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"Mount Zion"

Jerusalem

Monday, ‎December ‎23, ‎2013

Third Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Mount Zion"
Jerusalem

Psalms 132:13-14

For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

Joel 3:17

Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more.

The first mention of the word “Zion” in the Bible is 2Samuel 5:7: “Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.” “Zion,” therefore, was originally the name of the ancient Jebusite fortress in the city of Jerusalem. “Zion” came to stand not only for the fortress but also for city in which the fortress stood. After David captured “the stronghold of Zion,” Zion was then called “the City of David”

A view from Mount Zion, near to the church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Mount Zion (Hebrew: Har Tsiyyon; Arabic: Jabel Sahyoun) is a hill in Jerusalem just outside the walls of the Old City. Mount Zion has been historically associated with the Temple Mount. In the Bible, Mount Zion is synonymous with Mount Moriah, the site of the binding of Isaac and the Jewish Temple. The term is also used for the entire Land of Israel.

Zion, in the Old Testament, the easternmost of the two hills of ancient Jerusalem. It was the site of the Jebusite city captured by David, king of Israel and Judah, in the 10th century bc (2 Samuel 5:6-9) and established by him as his royal capital. Some scholars believe that the name also belonged to the “stronghold of Zion” taken by David (2 Samuel 5:7), which may have been the fortress of the city. The Jewish historian Josephus, in the 1st century ad, identified Zion with the western hill of Jerusalem, where most of the city lay in his day. This incorrect identification of the site was retained until the late 19th or early 20th century, when the site of Zion was identified as the eastern hill (modern Ophel). The site was not included in the walls of Jerusalem’s 16th-century fortifications.

The etymology and meaning of the name are obscure. It appears to be a pre-Israelite Canaanite name of the hill upon which Jerusalem was built; the name “mountain of Zion” is common. In biblical usage, however, “Mount Zion” often means the city rather than the hill itself. Zion appears in the Old Testament 152 times as a title of Jerusalem; over half of these occurrences appear in two books, the Book of Isaiah (46 times) and that of Psalms (38 times). It appears seven times in the New Testament and five times in quotations from the Old Testament

A view from Mount Zion, near to the church of Peter in Gallicantu:

In the Old Testament, Zion is overwhelmingly a poetic and prophetic designation and is infrequently used in ordinary prose. It usually has emotional and religious overtones, but it is not clear why the name Zion rather than the name Jerusalem should carry these overtones. The religious and emotional qualities of the name arise from the importance of Jerusalem as the royal city and the city of the Temple. Mount Zion is the place where Yahweh, the God of Israel, dwells (Isaiah 8:18; Psalm 74:2), the place where he is king (Isaiah 24:23) and where he has installed his king, David (Psalm 2:6). It is thus the seat of the action of Yahweh in history.

A view from Mount Zion, near to the church of Peter in Gallicantu: Dome of the rock in the background

History

According to the Book of Samuel, Mount Zion was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, becoming his palace and the City of David. It is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah (60:14), the Book of Psalms, and the first book of the Maccabees.

After the conquest of the Jebusite city, the hill of the Lower City was divided into several parts. The highest part, in the north, became the site of Solomon's Temple. Based on archaeological excavations revealing sections of the First Temple city wall, this is believed to have been the true Mount Zion.

Towards the end of the First Temple period, the city expanded westward. Just before the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple, Josephus described Mount Zion as a hill across the valley to the west. Thus, the western hill extending south of the Old City came to be known as Mount Zion, and this has been the case ever since. At the end of the Roman period, a synagogue was built at the entrance of the structure known as David's Tomb probably based on the belief that David brought the Ark of the Covenant here from Beit  Shemesh and Kiryat Ye'arim before the construction of the Temple.

In 1948, Mount Zion was linked to the Yemin Moshe neighborhood in West Jerusalem via a narrow tunnel. During the war, an alternative was needed to evacuate the wounded and transport supplies to soldiers on Mt. Zion. A cable car capable of carrying a load of 250 kilos was designed for this purpose. The cable car was only used at night and lowered into the valley during the day to escape detection, it is still in place at the now Mount Zion Hotel. The ride from the Israeli position at the St. John Eye Hospital to Mount Zion took two minutes. Mount Zion was conquered by the Harel Brigade on May 18, 1948

Between 1948 and 1967, when the Old City was under Jordanian occupation, Israelis were forbidden access to the Jewish holy places. Mount Zion was a designated no-man's land between Israel and Jordan. Mount Zion was the closest accessible site to the ancient Jewish Temple. Until East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War, Israelis would climb to the rooftop of David's Tomb to pray. The winding road leading up to Mount Zion is known as Pope's Way (Derekh Ha'apifyor). It was paved in honor of the historic visit to Jerusalem of Pope Paul VI in 1964.

