A Biblical Journey Through the Bible Lands: Israel (Part 10 of 10)

Mount of Olives 

Mount of Olives, Church of All Nations to the Left

East of Jerusalem’s Old City, across the Kidron Valley, is the 2.2 miles (3.5 km) mountain range called the Mount of Olives (or Olivet). With slopes once covered with olive groves, it stands between Jerusalem and the Judean Desert. The northern peak is Mount Scopus (a.k.a. Lookout Mountain), from which the armies of Alexander the Great and later the Romans ominously approached the soon-to-be-conquered city (Josephus, Ant. 11.8.5; Wars 2.19.4; 5.3.2, 5). The southern peak is Mount of Corruption, one of the idolatrous “high places” Solomon established that Josiah later destroyed (1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:13). Atop the main part of the ridge is now the predominately Arab neighborhood of At-Tur, where visitors can get one of the best panoramic views of Jerusalem. 

When Absalom instigated a rebellion against his father’s throne, David fled from Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley on his way to the Judean Desert, climbing to the top of the Mount of Olives to worship (2 Sam. 15:30-32). Leading up to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in the 6th century BC, Ezekiel’s vision showed the glory of the LORD departing from the temple to the city’s eastern gate, continuing eastward to the Mount of Olives before withdrawing completely from the rebellious city (Ezek. 10:18-19; 11:23).

The village of Bethphage was on the northeastern slope, where Jesus began the approximately half-mile (900 m) triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:1-10; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-41). Also nearby on the southeastern slope was the village of Bethany, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem and home of Simon the leper and Lazarus and his sisters Martha and Mary, where Jesus visited and stayed on multiple occasions (Matt. 21:17; 26:6; Mark 11:11-12; 14:3; Luke 10:38-41; John 11:1, 18; 12:1).

As a place of solitude and prayer (Matt. 26:30; Mark 14:26), the Lord and his disciples frequented the Mount of Olives, spending the night as circumstances and weather conditions permitted (Luke 21:37; 22:39; John 8:1). From the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Christ wept for the city (Luke 19:41) and delivered the Olivet Discourse in view of the temple’s impending destruction (Matt. 24:3; Mark 13:3).

Mount of Olives Cemetery

It was on the Mount of Olives that Jesus spent much of the night in prayer and was betrayed and arrested prior to his death the following day (Luke 22:39-54). About six weeks later, having returned to the Mount of Olives as far as Bethany (Luke 24:60), the resurrected Christ ascended to heaven in the presence of his eleven remaining apostles (Acts 1:9-12).¹

The western slope of the mountain has been used as a burial ground for over three millennia, the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the world (roughly 150,000 graves). Orthodox Jews, still anticipating the first advent of the Messiah, believe the resurrection of the dead will begin here (cf. Zech. 14:3-5). At the southern end is the Silwan Necropolis, including stone-carved tombs of societal elites and high-ranking officials dating as far back as the 9th century BC.

Gethsemane

Although the exact location is now uncertain, there was a garden on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane. Presumably a grove of olive trees, the Aramaic gat shemanim means “oil press.” This is the area where Jesus prayed and was arrested the night before his crucifixion (Matt. 26:30-56; Mark 14:26-50; John 18:1-12, 26).

A plausible site is adjacent to the Church of All Nations (a.k.a. Basilica of the Agony), built in 1924 over the rock believed to be the spot where Jesus prayed in agony the night of his betrayal and arrest. The fenced-in garden is approximately 12,916 square feet (1,200 sq. m), with eight very old olive trees dating back to the mid-12th century, all having descended from a single parent tree. Although the Romans cut down all the trees in the area during the AD 70 siege of Jerusalem, new olive trees begin as shoots from existing roots and the surviving olive trees in the garden potentially date back to the time of Christ.

Just over a hundred yards (100 m) northward is the Grotto of Gethsemane (a.k.a. Grotto of Betrayal), a cave believed to be where Jesus and his disciples customarily slept at night, including the evening of the betrayal. It has been used as a chapel since the 4th century.

Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The Via Dolorosa (Latin, “Sorrowful Way” or “Way of Suffering”) is an approximately 656 yards (600 m) winding course through the narrow streets of Old Jerusalem, the traditional route Jesus was forced to walk on the way to his crucifixion. It begins at the Antonia Fortress, originally built by Herod the Great at the northwest corner of the Temple Mount, the traditional site of Pontius Pilate’s praetorium where Jesus was condemned to death (John 19:9, 13). It ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, originally built in the 4th century on the traditional site of the Lord’s crucifixion and nearby tomb of his burial, just north of the Old City’s first wall and west of its second wall. The route passes through busy, crowded markets and streets, much like it would have been in Jesus’ day.

