JERUSALEM: MISCELLANEOUS SIGHTS, SOUNDS, AND TASTES

Before I leave Jerusalem for other places in Israel, I have a few more pictures of places and things that caught my attention, along with some pictures of the delicious food we ate (always an important part of Cannon Travel).

This poster was plastered to a wall behind a bench. Maybe a bus stop? What's with the paper airplanes in the trees? I love it.

We saw Orthodox Jews everywhere, but I never felt comfortable snapping a picture. I took this one through the bus window. I have great respect for their devotion.

Israel is becoming more and more of a force in the international art world these days. I liked this modern sculpture in a random park and wish we could have gone to a few galleries:

The Rockefellers have a presence in Jerusalem? Yep. In 1925 John D. Rockefeller donated $2 million towards the building of the Palestine Archaeological Museum, a place to house the numerous artifacts discovered during excavations in the 1920s and 1930s:

We saw lots of different sections of the Old City Wall, which was in various states of repair and disrepair.

These walls were built between 1535 and 1538 during Ottoman rule. The total circumference is about 2.5 miles, which doesn't seem that long until you consider that the average height is forty feet and the average thickness is eight feet. That's a lot of stone.

On the other hand, I was stunned to learn that these walls only enclose about .35 square miles, but in that small space is the Muslims' Dome of the Rock and Al-aqsa Mosque; the Jews' Western Wall and Temple Mount, and the Christians' Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Old City is also divided into four quarters: the Jewish Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, the Muslim Quarter, and the Christian Quarter.

I don't know how many miles of streets there are inside those walls, but it's a lot more than you'd think. We needed a few more days to explore all of them.

There are a total of eleven gates, but only seven are open. This is the Damascus Gate and is where Stan just about lost his wallet to a pickpocket. Good thing Stan caught the guy with his hand in Stan's pocket.

The crescent on the gate . . .

. . . identifies this as a Muslim cemetery.

In the distance is the Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane.

Everything in Israel is built out of "Jerusalem Stone," a kind of limestone found in and around Israel. It is a beautiful color--white, beige, pink, or gold--depending on the time of day.

One night we slipped out after dinner and went to Omar's woodcarving shop. He has a long-term relationship with the BYU students who study here and all the LDS tourists. In fact, his son studied at BYU-Idaho. We splurged big time and bought two of his pieces, a Tree of Life and an intricate nativity carved from a single piece of wood:

And, finally, there was the food. Yeah, the food was tasty. This was my dinner selected from the buffet at the Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. They had a lot of different salads, including farro salad, which is my current favorite.

How about the color of this hard-boiled egg "white"? The shell was white, but inside it was a sun-kissed tan:

We enjoyed a few treats in the Old City, but the baklava and Turkish delight don't hold a candle to what we had in Instanbul. I think we needed to find an actual bakery rather than a storefront selling things made elsewhere:

We did have one sit-down meal with the Joneses in the Old City. We had stayed out late and missed dinner at the hotel, so we stopped in at a shish kebab place. 

The food was good, but the waiter was the best part of the meal. He was very friendly and talkative and told us he has 3 1/2-year-old triplets and newborn twins. so he works extra hours. I think his wife is a super star.

We weren't sure if he was working us for a higher tip, or if he was telling us the truth. 

He was such a happy, friendly feller that we opted for the latter and gave him the former.

The other options for dining that we had seen in that section of the Old City were not quite as appealing:

Bob was quite taken by this display and was wishing for either 1) a kitchenette in our room, or 2) a cook in the butcher shop.

The best street food we had in Israel was just around the corner from the gift shop of the Garden Tomb. Terry and Geneil went exploring and came back with falafel pitas that had us all drooling. They took us to their hidden gem, where we watched our falafel being shaped from this big bowl of ground beans . . .

. . . and then thrown in a big pot of hot oil. No sitting under a heat lamp to keep it warm for future customers. This is as fresh as falafel gets.

The man's son filled our pitas with all the good stuff shown here and topped it with some amazing sauce.

All of this for about $1.75. This place deserves a Michelin Star.

And if there is any question about the freshness of the ingredients, all we had to do was look across the street at the fruits and vegetables for sale:

Jerusalem is a feast for the senses. What we see, we remember--maybe. But what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch becomes part of us in a much deeper way. I can see why the BYU students who study in Jerusalem for six months all long to return. They carry a bit of Jerusalem around with them for the rest of their lives, as does anyone who embraces this amazing city.

