Jerusalem

We pulled into Haifa, Israel this morning at 6 AM. At 7 AM seven buses pulled out of the port to take us to Jerusalem, a two hour drive, where we received a very interesting tour of the most important parts of our Christian heritage.

Miki, our guide, was a fount of historic and political information while he held us captive on the bus ride. He started with Moses in 1400 BC, then King David in 1000 BC. King Solomon built the first Temple on Mt. Moriah that was destroyed by Babylon in 580 BC. King Herod built the 2nd temple on Mt. Moriah in 40 BC and it was destroyed 30 years later. It wasn't until 325 AD that Constantine came and with his mother, Helena, built the last temple. Helena searched for and found the cross on which Jesus was crucified along with bits of his robe. She took the splinters of the cross and the cloth and established 10 Christian church through this region. Then Mohammed came in 500 AD, Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 640 AD and built a Mosque on the Temple Mount. The Holy Sepulcher was added in 1000 AD. Jump to this century and after WWI and WWII the Jews returned to Israel, 1947 the United Nations declared it a state and they have been fighting border wars ever since.

The Golden Gate

Stone where Jesus stood when betrayed by Judas

Garden of Gethsemane

Our first stop was at the top of the Mount of Olives where we could see all of the Old Town and much of the rest of Jerusalem. At the Garden of Gethsemanie we were able to see the stone upon which Jesus was standing when Judas betrayed him to the Roman soldiers.

Temple Mount

Cemetery across from Old Jerusalem

We entered Old Jerusalem through the Zion Gate and walked through the Armenian Quarter, past the old Roman Road and into the Jewish Quarter. Its a very busy place today with lots of Bar Mitzvas taking place. We walked past the Muslim Mosque then stopped at the Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall. The wall's importance is due to the Jew's belief that there is a divine presence that never moves and that it was chosen by God. Some believe the Ark of the Covenant is here. Many come here because it is a place to focus their prayers.

Roman Way

Wailing Wall

We continued on through the bazaar and connected to Via Dolorosa at the 5th station of the cross. This is the route Jesus took from Herod's Palace to Galgoth and his crucifixion. At station V Simon carried the cross for Jesus, at station VI Victoria wiped Jesus' face. When we reached the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, stations 10-14 are located inside the church. These are the stations where Jesus was nailed to the cross, hung, died, was taken town and cleaned then put into the tomb. The rock on which he was laid to be cleaned is now an icon for Jesus. The tomb is also in the church but inaccessible today.
This church is very interesting in that 6 religions claim a part of this building - the Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian and Syrian. Each Religion has their own areas inside the building. It was extremely busy and noisy.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Stone where Jesus was laid to be cleansed for burial.

We left the walled city through the Jaffa Gate.

Caves adjacent to where Jesus was born.

After lunch we drove to Bethlehem in the West Bank where we visited the Church of the Nativity. We did not get to see or touch the star that marks the spot where Jesus was born because of the 3 hour line. We were also disappointed in the church itself as it is undergoing extensive renovation so everything was under scaffolding or canvas. But next door to the church is a Catholic church whose basement wall touches the wall of the cave where Jesus was born.
We endured a 3 hour bus ride back to the ship. Its been a LONG day!