Jerusalem Archives - Page 65 of 195

Survey Results: Favorite Site in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is a place deeply meaningful to so many people. It is not only full of history, but it is also full of the future. I really enjoyed reading through your responses on this survey, for we all feel passionately about this city!

The site chosen by more than any other was Hezekiah’s Tunnel. When you add the second most common response, the City of David, it’s obvious that the most ancient part of Jerusalem is a clear favorite. It wasn’t that many years ago that few people visited the City of David or walked through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. That has changed with recent development, and now you need to get reservations weeks or months in advance and pay more than 5 shekels for entrance!

Here’s why a few of you chose Hezekiah’s Tunnel as your favorite:

Fascinating history, quiet, away from crowds”
I love the feeling of re-living biblical history. I love teaching on the water systems of Jerusalem and seeing the joy of discovery on friends’ and study tour participants’ faces!”
(1) It’s just as it was (not just ruins). (2) It’s mentioned very specifically in the Bible, and was important. (3) Its discovery bolstered confidence in the Biblical record. (4) It’s good fun walking through it. (5) Not many people do walk it, so you feel you’re getting a special treat!”

The City of David provoked several interesting responses, including these:

In spite its small size (10 acres), the City of David contains an incredible amount of tangible evidence demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible.
It is so important, so controversial, and still so difficult to figure out. I keep going back only to be more confused and intrigued. Who can help me?

Another favorite is just up the hill: the excavations on the south side of the Temple Mount.

Story of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Simeon in Luke 2
Robinson’s arch, Herodian street and sewer tunnel, old shops, Roman destruction, mikvahs, are ancient history. But you can also see the new Jewish quarter with its synagogues and Torah schools and the Muslim minarets on the Haram that remind you of the mix of societies living here today. . . . So much history meeting today all in one spot.

The Garden Tomb and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher received an equal number of votes. I’m not sure if I know those who voted for the Garden Tomb, but all (three) who chose the Holy Sepulcher are biblical scholars. Why the Holy Sepulcher?

My fascination with the burial of Jesus, among other things!
As close as it is possible to get to the place where Jesus died and rose.

One person who chose the Garden Tomb wrote:

That’s where I realized that He is not there but He has risen!

The Western Wall received three votes. Why?

It’s close to the Holy of Holies, had great prayerful experiences there with friends, and loved watching the feast of tabernacles and witnessing Jewish culture. It’s beautiful at night!

Bringing in the Shabbat with singing and dancing.

Several people chose locations for their views of the city, but they didn’t choose the same location:

Mount of Olives: From the Mount of Olives you can look down at the Temple Mount and so much biblical history took place right there from the Old Testament to the New Testament and to think of what will happen in the future there at that site!

Ramparts Walk: It affords the best views of the city, a good overview of the surrounding topography and you can see the dovetailing of Jordanian defense walls with those from 1492. You also have a good view of the recent excavations on Mt. Zion as well as interesting portions of the Arab quarter.

Herod’s Tower: The timeless, expansive view of most of the Old City, Temple Mount, Mount of Olive’s, Holy Sepulchre, St. John of Hospitallers. Perhaps the best view of the City.

A number of you picked the Pools of Bethesda/St. Anne’s Church, the Mount of Olives (including Gethsemane), the Israel Museum (including the model of Jerusalem and the Shrine of the Book), and Yad VaShem.

Let me wrap it up with a couple of the more unusual choices.

Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary: Awesome stairs going DOWN inside the entrance with a mixed ecclesiological history. Great architecture!

Atop the Russian Ascension Bell Tower, Mount of Olives: Of course, this is a place I have yet to get to, but based on images I have seen taken from this vantage point, the view of the Old (and New) City westward, and the views eastward across the wilderness, with a excellent camera to capture the view, would be my FAVORITE site in Jerusalem. Perhaps one day!

Interestingly enough, no one picked my favorite place in Jerusalem: the Temple Mount. It can be difficult to get up there, but I make every effort with every group I lead because:

There are so many awesome Bible stories to talk about here, including God’s choice of the spot, Solomon’s dedication of the temple, Jesus’s visits, the apostles in Solomon’s colonnade, and Paul’s arrest.
It’s a good place to talk about Islam, including its (occasional) interest in Jerusalem.
You just cannot grasp how large the Temple Mount is until you’re there.
God is not done here. There is no place on the planet more central to the fulfillment of God’s purposes.

Thank you for participating! We’ll do another survey in a week or two.

