Part 14 - The Mount of Olives

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem before his last Passover is recorded in Matthew 21 and Luke 19.  It was a fulfilment of a prophesy given to Zechariah in 9:9.  The liturgy for the Feast of Passover included the Hallel, what we call Psalms 113 - 118.   Psalms 118:26 says: "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."  These were the joyous words shouted by the people as Jesus entered the gates of Jerusalem, and later the entire Psalm was sung by the apostles at the conclusion of the Last Supper.

Matthew 21:1  "Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”  All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell the daughter of Zion ‘Behold, your King is coming to you! Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”  So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.  And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!”  And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

Jesus probably rode the colt through the Eastern Gate, the location of which is seen in the picture below.  If that is the case, the path would have switched back and forth due to the steepness of the terrain.  The original Eastern Gate was destroyed along with the rest of the city in 70 A.D, and in later years another was built above it.  This second gate, which is the one we see today, was bricked up by Sulieman the Great in AD 1541 to prevent a Jewish Messiah from entering.  Without being aware of it, he was fulfilling Ezekiel 44:1. "Then he brought me back the way of the gate of the outward sanctuary which looketh toward the east.  Then said the Lord unto me; This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut."

The Mount of Olives was where the High Priest, on the Day of Atonement, sacrificed for the sins of the people.  "There were five gates to the Temple Mount .................. the Eastern Gate on which was portrayed the Palace of Shushan.  Through this the High Priest that burned the [Red] Heifer, and the heifer, and all that aided him went forth to the Mount of Olives. ..........  All the walls which were there were high, except the wall in the east, so that the priest who burned the heifer, standing on the top of the Mount of Olives, and directing himself to look, saw through the gateway of the sanctuary, at the time when he sprinkled the blood. (Mishnah, Middot 1.3)

From atop the Mount of Olives, the High Priest looked across the Kidron Valley into the Sanctuary when he sprinkled the blood

Luke 21:37  "And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives."  Jesus left the city every night through the Eastern Gate, seen in the top tower, wound his way down the Kidron Valley, and slept on the Mount of Olives.

This picture was taken from the Temple Mount, and it views toward the Mount of Olives.  The low eastern wall is visible in the background.

Matthew 26:30 - "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:‘I will strike the Shepherd,And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’  But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”  Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.”  Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”  Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You! And so said all the disciples.  Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.  Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”  He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

Gethsamene and the Mount of Olives, as seen from below the Temple Mount and looking across Kidron

The Mount of Olives is the place where the Lord will appear the second time.  Zechariah 14:1. "Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.  For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity; and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.  Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south."

Part 13 - The Temple Mount

In New Testament days, the 35 acres of the Temple Mount was divided into several walled courtyards, each slightly higher than the previous one.  The Court of the Gentles was the lowest, surrounding the Temple on three sides.  There were signs posted along a 5' high wall ("soreg") stating that anyone going beyond it would be in danger of their life.  (They falsely accused Paul of allowing Gentiles to cross the soreg and profane the Temple.  And in Ephesians 2:14, he writes of the "wall of partition" that separates Jew and Gentile)  The Court of the Women was on the east side of the Temple, so named because women could proceed no further.  This 200' by 200' popular gathering spot was where many events recorded in the Gospels took place.  Directly west, and accessed by a curved stairway of 15 steps, was the Court of the Israelites.  Only men were allowed into this long, 18' wide corridor, from which one could see the sacrifices made on the Alter.  The equally narrow Court of the Priests was another 4' higher.  Finally, there was the Temple itself, a peculiar tall and narrow structure.

Now, fast forward 2,000 years.  In 1948, when Jordan took control of Jerusalem and the West Bank, Jews were denied access to their holiest sites.  Israel then won a stunning victory in the 1967 war, and immediately the chief rabbi imposed a blanket ban on Jews entering the sacred precinct, one which continues to this day.  Why would he do this?  Because only priests were allowed in certain parts of the Temple, and in the absence of precise data, they wanted to prevent Jews from inadvertently stepping on forbidden ground.  The Israeli government gave the administration of the Mount to a Muslim council because the Al-Aqsa Mosque is an active place of worship.  

The only entrance for non-Muslims today is by a shabby wooden ramp next to the Western Wall.  Before we went up, a guide told us that if we were caught trying to sneak in a Bible, or if they saw our lips moving like we were praying, we would be ushered off.  I saw kids playing soccer, and several walls were covered with graffiti, but no one seemed to care about that.

