Israel, Day 1, Jerusalem!

Our first full day in Israel started off wonderfully, at 8:15am.  Our guide met us at the hotel and we shared a delicious and lavish breakfast there, included in the room price, while he talked over our itinerary with us.  He had been highly recommended by a lot of others in my research, so I basically relied on him to plan everything to maximize our short visit, after having told him our primary interests, in the archeological history of Israel, and particularly relating to our Christian faith.  Since I am protestant and David is Catholic, we were both interested in seeing most of the pilgrimage sites, but as one also very interested in archeology, I was very keen on seeing all we could of history in general, too.  Sam Salem, our guide, did not disappoint!

A little background on Sam…  He is a Christian Palestinian, a group of which I confess I was actually completely ignorant, but who comprised up to 10% of the total Palestinian population in 1948 at the time of modern Israel’s founding.  Due to the strife and hardships since then, many have emigrated away, sadly, so by now, they comprise maybe 5%, or as little as 2% of the population, and are unfortunately caught between bitterly divided factions, with little support on any side.  Their fellow Palestinians are primarily Muslim of course, so they are a minority group even among their fellow Arabs, and often subject to ridicule and persecution for that.  But they find few friends among the Jewish population of Israel either, who are sometimes racist against them because of their Arab ethnicity.  Sam told me many foreigners are not even aware they exist, as I was not.  So he certainly has a very unique an interesting perspective as a guide.  Most of his relatives have since moved all over the world, to Australia, South America, the Philippines, and even the United States.  However, he remains in Israel with his mother and brother and their families, and he is not very interested to move away from his homeland.  Despite this resolution, though, life has been very difficult for him and his people, divided as they are now by a wall with strict border patrols that have decimated their local economy, and often treated as alien by Jew and Muslim alike.  They are all too often a scorned minority even among people who have themselves been persecuted in the past.  I guess this is just human nature, sadly, that even when we suffer persecutions and trials, we all too easily turn and inflict them again on our fellow man.  It was tragic to see the extent of that harsh truth even in the Holy Land, which should by all rights be a place of peace and harmony, but has never been anything very remotely like that, except for perhaps a few precious and fleeting moments over the ages.

So… after breakfast, we headed out in Sam’s vehicle, for the nearby Mount of Olives.  I had the impression things would be farther apart than they were, many times throughout this week!  But in fact, the landscape is very densely packed in this tiny little country.  Within minutes of leaving the hotel, Sam was pointing us to the Mount of Olives, from which Jesus ascended into heaven, and on which he spent his last tortured moments of freedom, and was betrayed by one of his very closest friends.  We started at the ascension point, the highest point on the mountain.  From that vantage point, one has a breathtaking view of the city, and Sam walked us through all the key landmarks.  From that one spot, one can see the Al Aqsa mosque and the famous and beautiful Dome of the Rock on the site of the former Jewish temple mount (of both the original temple Solomon built, and the later 2^nd temple rebuilt by the prophet Ezra with the generous funding of King Nebuchadnezzar, after it had been destroyed by the Persians, I believe), a number of gates to the city, set in its ancient walls, and the Kidron Valley.  Here is King Hezekiah’s tunnel, an ancient secret tunnel used to bring precious spring water into the city, which allowed the people to survive an extended siege at the hand of the cruel Assyrian King Sennacherib.  These are just a few highlights, as the list goes on and on.  It was truly breathtaking to see.

After a brief overview, Sam took us to a rock at the peak of the summit of the Mount of Olives, worn into a deep groove over the last 20 centuries by the hands of millions of pilgrims just like us, who wanted to touch the last physical spot from which the Messiah ascended to heaven in view of hundreds of witnesses.  So we did touch it too.  It was awe inspiring, but not an emotional moment as I might have imagined.  I thought it seemed very much earthly, and it made me think about how it must have been in Jesus’ time as well, just a normal place, filled with dust and noises and smells and heat, made special not by any particular properties it possessed itself, but by the miraculous presence of a man who had died and then lived again.

