Herod's temple from the time of Jesus Christ

 This is an artist rendition of what Jerusalem looked like in the second temple period.  In the foreground you can see Herod's palace and fortress with the tall tower.  This is where the David citadel is today, although it has been torn down and rebuilt at least 2 maybe three times.  This particular tower stood for well over 500 years.  It was the home of the Roman 10th legion after the fall of Jerusalem in 67a.d.  Just past Herod's palace are the palaces of the Pharisee, Sadducees and Sanhedrin.  The wall that appears to divide the city was their "private" entrance into the Temple complex.  On the temple mount we see the back of the temple.  It faced east.

 This beautiful 3D model shows what the temple looked like.  The archway going into the temple complex is wide enough for four cars to drive on simultaneously!  The archway collapsed the street below when the Romans pulled out the keystones.
Underneath of these stairs was a complex of baths called Mikvah's.  They were for ritual cleansing before entering the temple complex itself.

 Here we see a side view looking on the south side of the temple complex.  Behind the temple we see the Judean Hills. The Mt. of Olives is hidden behind the buildings.  David's City is to the right out of sight.  We are looking east. This is the side that Mary and Joseph probably entered through the Hulda gates, when they presented the infant Christ in the temple. Bethlehem is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem.

 Once again a view looking north.  The temple block is about 1 square mile on the top.  It is huge! The main road of Jerusalem ran on this side of the temple in a north/south direction.  The small set of stairs goes over the tops of shops that ran the whole length of the street.

On this one you can see the temple off the the left of the picture

David's City - Models from David Citadel Museum

 On Monday we went to the David Citadel Museum.  I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the new exhibits.  This one shows what Jerusalem looked like in the days of King David.  It was quite small.  Probably no wider than 8 city blocks wide and no more than a mile long.  The foundations of David's castle which is situated at the top of the complex have been uncovered and after March we will go see it, as part of the same tour to walk through Zedikiah's tunnel.  

 Here is a slightly different view.  In the lower left hand corner you can see Gihon Spring.  It was the main water source for the City of David.  If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see in line with the city a hill top prominence just north of the city, with a white rock sticking up.  That is the top of Mt. Moriah, where Abraham offered up Isaac and where the temple of Solomon was later built. and that same rock is now in the middle of the Dome of the Rock.

 This is what the view might have looked like from the top of the walls when Babylon attacked and destroyed Jerusalem in 600 b.c.

and here is another view looking east towards the Mt. of Olives and Jordan.

Dominus Flevit - Where Jesus wept over Jerusalem

On our way up the hill to the Franciscan Abbey called Dominus Flevit.  Look at the incredible view of Jerusalem!  Amazing place.  

About even with the French gardens but on the other side of the mountain is a Franciscan Abbey where they think Jesus might have wept over Jerusalem.  It is an excellent view.  On the right is the Golden Gates, with a huge Muslim cemetery in front, to keep him out.

An incredible view with the Russian Orthodox church in the foreground and the walls looking a little more north.

People have written all over this Aloe Vera plant.

The French Gardens on the Mt of Olives - 29 Jan 2012

 We found a beautiful olive garden near the top of the Mt. of Olives on Monday.  We really like this photo of the 3 Jared's.
We have had a lot of rain.  It seems like it rains almost every other day.  The pond in the walkway makes a very nice photo.
The garden is owned by the French as a gift to Pope John IV.  It was rather secluded and only one other small family was there, so we had the place to ourselves for a half an hour.

 I can picture Jesus liking this garden.  It was very peaceful and undisturbed.... hard to find amid the bustle and tourist traps of Jerusalem.  It was a hard and steep walk to get here, but well worth the trip.  We were amazed that Jesus and his disciples walked up and down this hill so many times back and forth between Jerusalem and Bethany.  It is STEEP!

 Here are some Israeli mounted police.  Some places are much easier to get to by horse, donkey or camel

One more view of the gardens.

Consider the Lillies of the Field

 How many of you knew that the lily of the field that Jesus mentions is red, not white?  Most of our lilies are white.  The lily of the field is closer to a poppy than a lily.  It is short... only about 6 inches tall.  It carpets the fields all throughout the Holy Lands of Israel and Jordan in the spring.  I haven't been able to verify this but Asniv (a friend from Jordan) told me that they can not move the bulbs, or they die.  They can't be planted and only propagate in the wild.  The fields are entrancing when they are carpeted in the spring with these little red flower.  They grow indiscriminately along with yellow mustard and some little pink and lavender flowers.

Consider the lilies of the field... how they grow...

They toil not neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory, was not arrayed like unto one of these.

The Cedars of Lebanon

I thought you might be interested to see what a Cedar of Lebanon looks like.  It is somewhat different from the cedars we have in the USA.  #1.  They are a very straight, tall tree and do not smell as strong. I like the way the branches seem to curve before turning up.  It is a very beautiful tree.  I think they get much taller than the varieties we are used to.  Anciently they were used for ship masts.  #2. during the reigns of King David and King Solomon, the cedar was used to ornament the temple, as well as their palaces.  There are also a number of prophecies in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekial, that compare and antichrist a cedar of Lebanon.  Interesting.....

A Walk through the Peace Forest in Jerusalem 27 Jan 2012

 Just a block from our apartment is the Jerusalem Peace Forest.  It is probably 3-4 miles wide and 1/4 - 1 mile deep in places.  It is a beautiful park with gorgeous view of Jerusalem

  The boys had lots of fun doing silly stuff.  Here is Jared trying to look like he has been impaled on this Olive tree.  It was so windy, he had to wear his hood over his hat to keep it on his head.

                                                                Aren't they handsome?

This was from a series of Waldork photo's Jeremy took.

This one too...