Fourteen marked stations along the way commemorate particular points mentioned in scripture or tradition. Station 1 is the place Jesus was condemned by Pontius Pilate. Station 2 is where Jesus began carrying the cross after his severe beating. Station 3 marks the spot where he fell the first time under the weight to the cross. Station 4 is where his mother watched him pass by. Station 5 is the place Simon of Cyrene was compelled to help bear the cross. Station 6 is the location Catholics claim St. Veronica wiped the Lord’s face with a cloth. Station 7 marks the spot where Jesus fell a second time. Station 8 is where he consoled the weeping women of Jerusalem. Station 9 is where Jesus fell a third time. Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, station 10 is where he was stripped of his clothes. Station 11 marks the place Jesus was nailed to the cross. Station 12 is the Rock of Golgotha² where he died. Station 13 is a marble slab where his body was taken down from the cross. Station 14 is the tomb where he was buried. 

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

A stairway just inside the entrance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher leads up to Golgotha, nearly 15 feet (4.5 m) above the ground floor. Atop the limestone rock is a Greek Orthodox altar, and the rock can be viewed through a glass casing on either side and can be touched through a hole in the floor beneath the altar. The extravagant iconographic decorations throughout the indoor site, in my opinion, are a major distraction from the horrific and somber events of two millennia ago.

At the center of the basilica on the ground floor is the oldest traditional site of the tomb where Jesus was buried and resurrected, now enclosed by a Byzantine Edicule (or Aedicula) shrine, most recently restored in 2017 with ongoing renovations. The tomb chamber is lined with marble and covered with iconography.

Golgotha Altar

Edicule Shrine

Garden Tomb 

According to the biblical record, Jesus was crucified near the city beyond its wall and buried in a nearby garden in a newly hewn-out rock tomb that had never been used (Matt. 27:60; John 19:20, 41-42; Heb. 13:12). Less than 2 miles (3.1 km) from the oldest traditional site, just north of the Old City’s second wall, is the Garden Tomb, promoted as another possible location of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Discovered in the 19th century, the site has a rock-hewn tomb near an ancient water cistern and winepress, indicative of what used to be a garden. Also nearby is a rock ledge that allegedly resembled in the distant past the face of a human skull and has been called Skull Hill or Gordon’s Calvary (after Charles G. Gordon who made the discovery and identification).

The Garden Tomb Association maintaining the site advertise it as only a possible location of Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, though some enthusiastic tour guides seem quite convinced of its authenticity. The tomb, however, has been dated at least seven centuries before Christ, hardly “a new tomb” according to the biblical account. Moreover, the crumbling rock ledge that may have resembled the face of a skull a century ago would have significantly eroded and altered in appearance over two millennia.

Nevertheless, in contrast to the overtly ornamented, crowded, and commercialized site within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the premises of the Garden Tomb are much more tranquil and better preserve the natural environment. While it is probably not the actual location, it does give a better feel for what the real place may have been like.

Reflections

Where David fled from his enemies, Jesus faced his enemies. Where Solomon reserved a place for false gods, Jesus worshiped the heavenly Father. Where religious conflict and division have proliferated for centuries, Jesus prayed that what he accomplished here would engender faith and unity (John 17:20-23). Fallible human reasoning has persistently stood in God’s way and cannot possibly get us to where we need to be without the gracious intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we humbly embrace the Way, the Truth, and the Life as we carefully follow in his steps, not in disputable geographical locations but along the demanding path to our eternal home. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). We don’t have to walk where he walked to walk as he walked.

--Kevin L. Moore

Endnotes:

     ¹ Zechariah 14:4 reads, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives …” (NKJV). Based on this 6th century BC prophecy, it is commonly believed that Jesus will someday return to the Mount of Olives. However, applying this text to the second coming of Christ is to ignore its symbolic (apocalyptic) nature, its historical context, and its fulfillment not long after Christ’s first coming. See K. L. Moore, “The Day of the Lord,” Moore Perspective (01 Feb. 2014), <Link>.

     ² Only the Jewish writers Matthew, Mark, and John employ the Aramaic expression Golgotha (Matt. 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17), while the non-Jewish writer Luke uses the Greek term chraníon (“skull”) (Luke 23:33), although its Latin counterpart calvaria has produced the popular designation Calvary (Douay-Rheims, N/KJV). Traditionally the place of the Lord’s crucifixion has been conceived of as a hill, but biblically it is merely called a “place” (tópos) in a more generic sense that may suggest a broader area or region.

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 8, Part 9   

 

Additional Information: Jerusalem 101 

 

Image credits:

Mount of Olives <https://www.elal.com/magazine/en/portfolio-items/travel/jerusalem/mount-of-olives/>

Jewish Cemetery <https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293983-d558594-Reviews-The_Jewish_Cemetery-Jerusalem_Jerusalem_District.html>

Gethsemane <https://waynestiles.com/blog/the-garden-of-gethsemane-still-a-place-of-prayer-weeping>

Via Dolorosa <https://www.seetheholyland.net/via-dolorosa/>

Church of Holy Sepulchre <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre>

Golgatha Altar <https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/where-is-golgotha.php>

Edicule Shrine <https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/new-tests-at-church-of-holy-sepulchre-in-jerusalem-reveal-secrets-of-jesus-s-grave-gf8cgr929>

Garden Tomb <https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/garden-tomb-0014144>