The Hinnom Valley

 I thought a little tutorial on the 2 most famous valleys of Jerusalem might be helpful.  In the artists rendering at right, you see the City of David as it might have appeared during the reigns of Kings David and Solomon.  The temple would eventually have been built on the north or near the top of the rendering. King David's castle was was about where the little brown blob is, on the north end.  To the right of the city, you can see the foot of the Mt of Olives.  Mt Scopus is the next hill.  The deep valley between the city and the mountains is the Kidron Valley.  To the left of the city is another valley called the Hinnom Valley.  In the early years you can see that both valleys were farmed.  The Gihon Spring is near the tip of the city on the right or east side and provided water for farming and for the city.  The city was perhaps a mile to a mile and a half long, and less than a mile wide.   Eventually in Old Testament times, the Kidron Valley became a cemetery and the Hinnom Valley became "cinema row" and the "red light" district of Jerusalem.

 In this photo we are standing on the north end of David's city.  The white looking hill is the south end of the Mt. of Olives.  It looks white, because it is covered with Jewish graves.  That whole area is grave almost on grave.  The brown is the bottom of the Kidron Valley.  The path is in and by now it will be landscaped and planted with Rosemary, shrubs and trees.  On the left side of the photo, you can see the south/east corner of the temple/old city wall.

 This is the Hinnom Valley.  It is mostly used as a garden, now.  There is only a music conservatory and one large outdoor amphitheater set up on the north/west end, where the ruins of Suleman's pool are.   Here it was in ancient times that Jews sacrificed their children to Molech, by burning them alive, as described in Jeremiah 32:35.  Baal and Ashtoroth plays of violence and sex often preceded the immolation of children.  The valley was populated by prostitutes, actors and false gods in ancient times.  For this idolatry and the murder of children, the Lord first lead out some of the righteous, such as Lehi and then allowed Babylon to overthrow and carry the Jews off captive to Babylon.

     It was also through this valley that the soldiers compelled Christ to go to be judged before Caiaphas.
    Tradition also says that it was in this valley that Judas Iscariot hung himself after betraying the Lord and then trying to buy Christ back, unsuccessfully, by throwing back the 30 pieces of silver that had given him to to betray Jesus .
    As you can tell there is a depressing spirit that seems to linger in this valley.  

St Peter in Gallicantu - Where the Cock Crowed

     After his terrible ordeal in Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested, taken from Gethsemane on the east side of the city, down into the Kidron Valley and on into the Hinnom Valley on the south side of the city and was very likely brought up these steps to the Government buildings of the 2nd temple period... a distance of about a mile of treacherous ups and downs.

      It is, no doubt hard to judge distance from this small photo, but Jesus was compelled to climb up hundreds of feet of stairs up to the dungeons, judgement halls, other government buildings and Caiaphas' palace.

     He was surely flanked by Jewish or Roman soldiers assigned to carry out the orders of  the Sanhedrin of Jerusalem.  I can imagine a small group of his disciples huddled at the bottom of the stairs, keeping a good distance behind the soldiers, to avoid drawing attention to themselves... but also afraid to let the Savior out of their sight.

      They had to have felt it their duty to stick close to their Master, possibly defend Him, if opportunity arose.
     Here you can see some restoration work of what much have been imposing government buildings of Jesus' day.  Impressive sized foundation/ building stones are littered all over this area.
     I gained a little insight and sympathy for Peter, while I was here.  Government buildings, particularly of oppressive regimes, tend to be far more imposing than is needful, for the very purpose of inspiring awe and fear in their subjects.

 Here are more ruins and foundations, with their littering of stones.  I enjoyed trying to visualize what the buildings must have looked like.   Everything in Jerusalem is built on hills.  The compounding effect of what appears to be building on building, with porches, connecting walkways, must have been both beautiful and terrifying, depending on the situation.   I tried to imagine the apostles trying to "fit in".  They must have felt terribly out of place.

 This is looking down the hall into the dungeon area.  Rings and chains are hooked to the walls.  It is dark and musty.  I wish I had taken photo's of the faithful hearted who here were worshipping and singing.  I remembered that all through that night, whether in a garden, a dungeon, a courtroom or Caiaphas' judgement hall, that not only was Jesus calmly answering the rude, inconsiderate inquiries of his captors, looking past their snide, victorious, obscene comments of conquest and perceived victory; He was also continuing with the extreme pain of the atonement. Humbly submitting as face after face, appeared for repentance and healing.  

This is actually where you enter.  See the stones in the foreground, evidence of more buildings, palaces, etc.  The little church, with the gray roof, to the right covers the dungeons and partial floor of one of the judgement halls.   The pavilion, covers models of crusader era Jerusalem.  The city section beyond the Church is the Palestinian town of Silwan.

This vacant area is thought to have been the former site of Caiphus' palace.  Foundation stones cover the area, but you can not see them because the grass is too high.