After the rock of Christ’s ascension, it was a short walk down the hill to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed in his last hours of freedom, begging God to take the cup of suffering from him, and wept so bitterly that blood came from his eyes – a phenomenon recorded in the gospels, which I had heard is actually known to occur rarely under times of extreme stress.  This, like the ascension point, is very likely to have been the actual physical location where Jesus prayed on that terrible day of his arrest.  It is filled with giant ancient olive trees, which were recently dated by a test by the University of California, to around 2000 years of age - much older than any other olive trees in the area - very rare, and therefore very likely preserved through the centuries by the faithful, who knew their historical importance even long ago.  These trees grow very slowly, and are much, much larger than the normal olive trees seen dotting the land throughout Israel.  To know that these very trees likely bore witness to those events from the Bible…  it was truly beyond me to comprehend.  At this spot, I did have an emotional feeling, when I imagined how Jesus prayed there and knew the suffering He would soon thereafter endure.  I fought back tears for just a moment imagining what that night must have been like, but maintained my composure.  I took photos with everybody else, touched the rocks where Jesus may have knelt to pray, and enjoyed the beauty and history of the shrines, built one upon another, which the pilgrims of old constructed – themselves now artifacts of great antiquity. 

Almost every site has an original chapel built by the Byzantines, first by the great Christian pilgrim Helena, the mother of Constantine, the first emperor to accept Christ, end Christian persecution, and make freedom of religion (including other persecuted religions like Mithraism) a formal institution of the Roman state.  Some argue that this was a purely political machination, made to attempt to incorporate and preempt the movement spreading like wildfire, which was replacing the cynical and "wink and nod" beliefs in the Roman gods and undermining the established System of the World at that time.  However, I considered this previously, and rejected it as well.  Many established facts point to the sincerity of both Helena and Constantine in their conversion.  Certainly, the frequency and multitude of chapels Helena built demonstrates a very deep commitment she had to memorializing the history of the Bible, and specifically, the gospels and New Testament.  Given that media was virtually nonexistent at the time, the argument that she may have done this as a propaganda tool seems hollow to me, as it would not have been very effective for most people in the empire, who would never visit or see any of them in their lifetimes, or likely even know they existed.  Also, she did not simply order they be constructed.  She appears to have been fervent in searching out the archeological sites and physical evidence for the events that occurred herself.  This could not have been an easy task in the 5th century, either.  It seems to clearly indicate genuine devotion.  And it may have really paid off, beyond generating a wealth of shrines, since there is much evidence for the authenticity of those most unlikely events that occurred, which would never exist had it not been for her early work.

Chapels not built by Helena during her pilgrimages are often from Justinian, her grandson, and Constantine's son, who also fervently constructed these, and sought evidence of the original sites.  All these earliest churches and shrines date primarily to the 5^th century AD.  Some are of more dubious origin, but many were well reputed by local believers, only a few generations removed from the actual events at the time of their original construction, and would very likely have been known by all of the early Churches in Jerusalem, due to the remarkable events that took place there, such that the authenticity of many of the sites is quite certain.  Other sites were venerated later by Crusaders, who more often seemed intent on creating a pilgrimage “industry” (not too unlike the modern tourist industry in Israel in some ways it seems), and sometimes went beyond historical truth in their attempts to reconstruct sites, such as the “Upper Room”, which is in fact a structure of much later origin, and certainly NOT an original building in 1st century Jerusalem, although it is likely to be quite close to the original site of that famous place of the Last Supper, where Christ broke bread and shared communion with the Disciples - the Last Supper.

Sam, our guide, was extremely knowledgeable about all these things, and shared all he knew with us - including details offering supporting evidence, as well as those with more dubious implications.  He was very fair in his presentation, and did not appear to have an agenda other than revealing all he could of the genuine history and the facts as they are.  That included not only the historical sites, but even much more pressing questions about the political situation.  Although I suspect he must have strong feelings one way or another, his presentation was always such that it was very hard to determine where his personal allegiances might rest.  He had a knack for presenting the facts plainly and without prejudice, and avoiding drawing conclusions.  For a guide, this quality is most admirable, and it was what most impressed me about him.  He really made the trip much more than we could ever have made it on our own.  Without him, I am sure we would have seen at most 10% of the ground we did, and understood even less of its story.

After Gethsemane, we headed down the hill further, to the site where Peter was purported to have fallen asleep while he was supposed to be keeping watch while Jesus prayed.  This was also the site from which Jesus sometimes taught the people, and famously wept for Jerusalem, overlooking the city, and knowing the destruction that awaited it in years to come.  Of course, in 70 AD, the city was sacked by the Romans under orders from Emperor Vespasian, and its walls and the Jewish temple were burned and torn down stone by stone.  Although the wall was reconstructed in various stages, the temple was never again rebuilt.  Those toppled stones from the original wall were later used to reconstruct the city wall under different rulers, including Hadrian, Suleiman and the Crusaders.