This shows the southern end of the Temple Mount, with the Mount of Olives at the rear.  The Huldah (or double) Gate from this side was the main access to the Mount.

This shows the eastern wall, which faces the Mount of Olives, and the Kidron valley is in the foreground.

There are two primary sources of information on the Herodian Temple. The most contemporary is Josephus, an eye-witness, who wrote about 20 years after the destruction of the city.  The second source is the Mishnah, the recollections of prominent rabbis set down in the third century.  Josephus is the more interesting of the two.

Josephus, Wars of the Jews 5.5.2.   "............ When you go through these [first] cloisters, unto the second [court of the] temple, there was a partition made of stone all round, whose height was three cubits: its construction was very elegant; upon it stood pillars, at equal distances from one another, declaring the law of purity, some in Greek, and some in Roman letters, that "no foreigner should go within that sanctuary" for that second [court of the] temple was called "the Sanctuary," and was ascended to by fourteen steps from the first court. This court was four-square, and had a wall about it peculiar to itself; the height of its buildings, although it were on the outside forty cubits, was hidden by the steps, and on the inside that height was but twenty-five cubits; for it being built over against a higher part of the hill with steps, it was no further to be entirely discerned within, being covered by the hill itself. Beyond these thirteen steps there was the distance of ten cubits; this was all plain; whence there were other steps, each of five cubits a-piece, that led to the gates, which gates on the north and south sides were eight, on each of those sides four, and of necessity two on the east. For since there was a partition built for the women on that side, as the proper place wherein they were to worship, there was a necessity for a second gate for them: this gate was cut out of its wall, over against the first gate. There was also on the other sides one southern and one northern gate, through which was a passage into the court of the women; for as to the other gates, the women were not allowed to pass through them; nor when they went through their own gate could they go beyond their own wall. This place was allotted to the women of our own country, and of other countries, provided they were of the same nation, and that equally. The western part of this court had no gate at all, but the wall was built entire on that side. But then the cloisters which were betwixt the gates extended from the wall inward, before the chambers; for they were supported by very fine and large pillars. These cloisters were single, and, excepting their magnitude, were no way inferior to those of the lower court.

3. Now nine of these gates were on every side covered over with gold and silver, as were the jambs of their doors and their lintels; but there was one gate that was without the [inward court of the] holy house, which was of Corinthian brass, and greatly excelled those that were only covered over with silver and gold. Each gate had two doors, whose height was severally thirty cubits, and their breadth fifteen. However, they had large spaces within of thirty cubits, and had on each side rooms, and those, both in breadth and in length, built like towers, and their height was above forty cubits. Two pillars did also support these rooms, and were in circumference twelve cubits. Now the magnitudes of the other gates were equal one to another; but that over the Corinthian gate, which opened on the east over against the gate of the holy house itself, was much larger; for its height was fifty cubits; and its doors were forty cubits; and it was adorned after a most costly manner, as having much richer and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them than the other. These nine gates had that silver and gold poured upon them by Alexander, the father of Tiberius. Now there were fifteen steps, which led away from the wall of the court of the women to this greater gate; whereas those that led thither from the other gates were five steps shorter.

4. As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst [of the inmost court], that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and its breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits, though it was behind forty cubits narrower; for on its front it had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that passed twenty cubits further. Its first gate was seventy cubits high, and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors; for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over, and through it the first part of the house, that was more inward, did all of it appear; which, as it was very large, so did all the parts about the more inward gate appear to shine to those that saw them; but then, as the entire house was divided into two parts within, it was only the first part of it that was open to our view. Its height extended all along to ninety cubits in height, and its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty. But that gate which was at this end of the first part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over covered with gold, as was its whole wall about it; it had also golden vines above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man's height. But then this house, as it was divided into two parts, the inner part was lower than the appearance of the outer, and had golden doors of fifty-five cubits altitude, and sixteen in breadth; but before these doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet, and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colors the foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing living creatures.