JERUSALEM: THE GARDEN TOMB AND GOLGOTHA (VERSION #2)

About a quarter mile from Jerusalem's Damascus Gate is Version #2 of Golgotha/Calvary and Jesus's Tomb. Visually, this site is much more convincing than the Church of the Holy Sepulchre--at least for me--because it is outdoors, simple, and relatively quiet, things we have come to expect of a death and burial site (as opposed to the noise and bling of Version #1).

The Garden Tomb is primarily a Protestant site, as opposed to the Orthodox and Catholic ownership of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It has been owned and operated by the British Evangelical Association for the last 104 years. One of the main arguments in favor of this site is that it is clearly outside the city walls, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre lies well within the city walls. Scripture plainly states that Jesus was crucified and buried outside the city walls. There has been a lot of debate over when and where wall boundaries have changed, however, and many scholars believe that the area where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre sits was actually outside the walls until after the crucifixion.

My own religious leaders have leaned more towards the Garden Tomb as the actual site, but as for me, I think it's just about impossible (and probably not that important) to know for sure exactly where the crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection occurred almost 2,000 years ago.

What does matter to me is 1) having a visual that I can link to my thoughts about these events in Jesus's life, and 2) appreciating the feelings and participating in the spirit of the people who worship at both sites.

Great effort is made to present a completely different image in the Garden Tomb than at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. A table loaded with copies of the scriptures is near the entry, and visitors are welcome to pick up one for reading and meditation while they are in the Garden.

Beautiful landscaping creates a far more natural setting than chandeliers:

The focus in the Garden is on peace and prayer. During our time there, we heard several tour groups singing hymns, music more familiar to us than the chanting of Armenian monks in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Familiarity always helps me to feel more comfortable (although it doesn't make something "true"). On the other hand, new and foreign experiences can have their own impact.

We began at Golgotha, so-named here for its appearance rather than for Adam's skull as it is in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:

We were primed for what we were going to see . . .

. . . and that's exactly what we saw:

Unfortunately, the top of this Golgotha is now a Muslim cemetery, so there was no going up there to look for the exact spot where the three crosses were placed.

But that's okay, because our local guide told us that many scholars believe the crosses would have been placed at the base of the hill as the scriptures quote the words of those who were passing by, and the road to Damascus ran right next to the flat area at the bottom of the hill. Here is a picture from a long, long time ago (although probably not 2,000 years ago):

I expected Golgotha to be a bit larger than the hill in the picture,
but the camels are a nice touch.

The only problem with that theory is that the flat part at the base of Golgotha is now a bus terminal. I really didn't expect that, and suddenly the Altar to the Crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is looking a little bit more probable.

However, the scriptures also say the crucifixion occurred near Mt. Moriah, and this Golgotha is connected to it. Another point in its favor.

Sadly, no one seems to care about what might have occurred here long ago. There are no archaeological digs and no brass stars marking the place, just a lot of noisy buses.

There are even two minarets in the background. Not quite the same atmosphere here as in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

But the Garden itself is lovely, and does a good job creating a peaceful, worshipful spirit. 

Another reason this site has been considered as a possible site for the crucifixion and resurrection is that there is a cistern on the property, indicating that this was a garden of some sort. John 19 (KJV) reads, "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid." Gardens had cisterns like this one to provide water for the plants:

It is easy to think of the garden as belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and disciple of Jesus. By the way, I wonder what Joseph's role in the trial might have been. Did he and his fellow Sanhedrin member Nicodemus have a chance to defend Jesus? (Did anyone?)

According to Matthew 27 (KJV), the tomb was actually one Joseph had made for himself: "[Joseph] went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out of the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre."

It is easy to stand in this beautiful garden, not far from the rocky, scarred face of Golgotha, and imagine these events taking place. We were there in the late afternoon when a soft breeze was blowing and both sun and shadow were marking the tomb's outer wall.

I can see Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" sitting with their backs against this wall, grieving.

We waited in a short line for our turn to go inside. Everyone was generally quiet and respectful. I was glad we were there in March rather than during one of the the busier tourist months:

Stan and Chris at the front of the line

We stood in the antechamber (#6 above) and looked through the iron gate at the tomb area, a Byzantine cross painted on the wall. (Actually, one source says the original cross is covered in plaster to protect it, and this new-looking version is painted on top.) 