Along the way, we passed a camel offered for rides, and this had been one of the things David had mentioned wanting to do on the trip several times, so Sam stopped and let him try a camel ride, which cost just a dollar or two.  I had already ridden a camel myself one time when I was a kid at some point, so did not feel compelled myself this time!  So I took pictures, and it was fun to be there and watch David nervously holding the reigns as the thing lumbered up the street a way, and then back.  I did pet the great beast, named Kojak apparently by the locals, an old camel that has been tamed and giving rides for a long time right there on the Mount of Olives.

After seeing the sites on the Mount of Olives, we got in the car again and headed down to the old city.  Here we entered by the Lion’s Gate, also known as St. Stephen’s gate, since it was the site where the famous early Christian Stephen was stoned to death while Paul, then still known as Saul prior to his conversion on the Road to Damascus, a pious Jew and Roman citizen at that time, held the cloaks for the mob.  Inside the gate, there is a shrine to the likely birthplace of Mary, Jesus’ mother, and her childhood home until marrying Joseph - also the site where the angel would have appeared to her to inform her that she would bear the Savior, and of her famous response of thanks and praise to God, the Magnificat, memorialized by many composers, most famously possibly by Bach, and one of my personally favorite pieces of music.  This site is somewhat less historically certain than other sites, but is still very likely to have been very close by at least to where she may have been born, since there are a number of facts that point toward this, including that her father was a priest in the Temple, and would likely have lived very near there.  This is also the site of the pool of Silome, where Jesus famously healed a cripple who was trying to be the first in the water in the morning when it was first “quickened”, as the first to enter was commonly believed to be healed.  He asked Jesus for help into the water, but Jesus replied asking the man if he had faith, to which the man answered yes.  After this Jesus told him his faith had healed him, and to take up his bed and walk, before he even entered the water.  Then Jesus asked him to go his way without telling anyone who had healed him, since it was the Sabbath, and the Pharisaical Jews were extremely strict that absolutely no "work" be done on the Sabbath, including even walking more than a short distance, or for that matter, healing the sick.  Subsequently, the Pharisees questioned Jesus when they found out (since the man still went around telling everybody who had healed him), because Jesus violated this strict prohibition against working!  This is one of the great stories of the gospels.  We went down to the site of the original pool, which is now pretty much dried up, but has been excavated at its southernmost third, the area of the pool where the incident was reported to have occurred.  There is a Crusader era cistern there also, which still has some water in its base, although it is not filled anymore as it once was.  We also saw the mosaics built by Helena in the original church in the 5^th century, as well as a Crusader church built upon that, from the 12^th century.

After these sites we continued on to walk through the old city and the Muslim quarter, along the Stations of the Cross, past Pontius Pilate’s house (very certain to have been the actual historic site, as an ancient Roman inscription has been found designating it as such), past the room where Jesus was imprisoned while held by the Romans, just before his sentence was carried out, and up to the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrow, where he was forced to carry the cross out of the city to his crucifixion site.  Shortly later, we also saw the whipping post on which Christ was whipped - also likely a historically accurate artifact - a large stone on which he was forced to cling while he was lashed 40 times while clothed in a robe of mockery and the Crown of Thorns, since he was proclaimed “King of the Jews” by the Romans and Pharisees, to mock his claim that he was their long awaited Messiah.  We saw examples of carved games in the ground, where soldiers in ancient times cast lots, one of which was used to cast lots for the robe Jesus wore in the story.  We also passed the place where Jesus’ mother reportedly comforted him for a moment, and where he dropped the cross, and Simon the Cyrene was forced to help him carry it.  These things were all spread amongst the tiny winding streets in Jerusalem, very ancient places, where people live and work right in buildings that existed from antiquity, built upon foundations of even older buildings, going all the way back to the time of Christ and much earlier still.

We stopped for a quick and delicious lunch at a great felafel shop, literally a “hole in the wall”, carved out of the ancient wall itself, as are many of the shops.  We were lucky (and no doubt, Sam planned it this way) to finish just before afternoon prayers finished for the Muslims, after which the restaurant began to get very busy.  We walked out just as large crowds began to rush in!  Sam also bought us a famous Jerusalem Bagel at a stand across the street, which was very sweet, almost like dessert.