5. When any persons entered into the temple, its floor received them. This part of the temple therefore was in height sixty cubits, and its length the same; whereas its breadth was but twenty cubits: but still that sixty cubits in length was divided again, and the first part of it was cut off at forty cubits, and had in it three things that were very wonderful and famous among all mankind, the candlestick, the table [of shew-bread], and the altar of incense. Now the seven lamps signified the seven planets; for so many there were springing out of the candlestick. Now the twelve loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the zodiac and the year; but the altar of incense, by its thirteen kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea replenished it, signified that God is the possessor of all things that are both in the uninhabitable and habitable parts of the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use. But the inmost part of the temple of all was of twenty cubits. This was also separated from the outer part by a veil. In this there was nothing at all. It was inaccessible and inviolable, and not to be seen by any; and was called the Holy of Holies. Now, about the sides of the lower part of the temple, there were little houses, with passages out of one into another; there were a great many of them, and they were of three stories high; there were also entrances on each side into them from the gate of the temple. But the superior part of the temple had no such little houses any further, because the temple was there narrower, and forty cubits higher, and of a smaller body than the lower parts of it. Thus we collect that the whole height, including the sixty cubits from the floor, amounted to a hundred cubits.

6. Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men's minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor, and made those who forced themselves to look upon it to turn their eyes away, just as they would have done at the sun's own rays. But this temple appeared to strangers, when they were coming to it at a distance, like a mountain covered with snow; for as to those parts of it that were not gilt, they were exceeding white. On its top it had spikes with sharp points, to prevent any pollution of it by birds sitting upon it. Of its stones, some of them were forty-five cubits in length, five in height, and six in breadth. Before this temple stood the altar, fifteen cubits high, and equal both in length and breadth; each of which dimensions was fifty cubits. The figure it was built in was a square, and it had corners like horns; and the passage up to it was by an insensible acclivity. It was formed without any iron tool, nor did any such iron tool so much as touch it at any time. There was also a wall of partition, about a cubit in height, made of fine stones, and so as to be grateful to the sight; this encompassed the holy house and the altar, and kept the people that were on the outside off from the priests. Moreover, those that had the gonorrhea and the leprosy were excluded out of the city entirely; women also, when their courses were upon them, were shut out of the temple; nor when they were free from that impurity, were they allowed to go beyond the limit before-mentioned; men also, that were not thoroughly pure, were prohibited to come into the inner [court of the] temple; nay, the priests themselves that were not pure were prohibited to come into it also."

The Dome of the Rock covers the physical site of the ancient temple

I was standing 200' or 300' from the former Holy of Holies

Jesus overthrew the moneychangers twice near here.  The first time was at the beginning of his ministry (John 2), and he found it necessary again the last week of his life.

Part 12 - The Pool of Bethesda

In Old Testament times, the Pool of Bethesda was referred to as the "upper pool," and it was located just north of the city of Jerusalem.  In Jesus' day this spring was still outside the walls, but it lie adjacent to the Roman fortress known as the Antonia Tower, probably the place where Jesus was interrogated and sentenced by Pilate.  It is also the first station on the Via Dolorosa, the way of the cross. Today, the old Antonia Tower is now a Muslim theological school.  

There was an Asclepius healing center at the pool, and those who were sick and infirmed would gather there looking for a cure.  Asclepius was a Greek cult of healing and his rod, intertwined with a snake, is still the symbol of medicine today.  One Sabbath day, Jesus showed up at the pool and healed a man who had been infirmed for 38 years.  We do not know how long he had lain by the pool, waiting for a miracle, but we do know he had been disappointed.  The man was Jewish, as we learn later in the story, but he had been looking for answers outside the walls.  Jesus demonstrated the power of the God of Israel by speaking the word of healing.

2 Kings 18:14   "And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear............   And the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rabsaris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to king Hezekiah with a great host against Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem.  And when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the highway of the fuller's field."

John 5:1  "Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.  In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.  And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.  When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.  Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.  And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath..........  Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.  The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.  And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.  But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."

The pool of Jesus' day lie at the bottom of the ruins.  A church was later built over the pool, and it was the source of the columns and arches seen in the picture

Ruins of the Asclepius at the other end of the site

Part 11 - Jericho, the City of Joshua

March 25 -  Jericho, the city of Palms, is the lowest inhabited place on planet earth. It lies 1300' below sea level.  Jerusalem, about 15 miles to the west, is situated in a range of mountains like the Coastal Range in Oregon.  It's situated at about 2600' in elevation.  It's a steady uphill climb, especially if one were on foot like most of the Israelites going to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage feasts.  There are tens of thousands of palm trees in this hot and dry place, neatly planted in orchards.