I can relate to this spare, unadorned (minus that reproduced cross) room much more than I can to the one in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but that is partly because of my upbringing and expectations. Both places are beautiful in very different ways.

Stan on his way out of the tomb

A round rock nearby is an example of the actual "great stone" that was rolled into place to seal the doorway. This stone is only about half the size of the door, but I'm pretty sure I could not move it. It must have taken many men to seal the entry (but only a couple of angels to unseal it):

Of everything in the Garden Tomb, this sign posted on the inside of the current wooden doorway to the sepulchre is the most important:

. . . along with this one placed in the garden:

JERUSALEM: CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a like a giant classical orchestra playing a complicated symphony, but with every musician wearing noise cancelling headphones and playing at whim, no conductor in sight. Read on to learn why.

Since the 4th century, this church has been considered by most of the world's Christians to be the world's holiest place: the site of Jesus's crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection.

Main entrance with bell tower in the center
and the Chapel of the Agony of the Virgin on far right (with blue dome)

According to the Roman historian Eusebius of Caesarea, in the 2nd century AD Hadrian built a temple dedicated to Venus on the site to cover the tomb where Jesus was buried and thus bury his influence as well. (It didn't work.) Constantine came along in 325 and replaced the temple with a two-part church, one section over Calvary/Golgotha and another section built around the tomb discovered by Helena, Constantine's ever-helpful mother. The rock surrounding the tomb was chipped away to isolate the cave itself, which was then encased in marble, and the two church sections were connected by a colonnaded atrium.

Jerusalem (and hence this church) changed hands several times in the next 700 years, and during that time there were also several fires and earthquakes that caused varying degrees of damage. In 1009, an Islamic caliph ordered the complete destruction of the church, and very little of the original structure was left. Eighteen years later, the new caliph allowed the church to be rebuilt and redecorated.                                                                                                                    
The Crusaders came in 150 years after that  and did some rebuilding, renovating, and expanding, including adding the bell tower and placing all of the holy places under one roof for the first time. It is essentially their work that is still standing today, even though the church was doomed to change hands several more times and to experience at least one more fairly devastating fire. The current structure around the tomb dates to 1555, and the current dome to 1870. The interior has been undergoing restoration, repairs, and improvements since 1959.

The building has a capacity of 8,000 people, but even though it is a sprawling structure that encompasses both Calvary/Golgotha and the tomb, it is hard to envision that many people inside it. There are not huge open spaces, but rather an overwhelming warren of over thirty small- to medium-sized rooms and corridors. If it were filled to capacity, everyone would be tripping over everyone else, much the same as the administrators of this site do. It is the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem (whom we saw during one of our visits and which I'll discuss later) and home to branches of Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Catholicism, all of whom share some administrative rights, have their own chapels, and keep their own schedules.

Confusing? You'd better believe it is.

Looking from the front door of the church back out to the courtyard

So how do they all get along? Well, one way is a ruling called "Status Quo." In 1853 it was established that all Jerusalem shrines would remain in their current state unless all involved parties could agree on a change. Known as "Status Quo," this is the reason the ladder in the picture below has been sitting there since 1853. Everyone has not been able to agree to take it down. (Actually, I'm guessing they have all agreed to leave it there as a visual for the Status Quo idea.)

JERUSALEM: CHURCH OF ST. PETER IN GALLICANTU AND THE VIA DOLOROSA

After his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken before Caiaphas and other high priests of the Sanhedrin to be tried. It is generally agreed that the site of Caiaphas's Palace was where there is now a church known as St. Peter in Gallicantu. Gallicantu is Latin for "cock's crow," referring to Peter's three denials of his connection to Jesus that were followed by the crowing of a rooster.

Three different churches have existed on this site, beginning with a Byzantine shrine built in the 5th century. It was torn down in the 11th century during Muslim rule. The church was rebuilt by the Crusaders in 1102 and given its current name. However, when Jerusalem changed hands again, it fell into ruin. It wasn't until 1931 that the present Catholic church was built.

Close-up of the mosaic seen in the arch above and a second one from another side of the church:

 

The first caption reads "The contempt of Caiaphas," and the second one says something about being held in a deep pit. Beneath the church there are caves from the Second Temple period where Jesus may have been held after his arrest. (More on the caves later.)