George and Laura: Trip to Holy Land - Day Twelve

Today was Friday, May 16, 2014. We would be walking most of the day and were instructed that we must stick close together. It would be very easy to lose someone and very difficult to find that person!

We entered the Old City at the Lion Gate. The walls were built during the Ottoman period by Sulliman the Magnificent. He had a dream that he was attacked by lions, so he built the walls with lions on them.

We first went to St. Anne's Cathedral. It is said to be the home of the mother of Mary and the traditional site of Mary's birthplace. It was a beautiful, peaceful place. It is built over a cave – where they found graffiti that they think identifies the place as the home of Anne and Joachim (Mary’s parents).

It is the best preserved Crusader church. The Muslims controlled the church for a long time then finally turned it over to the white-frocked Franciscans.

The grounds outside were absolutely gorgeous!

Tarek told us this was the "Singing Church" because all the groups that go inside sing there. After a wonderful Asian group sang a beautiful song with four part harmony, our group got up and sang "The Spirit of God." I can assure you we didn't sound like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir! But we sang with our hearts and the Asian group clapped for us. They were being very kind!

Pool of Bethesda – at the bottom of the ruins outside the church is the famous Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed (on the Sabbath) the man who had been an invalid for 38 years, and because he was bedridden, he could not make his own way into the pool which was believed to have healing powers. (John 5:1-18) The Jews sought to slay Jesus because he had done this on the Sabbath Day.

During the Byzantine and Crusader periods, churches had been built over the pools. Now there are only ruins.

Originally there were 5 porches surrounding the pool.

It was also referred to as “the pool of shame” because of the people who gathered there to be healed.

We then started our way down the Via Dolorosa or “The Way of the Cross.”

The Via Dolorosa is 14 stations of the cross to commemorate the journey of Christ from his trial to his death. We walked along and Tareq pointed out each station.

Two benefactors from America paid to have this wall with pictures of each of the 14 stations put up--then markers were installed along the street to help you understand the traditional locations for what happened at each point along the path Jesus followed carrying the cross.

Stations of the Cross

1. Jesus is condemned to death by Pilate in the Antonia Fortress

When we were at the Jewish Museum, we saw what the Antonia Fortress would like today. It is at the upper right with what looks like four-lookout stations. In 35 BC, King Herod rebuilt a strong fortress to protect the Temple Mount to which it is connected on the right corner. It functioned as a headquarters for the Roman soldiers, a palace, and a barracks. Herod constructed a secret passage from the fortress to the Temple. It is believed that it was here at the Antonia Fortress where Pontius Pilate judged Jesus. In 70 A.D., Titus destroyed the Antonia Fortress.

2. Jesus carries his cross while wearing a crown of thorns and a robe--after being scourged.

According to tradition, this is the site Pilate presented Jesus who had been scourged, bound, and crowned with thorns to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion. (John 19 5): "Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!".

The Church of Flagellation as seen above is on the east side of the courtyard.

The Via Dolorosa procession takes place every Friday at 3pm, starting from Station 1, and is led by the Franciscans.

I don't know how to take this--making money off of something so severe that happened to Jesus. But looking at it reminded me of the cruelty and mocking spirit of those who made this in Christ's day and crowned him, "King of the Jews."

3. Jesus falls for the first time.
At this site is this small chapel built during the 15th century by the Armenian Catholic church. In 1947-48 it was renovated with the financial assistance of the Polish army.

4. Jesus meets his mother Mary (no one from home town is supposed to be there for crucifixions.)

An Armenian church is located behind the walls of this site. As per John 19:26: "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!"

5. Simon of Cyrene (Libya) helps Jesus carry the cross. (Simon was there for the Passover.)

A small Franciscan church is located at this station, dedicated to Simon the Cyrenian, who assisted Jesus with the cross. This is based on Luke 23:26: "And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus".
An old square stone, located on the right side of the structure, has a cavity which is said to be the imprint of Jesus' hand.

6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus (this woman is not in the Bible.)

7. Jesus falls the second time while exiting the city gate.

Behind the doors is a small chapel, with stairs leading to the second level (which is closed to the public). The Franciscans took possession of the chapel in 1875. The framed picture inside shows the scene of Jesus falling under the weight of the cross.

8. Jesus meets the crying women ("daughters") of Jerusalem and told them to cry for themselves not for him.

9. Jesus falls the third time.

A Coptic Orthodox Monastery is located very near to this place.

We were able to go inside the church.

The next four stations are supposedly inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was very crowded inside as six different churches are part of this site: Coptic (Egyptian, Ethiopian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic.) Constantine’s mother said this was the site so a church was built here during the Crusader Period.

Outside courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. A mosque is visible very nearby – slightly higher than the church (on purpose). Some housing is also visible.

We had to wait a short time in the courtyard until we could go inside because the building was already pretty packed!

Tareq told us that because 6 different faiths have this church together, there were disputes over who would hold the keys. By law, a man sits just outside the door. He is the keeper of the key during the day. At night the police keep the key. As part of the status quo ruling, generations ago two Muslim families were given the assignment to keep the key. This duty has been passed down from father to son for many generations and still they do this task today.

10. Jesus is stripped of his garments (entrance to Calvary)

Courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre -

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Notice the ladder on the second story. This “immoveable ladder” has been there since 1853 due to the status quo law. It cannot be removed unless all the church's together decide to do so.

11. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross (Roman Catholic side altar)

12. Jesus dies on the cross (main Greek Orthodox altar)

Jesus is crucified and dies on the cross, ending His agony.

The location of this station, 12, is a Greek Orthodox crucifixion altar which is inside the Church of Holy Sepulcher. A silver disk with a central hole, underneath the altar, marks the spot where the Cross stood, and pilgrims kneel and kiss the spot, as seen below.

Here you can see the people lined up to go underneath the altar to touch or kiss the spot which supposedly marks the spot where the Cross stood.

The silver icons of the Virgin Mary and St John are on Jesus' side.

13. Jesus is taken down from the cross and his body is prepared for burial (to the left of the main altar and marked by the statue of Mary)

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There is a large mosaic on the wall depicting the last three stations of the cross.

--> Annointing Stone – people were praying at the stone. Russian Orthodox take all their items from the Holy Land and place them on the stone and bless them. This is the traditional site for where the body of Christ was prepared for burial. Visitors kneel, pray and kiss the stone. Above the stone are lamps, each donated by one of the denominations.

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb.

The last station of the cross, #14, is the brown square “tomb of Jesus” where after a 2-hour wait you could go in to see the 2-chambers. The first chamber is called the chamber of tears and the second is where the body would be. The stone would be rolled in front of the inner room. The tomb is in a large rotunda area with beautiful roof and columns.

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The line was huge to be able to go in and see the tomb; therefore, our tour directors felt we didn't have enough time to do all the things we needed to do today and wait for probably close to two hours, so we went on.

I have to say that it isn't easy feeling calm and reverent in a place where so much is going on. It was interesting to see the places that many since the 4th Century regard as the points where Jesus was in his last hours. However, others regard the alternative Garden Tomb elsewhere in Jerusalem, as the true place of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. We would be visiting that the next day, and I will say, I felt so much more calm and peace there, that I felt it to be the true place for these events.

Interesting Places and Facts we Learned in the Old City Jerusalem.

Some of the Arab shops and homes had a photo of Mecca over the door. This is evidence of their “Hajj” – travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the holy month. The Hajj is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca and the largest gathering of Muslim people in the world every year. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, and a religious duty which must be carried out by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so at least once in his or her lifetime.

We saw doors leading to homes in the old city as is shown below. Many Israeli settlers are paying very high prices to buy the homes of Muslims in the Old City (but they need bodyguards to stay there).

So many more interesting places off the beaten path that you just wish you could see, too.

Women selling grape leaves right on the streets.

Bread items are sold right out in the open air.

The Old City is a world heritage site so no remodeling can be done. We saw an old sarcophagus with a water spout above it. This was a way of providing water for animals.

Arriving at The Western Wall. We finally got to go and touch the Western Wall. We were all looking forward to doing this. We had to go through security before entering this area.
Jews believe that the divine presence never leaves this wall. Jews believe there are over 600 orders from God (the same as the number of seeds in a pomegranate!)– but they only do 300 now because there is no temple.

Why ritual bowing while praying? They are imitating the bowing of the High Priest in the presence of God. In ancient times the High Priest (the only one who could enter) was tied with a rope and bells before entering the holy of holies – in case he died while in there. He could then be pulled out by the rope so no one would have to enter the sacred holy of holies. He would bow up and down so those outside would know he was still alive when they heard the bells tied around him ringing.

With the Pope coming the next week, they were really beefing up the security in the area.

There are “washing stations” around the plaza. These are fountains where people ritually wash their hands before praying at the wall.

The men and women worship separately. Many read out of prayer books or scriptures while at the wall. Most are orthodox Jews (evident by their clothing). This is the most sacred site in Judaism. When the Romans destroyed the second Temple in the year 70 CE and razed the city (and much of the country), one of the few things to remain was the Western Wall in Jerusalem. This is the closest thing they have to a temple.

There is a custom to write down your prayer on a scrap of paper, fold it up as tiny as possible, and slip it between the cracks in the wall. Every so often the Rabbis in charge of the Wall collect the prayers to make room for more, and bury them.

Men and women are divided at the wall. This is the men's side.

Men are required to have their heads covered.

It appeared that stands were available for those wanting something to hold their scriptures or prayer books.

This is the women's side. We spent about 20+ minutes and were able to go to the wall and leave a prayer if we so desired.

This is at the very end of the women's side of the WesternWall.

For thousands of years, people have come to pour out their hearts and their tears at this wall. This is why you’ll often hear it called the "Wailing Wall" in Jerusalem.

Women had the option of covering their heads or not.

It is considered a sign of disrespect to turn your back on the wall. This explains why you'll see people backing away from the wall (occasionally looking over their shoulder to avoid bumping into someone), until they are about half-way up the plaza.

After we had gone up to the wall, we had time to just observe all that was going on.

Watching the many different people coming to the Western Wall was very fascinating.

A kitchen for feeding the needy faces the Western Wall.

Again, we saw a bomb depository. In such a close quarter, if a bomb were found, there would be no way of getting it out of the city on time, so they have these depositories that have a tunnel deep in the earth, so the bomb would detonate far below the surface, thus cutting down on the impact. Such a sad way of life we have to live now worrying about evil people bombing areas where many people are.