A view from Mount Zion, near to the church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Landmarks

Important sites on Mount Zion are Dormition Abbey, King David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. Most historians and archeologists today do not regard "David's Tomb" there to be the actual burial place of King David. The Chamber of the Holocaust (Martef Ha Shoah), the precursor of Yad Vashem, is also located on Mount Zion. Another place of interest is the Catholic cemetery where Oskar Schindler, a Righteous Gentile who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews in the Holocaust, is buried. Notable burials in the Protestant cemetery on Mt. Zion include the architect Conrad Schick.

Chamber of Holocaust museum:

Chamber of the Holocaust (Martef HaShoa, "Cellar of the Holocaust") is a small Holocaust museum located on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It was Israel's first Holocaust museum.

The site was founded in 1948 by the Ministry of Religion and its Director-General, Rabbi Dr. Samuel Zanvil Kahane, whose responsibilities included Mount Zion. That same year, Kahane oversaw the on-site burial of ashes of victims from the Oranien burg concentration camp together with desecrated Torah scrolls recovered from Nazi Europe. In contrast to Yad Vashem, the government's official Holocaust memorial museum established in 1953 on Mount Herzl – a new site symbolizing rebirth after destruction – the Chief Rabbinate chose Mount Zion as the site for the Chamber of the Holocaust because of its proximity to David's Tomb, which symbolically connotes ancient Jewish history and the promise of messianic redemption (through the Messiah, son of David). Scholars have noted that the somber ambience of the museum, whose dank, cave-like rooms are illuminated by candlelight, is meant to portray the Holocaust as a continuation of the "death and destruction" that plagued Jewish communities throughout history. The museum is currently maintained by the Diaspora Yeshiva, with an Orthodox orientation.

Chamber of Holocaust museum:

Przcedcz – Jewish memorial plaque:

Pzcedcz – Jewish memorial plaque

The Jewish community of Przedecz, which accounted for a large proportion of the population of Przedecz, a town in western Poland, was wiped out in the Holocaust. In Yiddish the city was known as Pshaytsh. The town, which dates from the 14th century, is located midway between Chodecz and Kłodawa. It is 75 km (47 mi) northwest of Łódź, 150 km (93 mi) west of Warsaw and 130 km (81 mi) east of Poznań. On the southeast, it borders on Lake Przedecz

Translation of the text in the board:

In eternal memory

In memory of the souls of our dear friends, the martyrs of our city
Przedecz (Pshaytsh)
(Włocławek district)
who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators, may their names be obliterated
in Chełmno on the 7th day of Iyar, 742 [Anno Mundi], 24 April 1942
and in the other places of extermination, may God avenge their blood
The memorial day was established as the 7th day of Iyar
May their lives be bound in the bundle of the living
Their holy memory immortalized by the survivors of our city

in Israel and in the Diaspora

A view of Mount Zion from Abu Tor:

I had also a chance to stand in that holy place, Mount Zion for a while:

On the peak of mount Zion, near to the church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

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"St. Peter in Gallicantu"

Mount Zion, Jerusalem

Monday, ‎December ‎23, ‎2013

Third Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"St. Peter in Gallicantu"
Mount Zion, Jerusalem

Mark 14:72

Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.

A sign Board Before the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu:

The fabulous Saint Peter in-Gallicantu Church is built in the slopes of mount Zion. According to tradition, this was the place of the palace of high priest Caiaphas. Its name is given after the story of Peter's triple denial of Christ and the cock crowing twice.

Front view of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu:

Name of the church:

In Latin: Sanctus Petrus in Gallicantu;

In English: Saint Peter in Gallicantu, i.e., at the Cock’s Crow.

The name comes from the episode during Christ’s Passion when Peter, in the courtyard of High Priest Caiaphas, denied his Master three times, saying: “I do not know the man you are talking about.” Just as he spoke the third time, “a cock crowed. The Lord turned around and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the statement which the Lord had made to him, ‘Before the cock crows today, you will deny me three times.’ So he went out and wept bitterly” (Lk 22:60-62).

History of the Site:

The place believed as the High Priest Caiaphas’ palace. It is here that Jesus was arraigned before the high priest and the Sanhedrin on Thursday night, before being sent to Pilate. Over the ruins of the palace, several churches have been built since the 5^th century. It is only since the Middle Ages (11^th century) that the site is no longer considered as the palace of Caiaphas, but only as the one to which Peter withdrew to weep after the denial, hence the name of the church, at the Cock’s Crow.