Tagged Jerusalem, Survey, Temple Mount

Reader Survey: Favorite Site in Jerusalem

We had some fun last summer with a series of reader surveys, and we thought we would do some more as we await word of the discovery of ancient archives in the excavations of Hazor, Abel Beth Maacah, and Gath.

To kick this series off this year, we’re asking you to choose your favorite site in Jerusalem. There are many options, and this provides you with an opportunity to think through your highlights and select one for the top of your list. Then, if you like, you can tell us why.

You might start by thinking through major sites in the Old City, including the Jewish Quarter, Christian Quarter, Western Wall, and Temple Mount. But don’t forget the City of David, Mount of Olives, or Garden Tomb.

Important sites from the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) include Hezekiah’s Tunnel, the Broad Wall, and the Ketef Hinnom tombs. Favorites from the New Testament include the Pools of Bethesda, Pool of Siloam, southern Temple Mount excavations, and the Holy Sepulcher.

There’s also the Tower of David Museum, Israel Museum, and Bible Lands Museum. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone put the JUC campus or Shaban’s shop.

The more that participate, the more interesting the results will be, so feel free to tell others to join in.

We’ll share the results, including some of the responses, later this week.

(Email readers may need to click through to fill in the survey.)

The survey has closed.

Tagged Jerusalem, Survey

Weekend Roundup

Jodi Magness keeps digging up cool mosaics in the Late Roman synagogue at Huqoq. (Unfortunately, they seem to have released only two photos.)

A manuscript with a medical recipe from Hippocrates has been discovered in restoration works of the library of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai.

The first week of excavations has concluded at Gath, and Aren Maeir has posted a daily summaries and photos from the week.

Chris McKinny has posted a summary of Week 1 at Tel Burna.

The first aquarium in Jerusalem will open later this month next to the Biblical Zoo.

A study of ancient sea walls has found that the Romans used a volcanic ash in construction because it was strengthened by its contact with sea water.

“Iraq’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has accelerated its efforts to finish by the end of 2018 the Virtual Museum of Iraq, which will create a comprehensive database of Iraqi archaeological heritage online.”

Hobby Lobby will pay a fine and return artifacts to settle a lawsuit brought by the US government.

The Federalist argues that the US government should allow Hobby Lobby to retain the artifacts because doing so will ensure their preservation and study.

John DeLancey has posted an 11-minute video showing a hike up Mount Arbel. He has several dozen teaching videos on his website here.

The Bible and Interpretation has posted a review article by Aren M. Wilson-Wright, “Hebrew or
Not?: Reviewing the Linguistic Claims of Douglas Petrovich’s The World’s Oldest Alphabet.”

Lawrence Schiffman writes about a recent conference of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars on the history and archaeology of the Temple Mount.

Wayne Stiles: “Have you noticed how often hymn writers use the Jordan River as a metaphor for transitions in the spiritual life? That may be because the Bible does the same.”

Ferrell Jenkins asks, “Did Philip baptize the Ethiopian at ’Ain ed-Dirweh?”

Scott Stripling is the guest this week on The Book and the Spade, discussing the first season of ABR excavations at Shiloh.

Tom Powers investigates celebrations of the 4th of July held by the American Colony in Jerusalem.

HT: Ted Weis, Charles Savelle, Agade, Joseph Lauer

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Jordan Rift, Judah, Museums, Samaria, Shephelah, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 2

In the final season of the Tel Gezer Project, archaeologists have found evidence of Merneptah’s fiery destruction of the city, including the skeletons of an adult and child. The capture of Gezer is mentioned in the famous Merneptah Stele, along with the slaughter of Israel.
Norma Franklin explains why the winery they discovered at Jezreel fits the time and place of Naboth’s vineyard.

The IAA has posted a 3-minute video on the “Siloam street” and drainage channel that is being excavated between the Pool of Siloam and the Temple Mount.

Gabriel Barkay is interviewed on the World Affairs Report (28 min, mp3).

Did Jeremiah bury his loin cloth at the Euphrates or at Ein Perat? Ferrell Jenkins provides photos of both and some evidence for the latter.

Carl Rasmussen shares photos and reflects on his time in Jerusalem during the Six Day War.

Photorientalist exhibits photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries, including a number of exhibitions that tell a story, such as “Palestine’s Nativity Trail.” They are accepting submissions.

One of your considerations in choosing a summer excavation to join is the field school. Year after year, the Tell es-Safi team has one of the best schedules of lectures and field trips.

The PEF’s refusal to accept papers which discuss Jewish excavations in Jerusalem ultimately led to its cancellation of the conference on “Anglo-German Exploration of the Holy Land 1865-1915.”