Finally, we came to the church which was built upon the site of the Crucifixion, known as Golgotha – meaning Place of the Skull, because the rocky outcropping physically resembled a skull.  It was used for public executions since it was up high and people could easily see the condemned, and their example could be driven home to would be future offenders.

There are a number of archeological facts that point toward this site’s authenticity, and although, as even with very well established events from two millenia ago, it is not known with absolute historical certainty, it still represents the meaning of the place well, and is fairly likely to have been the actual location where they occurred.  One objection to its authenticity is that it appears to be within the city wall, however, the presence of an ancient quarry directly adjacent to the site (within the current church, in fact) proves that it woudl have actually been outside the walls at that time.  The newer walls were rebuilt along different lines by subsequent rulers, explaining why it is now within the city wall.  Another key fact is that it the very same site was turned into a temple of Venus by Hadrian, very early on, a practice he commonly exercised with sites venerated by early Christians.  He was a terrible persecutor of the Church, and did this to attempt to crush their spirits.  Ironically, he helped preserve the site's authenticity by doing so, though, since now it points to the likelihood that it was genuine, that it was intentionally desecrated by him.  This would have occurred just around 100 years after Jesus was crucified, so it is very likely the early church at the time was just one or two generations removed from the actual events, and would not have venerated a manufactured site.  This would be similar to our veneration of Gettysburg, the site of President Lincoln's famous address during the Civil War in the USA.  Although nobody alive was actually there when he spoke the words, it was a very well known event, and its location is extremely certain to us now, so we can be very certain of its true location.

While I am not superstitious, and do not believe there is any advantage to be gained from touching or physically seeing any of these particular relics or sites, whether they are authentic or manufactured later by overzealous "faithful", I still felt compelled to reach out and touch with my own hands those things and places where the great events likely occurred.  I am confident of my connection to them through the ideas they pass on to me, and not through any physical touch.  But nevertheless, the physical touch was meaningful, for me to realize that I am not only connected in mind and spirit, but also in some small part, even in body, with the history from which the greatest civilization and hope for mankind that ever existed arose.  So, I did reach out and touch the relics.  I touched the stone upon which they prepared his body, and anointed it with incense and oil and wrapped him for burial as was the custom for observant Jews of the time.  I touched the stone of the tomb in which his body was laid, which witnessed the moment of his resurrection.  I touched the interior of the nearby tombs of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimethea, wealthy Pharisees who both secretly (for fear of persecution) believed Jesus was in fact the Messiah foretold by the prophets, and the later of whom donated a crypt in his own family burial cave very near the crucifixion site, so Jesus could be laid to rest with some honor.  This event, as with so many others that were recorded, does appear to find striking correspondance with the text of Isaiah, written more than 500 years earlier.  The gospels do not claim this, but it is a commonly held conculsion of Christians since the early church.  Isaiah 53:9 reads:

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Finally, we went up to the actual site of the Crucifixion itself.  Before going up, we passed the rock face of the cliff directly underneath (now surrounded by the structure of the church itself), where the rock is fractured in a deep rift.  The Bible tells of the moment when Jesus’ body gave up his spirit, that the earth was shaken, and a great crack appeared in the earth.  This crack we saw is purported to be the same.  That quake also broke the altar in the temple, and tore the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the public space therein, from top to bottom, a powerful symbolic occurrence too, since this curtain formerly separated the people from direct access to the seat of God, and Christ now brought direct access to all men through his mediation with the Father for the propitiation of our sins, which formerly forced us to be separated from him, that his pure and holy presence not be contaminated by our impurity and corruption.  After seeing this significant fissure in the rock, we walked up above, to the actual site where Jesus died on the cross.

