surrounded by five covered colonnades and fed by an underground stream, causing the occasional stirring of the water. This is where Jesus healed a man who had suffered 38 years from a debilitating infirmity, encountering him again soon afterwards at the temple nearby (John 5:1-15).1
Ritual Baths
Numerous ritual baths (mikva’ot) have been excavated throughout Jerusalem, including the area just south of the Temple Mount. Used by ancient Jews for ceremonial purification, especially before entering the temple compound, these would have been supplementary to the larger pools of Bethesda to the north and Siloam to the south. In the third decade of the first century AD, when about 3,000 souls responded to the gospel on the Day of Pentecost, plenty of water was available to immerse the penitent believers (Acts 2:37-41).
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| Temple Mount South Steps: Pentecost Sermon Preached (Acts 2) |
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| Mikveh - Ritual Bath |
The City of David
Below the Temple Mount, the City of David is now an Israeli national park in the southwest section of Jerusalem. After reigning in Hebron 7.5 years, David captured and lived in the Jebusite fortress of Zion, around which the city was built and where he reigned another 33 years (2 Sam. 5:4-5; 1 Chron. 11:4-9). In addition to his hometown of Bethlehem (Luke 2:4, 11), this was called the City of David (2 Sam. 5:6-10; 6:10, 12, 16; 1 Kings 3:1; 8:1; 9:24; 11:27), and the location of his tomb was still known when Peter and his fellow-apostles preached on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:29). This was also the burial place of Solomon and many generations of David’s other descendants (1 Kings 2:10 – 2 Kings 16:20).
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| Excavated Edge of Siloam Pool |
Pool of Siloam
Built by Hezekiah in the 8th century BC (2 Kgs 20:20), the Pool of Siloam is the lowest place in the city. After Jesus had been teaching in the temple, he encountered a man blind from birth, so “He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing” (John 9:6-7).2
The location of the pool was lost after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70 and the area was filled with silt and debris. But in 2004, in the southern part of the City of David, the edge of the pool (the northeastern and southeastern corners) was discovered and excavated, with plans for further excavations in the near future.3 The pool appears to be trapezoid in shape, with five steps on at least three sides and an estimated length of around 225 feet (69 m).
South Stepped Street
From the southern gates and Pool of Siloam is a flight of steps (a.k.a. the Siloam Street) up to the southwest corner of the Temple Mount (cf. Neh. 3:15; 12:17). The wide steps in Jesus’ day had been built early in the 1st century AD during Pontius Pilate’s tenure, used by pilgrims who had purified themselves on their ascent to the temple. While most of the stepped street is still underground and continues to be excavated, the archaeological site is now open for visitors to climb through the dark, damp tunnel from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount.
Reflections
As Jesus and his disciples walked the streets of Jerusalem and ministered to individuals and crowds, the foundation was laid for the extraordinary work God has been doing ever since. The Jewish temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel, and Herod are no longer needed, as Jesus the Christ is the once-for-all-time sacrifice and our great High Priest (Heb. 2:17–10:25), and wherever the Lord’s church meets is God’s holy temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Neither can the Muslim religion nor any other thwart God’s ultimate purpose.
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 See K. L. Moore, “An Angel Stirring the Water,” Moore Perspective (2 Oct. 2019), <Link>.
2 Scripture quotations are from the NKJV.
3 The rest of the pool is underneath private property, and only recently has permission been granted to extend the excavation site.
Related Posts: Jordan Part 1, Jordan Part 2, Palestinian West Bank, Israel Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 9, Part 10
Image credits:
Western Wall and Mughrabi ramp <https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/02/06/465805423/new-western-wall-rules-break-down-barriers-for-jewish-women>
Pool of Bethesda <https://drivethruhistory.com/pool-of-bethesda/>
Temple Mount Southern Steps <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Wall#/media/File:Temple_Mount_southern_wall_200509.jpg>
Mikveh – Ritual Bath <https://www.generationword.com/jerusalem101/39-mikvah-ritual-baths.html>
Pool of Siloam <https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/the-siloam-pool-where-jesus-healed-the-blind-man/>
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