Front view of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu: 

Location:

Located on the eastern side of Mount Zion, St. Peter in Gallicantu Church was built in 1931 over the spot where Peter denied knowing Christ. It's also the site of Caiaphas' palace where Jesus was brought to trial. The name, "Gallicantu" means "the cock's crow" and is taken from the event when Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, as the cock crowed each time.

Front view of the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu:

The church takes its name from the Latin word "Gallicantu", meaning cock's-crow. This is in commemoration of Peter's triple rejection of Jesus "... before the cock crows twice." (Mark 14:30)

A Byzantine shrine dedicated to Peter's repentance was erected on this spot in 457 AD, but was destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1010. The chapel was rebuilt byCrusaders in 1102 and given its present name. After the fall of Jerusalem the church again fell into ruin and was not rebuilt until 1931. Today a golden rooster protrudes prominently from the sanctuary roof in honor of its biblical connection. This spot is also believed to be the location of the High Priest Caiaphas' palace. According to the Pilgrim of Bordeaux in his Itinerarium Burdigalense, "...going up from the Pool of Siloam to Mount Zion one would come across the House of the Priest Caiaphas."

A statue in the court yard of the church: Peter, the Maid (the woman), the Roman soldier and the rooster (see on the top of the pillar):

In the court yard of the church is a statue that describes the events (see Mark 14) of the renunciation of Jesus by Peter, the maid, the Roman soldier and the rooster (see on the top of the pillar). The situation from Luke 22: 56-58: 56And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, "This man was with Him too."57But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him." 58A little later, another saw him and said, "You are one of them too!" But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"

A statue in the court yard of the church: Peter, the Maid (the woman), the Roman soldier and the rooster (see on the top of the pillar):

Engraved sculpture on the outside wall (see the picture below), “After the Last Supper, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron valley to the Garden of Gethsemane":

Engraved sculpture on the outside wall (see the picture below), “those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled”, Matthew 26:57.

Entrance and Sanctuary

The entrance to the church is from a parking lot which is located above the main level of the church. In the courtyard is a statue that depicts the events of the denial and includes its main figures; the cock, the woman, and the Roman soldier. The entrance itself is bordered by shaped iron doors covered with biblical situations. To the right are two Byzantine-era mosaics found during excavation, these were most likely part of the floor of the fifth-century shrine. The main sanctuary contains large, multi-colored mosaics portraying figures from the New Testament. Facing the entrance is a bound Jesus being questioned at Caiaphas' palace; on the right Jesus and the disciples are shown dining at the Last Supper; and on the left Peter, considered the first Pope, are pictured in ancient papal dress. Perhaps the most striking feature of the interior is the ceiling, which is dominated by a huge cross-shaped window designed in a variety of colors. The fourteen Stations of the Cross also line the walls and are marked with simple crosses.

Main Entrance of the Church:

Main Entrance of the Church:

Above the main Entrance of the Church:

Written in latin, "Dominus custodiat Introitum tuum et exitum tuum" Ps.121

Meaning: "May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out"

Psalm 120 (121)

In Latin:

1 Levavi oculos meos in montes,

  unde veniet auxilium mihi.

2 Auxilium meum a Domino,

  qui fecit cælum et terram.

3 Non det in commotionem pedem tuum,

  neque dormitet qui custodit te.

4 Ecce non dormitabit neque dormiet

  qui custodit Israël.

5 Dominus custodit te;

  Dominus protectio tua super manum dexteram tuam.

6 Per diem sol non uret te,

  neque luna per noctem.

7 Dominus custodit te ab omni malo;

  custodiat animam tuam Dominus.

8 Dominus custodiat introitum tuum et exitum tuum,

  ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.

Psalm 120 (121)

Translation in English:

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills;

   whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the Lord,

   who made ​​heaven and earth.

3 May he not suffer thy foot to be moved,

   that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 slumber nor sleep

   He that keepeth Israel.

5 The Lord is thy keeper;

   Lord is thy protection upon thy right hand.

6 By the day the sun will not burn you,

   nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil;

   shall preserve thy soul.

8 May the Lord keep thy going in and thy going out,

   from henceforth now and forever.