Joshua 6:15  "But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only they marched around the city seven times.  And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!  ..........  And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.  And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword."

We are standing on the mounds of the old city of Jericho

This picture shows the ancient walls of Jericho.  There is, interestingly enough, a visible burn mark in the wall sequence which tallies with the account in Joshua.

2 Kings 21:19  "Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.”  And he said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.  Then he went out to the source of the water, and cast in the salt there, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘I have healed this water; from it there shall be no more death or barrenness.’”  So the water remains healed to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke."

Elisha's spring, which has been tarted up considerably for the tourists

Luke 18:35   "Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” .........  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight.”  Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God."

Luke 19:1. "And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.  And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.  And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.  And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.........  And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham."

The tree in the center is billed as the Sycamore of Jericho

We took the cable car up to the "Mount of Temptation."  The monastery of St. George was built up on these cliffs.  We saw two priests, so it must be an active monastery.  It offers a fantastic view across Jericho to the east into Jordan.  

The monastery looks like a thin light line in the upper left

The monastery is built hard up against the sheer cliff.

This is the traditional location on the Jordan where Jesus was baptized.  

The Jordan really isn't much of a river by our standards

Part 10 - Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea

March 24  - The Dead Sea is 42 miles long and 11 miles wide at its widest point.  It lies almost 1400' below sea level, making it the lowest place on planet earth and still be on dry land.  But it's the salt that makes it unique.  It's eight times saltier than the oceans.  This makes it inhospitable to any form of life, including fish.  But it also makes it incredibly fun to swim, er, float, in.  You feel like a cork that wants to bob to the surface.  I put my legs straight down, and the water was only breast height.

1 Samuel 23:24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.  When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon.  Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them.  But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!”  Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape.  Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at Ein Gedi.

One of the many waterfalls

A series of waterfalls leads up to David's waterfall.  

This picture looks down the wadi toward the Dead Sea

The first waterfall you come to on the trail

The Waterfall of David, the most spectacular

Part 9 - Masada

March 24 - The scene of the last battle of the Jewish Revolt was the hilltop fortress of Masada.  It had been built and provisioned by Herod the Great, who was paranoid about being overthrown by his Jewish subjects.  The place itself reminds me of the table rocks north of Medford, where I grew up.  The rock rises 1300' above the surrounding desert, with a commanding view of the Dead Sea to the east.  The top contains about 35 acres.  

The Romans encircled Masada with 8,000 soldiers in eight camps.  The camps are still visible from the top.  They are seen as large squares of stone walls.  

This shows Masada as one is driving up from the Dead Sea.  The ancient "snake walk" is still visible, a set of zig-zag lines on the left half of the mountain fortress.

This picture looks down from the eastern side toward the Dead Sea.  The "Snake Trail" is visible in the foreground, as are two cable cars, and the square in the middle behind the cable cars was one of the Roman camps.

The only contemporary account of the battle is Josephus' Wars of the Jews.  It is worth quoting at some length.

"Since therefore the Roman commander, Silva, had now built a wall on the outside, round about this whole place, as we have said already; and had thereby made a most accurate provision to prevent any one of the besieged’s running away; he undertook the siege itself: though he found but one single place that would admit of the banks he was to raise. For behind that tower which secured the road that led to the palace, and to the top of the hill, from the west, there was a certain eminency of the rock; very broad, and very prominent: but three hundred cubits beneath the highest part of Masada. It was called the white promitory..........."

"Accordingly he got upon that part of the rock, and ordered the army to bring earth. And when they fell to that work with alacrity, and abundance of them together, the bank was raised, and became solid, for two hundred cubits in height. Yet was not this bank thought sufficiently high for the use of the engines that were to be set upon it: but still another elevated work, of great stones, compacted together was raised upon that bank. This was fifty cubits both in breadth and height. The other machines that were now got ready, were like to those that had been first devised by Vespasian, and afterwards by Titus for sieges. There was also a tower made, of the height of sixty cubits; and all over plated with iron. Out of which the Romans threw darts, and stones from the engines; and soon made those that fought from the walls of the place to retire; and would not let them lift up their heads above the works.................."

