Jerusalem, Jerusalem

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! Matthew 23:37

Jerusalem, the city where the three great religions that believe in one God meet, a city that holds the paradox of earthly division and a heavenly communion.

Today we started at the top of the Mount of Olives and journeyed down the mount, across the Kidron Valley and then up into the Old City of Jerusalem finishing again at the Holy Sepulchre Church.

View over the Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives... a cemeteries in the foreground and below the city wall. Behind the Dome of the Rock (the gold dome) are the domes of Holy Sepulchre Church.

First stop was the Chapel of the Ascension where it is held Jesus ascended into Heaven forty days after his resurrection and the slab of stone inside it is believed to contain one of his footprints.

Next we went to the Church of the Pater Noster (Our Father) (also known as the Sanctuary of the Eleona) which stands on the traditional site of Christ's teaching of the Lord's Prayer in Luke’s Gospel. It features the Lord’s Prayer in many languages of the world.

Further down the Mount of Olives was the Russian Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene. It was being decorated for Pentecost with green branches – a sign of new creation. There was also a baptism happening.

At the bottom of the Mount of Olives was the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. Some of the trees in area were there at the time of Jesus.

This is some of the bare rock from where Jesus had his agony in the garden. 

Then the haul up the Kidron Valley and into the city through the Lion Gate. We stopped at the Church of St Anne which remembers the mother of Mary. Also there were the Pools of Bethesda as appeared in John chapter 5 which Leona read to the group.

St Anne and the child Mary

Leona reading the account of the healing of the paralytic. You can see how deep the pools are... as Jerusalem kept being invaded over the centuries and rebuilt one layer was built over another.

Lunch was on the top of Ecce Homo, a biblical institute in Jerusalem that gave great views over the old city from within.

On the way to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre... a Jewish enclave in the midst of the Muslim quarter.Orthodox Jews buy properties and then demand the army protect them.

 Then it was on again to Holy Sepulchre – in 32 degree heat. This time we visited the place of the crucifixion and once again it was a mad crush of people.

The Holy Sepluchre... place of the crucifixion. Below the altar is the bare rock of Calvary

St Helena, mother of the first Christian emperor Constantine, and the cross. She came to Jerusalem looking for Christian artifacts and is supposed to have found the true cross.