Sam told me we can choose to wait in line or not to actually touch the spot.  Many Protestants do not revere the act of touching these sites particularly, and I agree with them in spirit completely, that sometimes the Catholic rituals and pilgrimages have degenerated to mere superstitions and rituals for their own sake, hoping that touching some particular relic may bring good fortune, etc.  However, I was moved to touch it myself, and remembered the simple and moving story of the woman with a bleeding problem who believed if she could only touch "even the hem of his garment" as He passed, she would be cured - and in fact, she was.  God does honor and appreciate our very human desire to physically touch, I am sure, although of course, the touch is not in itself necessary, as God can do anything without the need for any particular ritual act.  These acts are granted for our own sake, rather, as creatures of dust, who still think in terms of dust, despite our heavenly destiny.  So I waited with David for 10 minutes or so, and we did take our turn to place our hands in the crevice in the altar there, and touch the earth beneath, which was purportedly the very spot where Jesus’ cross was lowered into the ground.  I know it may or may not be authentic, and if not, it is not material anyway to my belief.  But still, touching that site, I was moved deeply.  It was truly holy ground, and the focus of my entire faith, and in my view, all of history, too, that Jesus was not only crucified and died, but rose again to live forever, the "firstborn among the dead", as the scripture calls him, and a promise to all the rest of the human race who have died, that we will be resurrected someday to live forever as well.  I thank God we are able to go there and see with our own eyes, although our faith does not require it, still, it is a great comfort, just as the doubting disciple Thomas needed to see Jesus’ wounds with his own eyes before he fully accepted that Jesus had in fact arisen and was alive after He died.  And the Lord loved Thomas enough to indulge his human weakness, even though it did sadden him a bit that the disciple would not believe without the physical evidence, He did not hold it against him, just as a father may indulge a whim of a young son, out of tenderness and kindness, despite their being technically childish or unnecessary.

I have heard these exact same sentiments expressed by many others who went before me, who have told their story of a visit to the Holy Land.  But still, I am glad to write them, my own story.  It was a most special blessing to see and touch those sites of my belief, and I am left with wonder and amazement at the world God created for us, and what lengths He was willing to go to even himself, in order to assure our salvation.  As the Bible says, we are just a little higher than the beasts, made of dust ourselves, and yet He has placed us only a little lower than the angels.  So, I just have to give it up to the Lord, and offer a word of praise for what He did.  Thanks be to God who is good and loves us like his own children…  He is good.

One very special thing Sam also did for us was showing us sites that might be of particular interest, knowing our personalities and dispositions.  Since his father was also a guide in Jerusalem, Sam has grown up knowing the sites very well, and has good relationships with the priests and custodians who maintain them, so they sometimes allow him special access.  Knowing my interest in history, Sam suggested we should step into an inner room in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  The most holy site is maintained and shared by three churches, since it is so significant to all three, being where Jesus was crucified and resurrected, and so each of the churches have rooms for their own priests.  The Catholic area is maintained by the Franciscan order.  In the inner room where Sam took us, there is an ancient Templar sword which was used to guard the tomb, and rests there still today.  Getting to see this artifact which has guarded the site for over a thousand years was really special for me.  I chatted with the custodian who watches over the room, a Franciscan monk, from Rhode Island, actually.  He was a jolly man, and happily answered all questions obligingly, and clearly enjoyed his duty there.

At last we made our way down out the Western gate.  The wall was very busy by that time of day, so we decided to continue with it the following morning.  We exited directly to walk back up toward Stephen’s Gate again and complete our circuit of the city.  We walked past many ancient sites on the way, observing stones from the original wall of Solomon in one excavation, and also seeing the Hinnom Valley, known also as the Valley of Blood, from the ritual human sacrifice that was practiced by the Canaanite and Jebusite tribes there prior to the establishment of Jerusalem.  We also saw the tomb of Absolom, the treasonous and tragic son of King David, which is likely the actual place of his burial, although, as is often the case, the existing shrine was not built until much later, in the 12^th century.  There were a number of other significant tombs and sites carved into the valley which we saw as we walked back up along the wall's perimeter, including some of the prophets (Jeremiah, I believe, among some others) and some other ancient Canaanite tombs.  We also walked down to the site in a Christian cemetery of the grave of Oscar Schindler, and placed a stone upon it to honor him, as is the tradition.  We passed through the Muslim cemetery as well, and saw a recent grave of a Palestinian youth killed in a clash with the Israeli police.

At the end of a long day, we made our way back finally to the hotel.  We had seen the Muslim, Jewish and Christian quarters in the old city of Jerusalem, and many key sites relating to the life and times of Jesus, the prophets of old, and history in general over the last 4000 years or so.  Once back at the hotel, we enjoyed a luxurious leisurely swim in the idyllic setting of the pool at the American Colony, and washed the dust and heat of the day away.  We competed to see who could swim the furthest underwater without surfacing.  I am proud to say, I was the consistent victor!  hahaha  I guess swim team Mom forced me to join finally paid off after all...

But my joy at cooling off in the pool was tinged with more than just a hint of sadness at the end of this unbelievable day, in knowing that the dust and heat were not lifted from the Lord’s difficult days in Jerusalem, and much more agony and sorrow than I will ever know was visited upon him, for my sake and all of humanity’s sake.  But much greater than sorrow was the gratitude and awe I felt, that He was successful against the forces of darkness and death, alleviating us from the rightful judgment that was due us, just as Jeremiah wrote, giving us beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, and praise for despair.  

After dinner and warm hospitality from the folks at American Colony, time for bed again...

Going up to the Mount of Olives

Ascension Chapel

The stone from which Jesus ascended, worn into a deep groove by millions of pilgrims' touches over millenia

Looking onto Jerusalem from Mount of Olives

Panoramic view of Kidron Valley from Mount of Olives

David's becomes a camel jockey!

I helped keep the camel under control!  hahaha

David on the camel, Al Aqsa mosque in background

Entering Garden of Gethsemane

The Garden of Gethsemane, 2000 year old olive grove where Jesus spent his last hours as a free man

David at Garden of Gethsemane

Good view of the ancient trunks, much larger than typical younger olive trees.  Tests at UC determined their age is at least 2000 years, so these would have been silent witnesses to the events of Jesus' betrayal and capture by the Romans.

The rock on which Jesus prayed, imporing the heavenly Father that if there were any way possible, to remove the cup of suffering from him, which He knew was to come soon, but adding, "Not my will, but thine be done."

Chapel built at Gethsemane, also covering part of the rock on which Jesus prayed, built originally by Helena in 5th century, later expanded by templars in 12th century.

Our guide Sam with David in front of the chapel at Gethsemane

5th Century mosaics in the church, original to Helena's chapel

More recent ceiling mosaics at the chapel at Gethsemane, astoundingly beautiful

Ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Some have split into several trees over time, and sprouts still spring from them and can be replanted, and will grow fresh again.  These original trees were dated to over 2000 years ago though by the University of California.

Chapel at Mary's Tomb, very likely to have been the actual place due based on archeological evidence

The Lion's Gate (note the lions on the wall), also known as Stephen's Gate, the site of Stephen's martyrdom by stoning - true martyrdom, not chosen as an act of glory, but imposed by persecution on an innocent man because of his profession of faith.  The Apostle Paul was not yet a Christian, and under his born name of Saul, held the cloaks of the mob while they stoned Stephen.

The city wall.  I took this picture to show the older stones.  Everywhere you can see older stones at the base, which are rougher and typically larger.  These were toppled down to the level where they stop, by Vespasian's brutal retaliation against the Jewish revolt in 70 AD.  The stones above them were later built on their foundations in many places, by Hadrian, Crusaders, Suleiman, others...

Excavated Pool of Silome, where Jesus healed a crippled man

Flowers springing from the ancient wall, seemed beautiful, life rises from stones and flourishes

Bee in a flower, at the garden maintained by the White Fathers, a Catholic order who maintain the chapel there, of Mary's birthplace, and the Magnificat

Tiles depicting the Stations of the Cross, points identified by Catholic lore, corresponding to various events described in the last hours of Jesus, as he was sentenced and died, and was laid to rest.  These include the sentencing at Pilate's house, the imprisonment in the dark hole there, the placement of the Crown of Thorns upon his head, the 40 lashes, the moment along his route when his mother comforted him, and where Simon the Cyrene was forced to help him carry the burden after he stumbled under its weight.  Although these sites may or may not be actually those exact places where these events occurred, they are all along the notorious Via Dolorosa, which is likely the same path where Jesus carried the cross.  It is a solemn exercise to remember the events distinctly and ponder them while walking along the same path, through those same streets, in many ways not much different now than they were so long ago.

The inscription excavated in recent years at Pilate's house which most strongly identifies it as the actual place described in the gospels.

A solemn moment of reflection, touching the stone on which Jesus' body was prepared for burial, now fragrant with incense and oil placed by the faithful in centuries since, as they worship him and remember his suffering for our sake.