This picture shows the white promitory and the Roman embankment

This was taken from the point where they breached the wall and looks down the top of the embankment toward the west

"This was Eleazar’s speech to them........  “But certainly, our hands are still at liberty, and have a sword in them, let them then be subservient to us in our glorious design. Let us die before we become slaves under our enemies: and let us go out of the world, together with our children, and our wives, in a state of freedom. This it is that our laws command us to do......................."

"They then chose ten men by lot, out of them; to slay all the rest. Every one of whom laid himself down by his wife, and children, on the ground, and threw his arms about them, and they offered their necks to the stroke of those who by lot executed that melancholy office. And when these ten had, without fear, slain them all, they made the same rule for casting lots for themselves; that he whose lot it was should first kill the other nine; and after all should kill himself. Accordingly all these had courage sufficient to be no way behind one another in doing or suffering. So, for a conclusion, the nine offered their necks to the executioner; and he who was the last of all took a view of all the other bodies; lest perchance some or other among so many that were slain should want his assistance to be quite dispatched: and when he perceived that they were all slain, he set fire to the palace, and with the great force of his hand ran his sword entirely through himself, and fell down dead near to his own relations. So these people died with this intention, that they would not leave so much as one soul among them all alive to be subject to the Romans................"

"Yet was there an ancient woman, and another who was of kin to Eleazar, and superior to most women in prudence and learning, with five children: who had concealed themselves in caverns under ground; and had carried water thither for their drink; and were hidden there when the rest were intent upon the slaughter of one another. Those others were nine hundred and sixty in number: the women, and children being withal included in that computation. This calamitous slaughter was made on the fifteenth day of the month Xanthicus [Nisan] [A.D. 73]."

"Now for the Romans, they expected that they should be fought in the morning: when accordingly they put on their armour, and laid bridges of planks upon their ladders from their banks, to make an assault upon the fortress. Which they did. But saw nobody as an enemy, but a terrible solitude on every side, with a fire within the place, as well as a perfect silence. So they were at a loss to guess at what had happened. At length they made a shout, as if it had been at a blow given by the battering ram, to try whether they could bring any one out that was within. The women heard this noise, and came out of their under ground cavern; and informed the Romans what had been done, as it was done: and the second of them clearly described all both what was said, and what was done; and the manner of it."

This picture views north across the northern end of the fortress

The walk down to the middle and lower sections of the palace

This picture shows the lowest part of the northern palace, with the Dead Sea in the background

Part 8 - Beersheba

March 22 - Beersheva is the largest city in the Negev Desert.  It is a new and modern city of about 200,000 inhabitants.  Beersheba is, you might say, the last well before entering the harsh Negev.  The ruins of the walled city lie about five miles east of the tall buildings that make up the modern metropolis.  After touring the ruins, we spent the night at Arad, mentioned in Joshua 1:16.

Genesis 21:22 -  "And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:  Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.  And Abraham said, I will swear.  And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.  And Abimelec said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.  And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.  And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.  And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?  And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.  Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.  Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba; then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines."

The reconstructed Well of the Oath just outside the city walls of Beersheva

Looking across the walled city of Beersheva from west to east.

This shows the gate of the old city, with the stones of the ancient road

The storehouses of the old city

These steps lead down to a series of large underground cisterns.

Part 7 - David and Goliath

March 22 - Today we drove from Haifa, along the northern coastline, down through the Judean foothills.  This is where the topography transitions from the level coastal plain where the Philistines dwelled to the more mountainous region where the Hebrew tribes lived.  This was the border region where the two kingdoms clashed.  We wanted to see where the philistine giant Goliath battled the Israeli stripling named David. 

Our first granddaughter is named Ayla.  We heard back when she was born that the Hebrew word "Elah," pronounced the same, meant Oak tree.  So Ayla Oakes was Oak Oakes.  Well, it turns out that David fought Goliath in the Valley of Elah.  So we were kind of interested to see the site, and it lie on our route down to Beersheva.  We have, since then, learned that the Elah tree of the Bible was probably a wild pistachio, which spoils a good story.

1 Samuel 17:1   "Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.  And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them."

The Israelites encamped on the left and the Philistines on the right.  The stream looks like a yellow line and passes under the road right where it straitens on the right.

This picture was taken from the hilltop town of Azekah, which is mentioned in the text.

"Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.  So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.  And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking...............   So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.  Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head."

This is the small stream that flowed between the two armies.