The Book and the Spade reposts a Dead Sea Scrolls Documentary, produced for the 50th anniversary of the discovery and including audio from Albright, Yadin, Trever, DeVaux, and others.

J. C. McKeown writes about famous doctors in the ancient world on the Oxford University Press blog.

Gary Rendsburg has recently posted his 1998 interview of Cyrus Gordon on YouTube.

A new program at Leiden University seeks “to show the great potential video games have for archaeology in terms of public outreach, heritage preservation, and education, but also for actual research.”

Eisenbrauns has a big sale going in July, with 60 titles at 60-80% off. Here are a few recommendations:

Jerusalem in Original Photographs 1850-1920, by Shimon Gibson; $49.95, on sale for $14.99
Assyrian and Babylonian Chronicles, by A. Kirk Grayson; $89.50, on sale for $17.90
Ancient Damascus, by Wayne T. Pitard; $45.00, on sale for $13.50

HT: Joseph Lauer, Agade, AWOL, John DeLancey

Tagged Jerusalem, Jezreel Valley, Judah, Philistines, Resources, Shephelah, Technology, Temple Mount, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup, Part 1

A lot happened while we were traveling in June, and I think it is going to take us four roundups to catch up. Today we begin with stories related to Israel.

Archaeologists have discovered a Crusader-era tunnel in Tiberias that apparently led from the fortress to the harbor.

Students excavating in Modiin discovered a collection of women’s jewelry from the Crusader period.

Excavations at the site of Huqoq in Galilee have discovered agricultural installations in use in either the Middle Bronze Age or the Roman-Byzantine period.

Weekly reports are available for ABR’s first season at Shiloh: Week 2 by Mark Hassler, Week 3 by

Andrew Kvasnica, and Week 4 by Gary Byers.

Scholars at Tel Aviv University have used multispectral imaging to reveal text on ancient “blank” potsherds from the First Temple period.

Emek Shaveh has petitioned Israel’s high court to halt excavations in the Western Wall tunnels.

An alert hiker reported suspicious activity which led to the capture of two antiquities thieves near the site of Sepphoris.

The new National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel remains unopened due to a lack of donations. This article in Apollo magazine reviews the controversy over moving archaeological material from east to west Jerusalem.

Haaretz reports on a new exhibit at the Israel Museum, “Faces of Power: Coins from the Victor Adda Collection.” These 75 gold coins depict Roman emperors and their wives and have never been publicly displayed before.

A nighttime audiovisual show at the City of David begins later this month.

The Israeli government has temporarily restricted civilians from visiting the Golan viewpoints overlooking Qunetra.

Appian Media has released a free (and downloadable), 10-minute video on Magdala.

Wayne Stiles notes the irony that “the Church of the Holy Sepulchre demonstrates the need for the place it hallows.”

There are several coming Israel tours of note. Wayne Stiles is taking a group October 26–November 6 and another March 16-27, 2018. Joel Kramer (SourceFlix) is leading a trip March 11-24.

This weekend, fans are reenacting the Battle of the Horns of Hattin in which the Muslims defeated the Crusaders in 1187.

HT: Joseph Lauer, Charles Savelle, Agade

Tagged Antiquities Trade, Discoveries, Excavations, Galilee, Jerusalem, Museums, New Exhibits, Samaria, Shephelah, Technology, Temple Mount, Tourism, Weekend Roundup

Gihon Spring Tower Built by King of Judah

The massive “Spring Tower” built over Jerusalem’s Gihon Spring was originally dated by archaeologists to the Middle Bronze Age. A new study, however, indicates that the fortifications were constructed in the 9th century BC, the time when Jerusalem was ruled by Jehoshaphat and Joash. The new dating is based on radiocarbon dating of material found in sediment underneath boulders at the tower’s base.

The previous discovery and dating to the 18th century BC radically changed our understanding of the development of the city, suggesting that Jerusalem was home to an advanced civilization about eight centuries before David’s conquest. This new re-dating will force the re-writing of the city’s history, not only in Canaanite times but in the Judahite period as well.

One can speculate what might have prompted such construction and which king it occurred under. I haven’t read the full study (available here for $35), but from other research I wouldn’t put too much weight on the date, as radiocarbon dates in the 9th century usually have quite a bit of flexibility. But if the tower dates earlier than the time of Hezekiah, one can only wonder why he considered the relatively recent fortification insufficient and the need to construct a water tunnel essential.

A summary of the research is posted at the website of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

HT: Joseph Lauer

The north wall of the Spring Tower during excavations in 2004

Tagged Jerusalem