Beautiful mosaics in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of the Crucifixion, burial and also resurrection of the Lord.

Light falling through the oculus upon the burial place of Jesus under the shrine below, piercingly beautiful

This Templar Sword is not on display for the general public, but kept in an side room maintained by the Franciscan custodians, shown us by our guide especially for my particular interest in that history.  It has guarded the site for more than 1000 years.

The whipping stone Jesus clung to while lashed 40 times, before being forced to carry the splintery cross about a mile through rocky streets up to the point of his crucifixcion.  Isaiah 53 says that it is "by his stripes we are healed".  This is one of the most famous prophetic passages about Jesus, written 500 years prior, describing the Messiah.  It is especially notable since at the time it was written, right up until the time of Jesus, it was believed the Jewish redeemer would be a military conqueror, by everyone, so nobody would have realized that "by his stripes" would refer to bloody gashes carved in his back by a whip.  But in retrospect, the meaning is quite clear, lending evidence to the truly prophetic nature of the original text.  This text, recall, is the same claimed by some scholars to have been fabricated much later, but recently proved to be authentically dated to at least 500 years before the birth of Jesus, by the Dead Sea Scrolls, the earliest known copies, found just a few decades ago preserved in a clay vessel in a dry cave, by a shepherd boy.

The fissure in the rock underneath the site of the Crucifixion, believed to have been caused by the earthquake the Bible says occurred at the moment when Christ gave up his spirit and died

We had to crawl under a table to place our hand in the hole in the rock and touch the ground in which the cross was lowered for Jesus to hang.

More lighthearted moment.  A deal is struck to purchase some authentic Jerusalem camel leather sandals for friends and family.  A steal at less than $15 a pair!

Ancient walls and columns recently excavated, up to 30 feet beneath the current foundations in places

Very controversial, a Jewish contingent exist who are dedicated to rebuilding the temple.  The only problem is, the site has been occupied by a famous and most revered Muslim mosque for many centuries now, and by all rights, no fair minded person could expect any Muslim faithful to be willing to give it up.  I am afraid this cannot ever be resolved by any of us, as there is really no wiggle room for any party to relent in their expectations, and all understandably feel justified in their positions.  It is very frustrating to consider, and could cause me to despair even, were I not certain that where man can find no hope, God makes a way.  Where my hope ends, God's begins, and I do trust him still.  He loves us, and will help us fix what has been irrevocably broken, even something as hard as this.  This golden Menorah has been prepared by the Jews who hope to destroy the Muslim's holy site and rebuild their temple on its original foundations.  One very annoying thing at this spot... we were besieged by beggars wearing the garb of devout Hassidics, attempting to sell us string and cheap pens, claiming the proceeds are used to "fight terrorism".  Obviously they were just beggars preying upon ignorant pilgrims who might not be wordly wise enough to recognize, although I think one must be very naive to mistake them for anything else!  I found it especially distasteful, since there is a very real need to fight terrorism, but it is a serious matter, not something that should be used cravenly to defraud people of their spare change.  I have always thought people who take advantage of others in the name of religion will be held more harshly accountable at the final judgement, when everybody's actions can be seen clearly for what they were.  It is bad enough to take advantage of others, but to do so in the name of God is much worse, seeming to mock the whole concepts of justice and righteousness.

Excavation on the original walls and homes adjacent.  The foundations of Solomon's original city walls are being uncovered even now - very exciting

Golden Gate, also known as the Gate of Mercy by the Jews, which has been sealed for a long time, by Suleiman.  Jews believe the Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate though.  There is a Muslim cemetery placed immediately before it, also the subject of controversy as one might imagine!

Kidron Valley.  Leftmost, just to the left of a large tree, the parabolic inverted cone roof is the Pillar of Absalom, King David's treasonous and tragic son, who would have been king had he not died in rushing to murder his own father.  David wept bitterly for him.  Solomon became king instead, the greatest king in all of Israel's ancient history, and one of the wisest men who ever lived.  The tomb of Zechariah and the daughter of a Pharoah who was one of Solomon's many wives, also here, along with the disciple James, sometimes known as the apostle to the Jews, and he who reminds us that while salvation is by faith alone, that faith without works is dead, and who also exhorts us that any who want wisdom should ask God, who will grant it generously without finding fault.  Also here are much older tombs from Caananite period and others.