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Lower Church and Crypts

Beneath the upper church is a chapel which incorporates stone from ancient grottos inside its walls. Down a hole in the center of the sanctuary one can see caves that may have been part of the Byzantine shrine. These walls are engraved with crosses left by fifth-century Christians. On an even lower level there is a succession of caves from the Second Temple period. Since tradition places the palace of Caiaphas on this site, many believe that Jesus may have been imprisoned in one of these underground crypts after his arrest, however, these underground caves were normal in many Roman-era homes, and often served as cellars, water cisterns, and baths. On the north side of the church is an ancient staircase that leads down towards the Kidron Valley. This may have been a passage from the upper city to the lower city during the first temple period. Many Christians believe that Jesus followed this path down to Gethsemane the night of his arrest.

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Significance of the church

The modern church, first consecrated in 1931 and deconsecrated in 1997 after extensive renovations, is part of a long tradition going back to the 5^th century according to which Christians have never ceased to commemorate on this spot Saint Peter’s triple denial of Jesus in the courtyard of High Priest Caiaphas, as well as the repentance of the Apostle after he had heard the cock’s crow and remembered the words Jesus had told him.

Convinced of the importance of this episode in the Passion, Christians first tried to pinpoint the spot where it had taken place, then, around 450 A.D., sought to perpetuate its memory by building a church on the site. This church, as well as the others that followed, were all destroyed, as a cycle of violence took hold throughout the ages. The present structure is at least the fourth on this location.

The site comprises a church and the mysterious Deep Pit over which it is built, as well as the archaeological discoveries made here: foundations, cisterns, liturgical artifacts, including an ancient stepped street undoubtedly taken by Jesus. It is the entire site which allows pilgrims to relive the various events linked to Jesus’ religious trial before the high priest, viz., his detention after his arrest at Gethsemane, his arraignment the following morning, his trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, the denial of Peter outside the palace as the trial was taking place within, the repentance of the Apostle, and finally Peter’s reconciliation with Jesus after the Resurrection on the shores of Lake Tiberius.

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Inside the Church of Peter in Gallicantu:

Inside the Church, A painting in the altar:

Inside the Church, A painting of Jesus and Peter:

Inside the Church, Main Altar:

Inside the Church, A Sculpture of Jesus:

The prisons and pits in underground:

There are many caves and shelters in the basement of the church. According to the tradition, these caves included a jail where Jesus was held after his arrest. These underground caves were normal in many of the Roman period houses, and served as cellars, water cisterns, and baths.

An Underground cave in the lower floor:

An Underground cave in the lower floor:

Probably where Jesus was kept after arrested:

Another side view of  the Sacred prison, where Jesus was kept:

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"Last supper" - Coenaculum

Mount Zion, Jerusalem

Monday, ‎December ‎23, ‎2013

Third Day of my Holy Land Trip, Mount Zion, Jerusalem

My Holy Land Trip

"Last supper" - Coenaculum,(The Cenacle)
Mount Zion, Jerusalem

Mark 14:13-15

13 And he sent two of his disciples, and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him,[a] 14 and wherever he enters, say to the householder, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.”

A view of Last Supper hall from ground floor, is located on the second floor:

Location of Last Supper

The Cenacle on Mount Zion claimed to be the location of the Last Supper and Pentecost. According to later tradition, the Last Supper took place in what is called today The Room of the Last Supper on Mount Zion, just outside of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, and is traditionally known as The Upper Room. This is based on the account in the Synoptic Gospels that states that Jesus had instructed a pair of unnamed disciples to go to "the city" to meet "a man carrying a jar of water", who would lead them to a house, where they would find "a large upper room furnished and ready", Mark 14:13-15. In this upper room they "prepare the Passover".

No more specific indication of the location is given in the New Testament, and the "city" referred to may be a suburb of Jerusalem, such as Bethany, rather than Jerusalem itself. The traditional location is in an area that, according to archaeology, had a large Essene community (Descriptions of an ancient Essene community offer an exciting solution for today’s isolation, spiritual hunger and stressful times), a point made by scholars who suspect a link between Jesus and the group.

Stairway to the Last Supper room: 

Date

The Gospels say that Jesus died on a Friday and that his body was left in the tomb for the whole of the next day, which was a Shabbat (Saturday), Mark 15:42, 16:1-2. The Synoptic Gospels present the Last Supper as a Passover meal, Matthew 26:17, Mark 14:1-2, Luke 22:1-15. This would mean that the Passover feast (15 Nisan - the official Jewish calendar) began at sunset on what now would commonly be called Thursday evening and lasted until sunset on Friday (the Jewish calendar reckons a date as beginning at sunset, not at midnight). On the contrary, the Gospel of John presents the feast as beginning on the evening following the afternoon death of Jesus. This would mean that the Friday of the crucifixion was the day of preparation for the feast (14 Nisan), not the feast itself. Various attempts to reconcile these two accounts have been made, some of which are indicated in the article on the Last Supper by Francis Mershman in the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia.

Chronology of Jesus and Crucifixion darkness and eclipse, Scholarly estimates for the date of the crucifixion generally fall in the range AD 30-36. Physicist Colin Humphreys rules out the year 36 on astronomical grounds. He presents other grounds for holding that the crucifixion of Jesus occurred in the afternoon of Friday, 3 April 33, and says that this was 14 Nisan in the official Jewish calendar that year.

Last Supper Hall:

Scriptural basis

The last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples is described in all four canonical Gospels (Matthew 26:17-30, Mark14:12-26, Luke 22:7-39 and John 13:1-17:26). This meal later became known as the Last Supper. The Last Supper was likely a retelling of the events of the last meal of Jesus among the early Christian community, and became a ritual which recounted that meal.

Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, which was likely written before the Gospels, includes a reference to the Last Supper but emphasizes the theological basis rather than giving a detailed description of the event or its background.

Last Supper Hall:

Situation, Background and setting

The overall narrative that is shared in all Gospel accounts that leads to the Last Supper is that after the Triumphal entry into Jerusalem early in the week, and encounters with various people and the Jewish elders, Jesus and his disciples share a meal towards the end of the week. After the meal, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, and then crucified.

Key events in the meal are the preparation of the disciples for the departure of Jesus, the predictions about the impending betrayal of Jesus, and the foretelling of the upcoming denial of Jesus by Apostle Peter.

Inside the Last Supper Hall:

Prediction of Judas' betrayal

In Matthew 26:24-25, Mark 14:18-21, Luke 22:21-23 and John 13:21-30 during the meal, Jesus predicted that one of his Apostles would betray him. Jesus is described as reiterating, despite each Apostle's assertion that he would not betray Jesus, that the betrayer would be one of those who were present, and saying that there would be “woe to the man who betrays the Son of man! It would be better for him if he had not been born”, Mark 14:20-21, In Matthew 26:23-25 and John 13:26-27, Judas is specifically identified as the traitor. In the Gospel of John, when asked about the traitor, Jesus states: “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him."

Inside the Last Supper Hall:

Institution of the Eucharist

The Eucharist, which "is recorded as celebrated by the early Christian community at Jerusalem and by St. Paul on his visit to Troas", is held to have been instituted by Christ, Acts 20:7. The institution of the Lord's Supper is recorded in the three Synoptic Gospels and in Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians. The words of institution differ slightly in each account, reflecting a Marcan tradition (upon which Matthew is based) and a Pauline tradition (upon which Luke is based) in addition, Luke 22:19b-20 is a disputed text which does not appear in some of the early manuscripts of Luke. Some scholars, therefore, believe that it is an interpolation, while others have argued that it is original.

Jesus' actions in sharing the bread and wine have been linked with Isaiah 53:12 which refer to a blood sacrifice that, as recounted in Exodus 24:8, Moses offered in order to seal a covenant with God. Scholars often interpret the description of Jesus' action as asking his disciples to consider themselves part of a sacrifice, where Jesus is the one due to physically undergo it.

Inside the Last Supper Hall:

Theology of the Last Supper

Last Supper, Christ taught by example, showing the value of humility (as reflected in John's foot washing narrative) and self-sacrifice, rather than by exhibiting external, miraculous powers. As we know, he was the son of the Almighty God. But he washed the foot of disciples. He was teaching the world by action. For Aquinas, the Last Supper and the Cross form the summit of the teaching that wisdom flows from inherent grace, rather than external power. St. Thomas Aquinas viewed The Father, Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit as teachers and masters who provide lessons, at times by example.

St. Aquinas stated that based on John 15:15 (in the Farewell discourse) in which Jesus said: "No longer do I call you servants; ...but I have called you friends". Those who are followers of Christ and partake in the Sacrament of the Eucharist become his friends, as those gathered at the table of the Last Supper. At the Last Supper Christ made the promise to be present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and to be with those who partake in it, as he was with his disciples at the Last Supper.

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry”, Jesus said during the Lord's Supper. And Jesus taught the world a new lesson too, stating that just as Jesus gave “thanks to the Father” before breaking the bread, those who go to the "Lord's Table" to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist must give thanks for the "boundless love of God" and celebrate the sacrament with both joy and thanksgiving.

Inside the Last Supper Hall:

Inside the Last Supper Hall: