Israel (Part 4)

         June 9th

Our last day in Jerusalem!

We started the day by going to Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. This area right outside the Old City and is now a park owned by the British. They have an organization called the Garden Tomb Association that runs the park and gives tours. Golgotha is Aramaic for "skull" or Greek for "calvary" and is the area where they believe Jesus was crucified. Our guide gave us 3 reasons why they believe Jesus was crucified here. One, is there is a "face" in the rock that resembles a skull and is the only one they know of around Jerusalem. Its kinda hard to tell in my pictures, but older photos of the rock show it even more.

two big holes are eyes, and nose beneath

The second reason is because the area below the rock is well-known as a place of death starting hundreds of years before Jesus. They would sometimes even use this area for stoning since it was outside the city. Basically, the Jews found this area acceptable for execution and death. The third reason is that Romans liked to put their crosses by the highway. This area was at the intersection of 2 roads, the main one connected Jericho to Jerusalem. The crosses would have actually been at the base of this rock, not on a hill as artists have portrayed the crucifixion.

After seeing Golgotha, we walked through the Garden where the Tomb is located. When this area was found, they uncovered a winepress that dates back to the time of Jesus. There was also a huge water cistern (holding approx 250,000 gallons) found. Both these findings confirm that this area was considered a garden in Jesus' time.

The tomb where Jesus was buried was owned by Joseph of Arimathea, who was a rich man and those with money would have tombs built that were custom made. This tomb show evidences of being custom, and is unfinished (as mentioned in the Bible). There is a cross engraved on the wall inside the tomb that is in Greek lettering saying that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega. There are 2 sides; the first room is where the body was prepared, and the other is for a body to be laid. There is a channel in front of the door where the stone would have sat and rolled into place. There is no way to 100% confirm that this was where the tomb Jesus was buried and then raised, but it would be difficult to find anything that matches better! 

We then had a special time of communion together before we left the garden. It was such a neat experience to see this whole area and be inside the tomb that is empty!

We then took a little bit of a drive in some areas outside Jerusalem. We drove through the Hills of Judea and saw stone watchtowers used by field owners to keep watch over their crops and to see when the fruit would be ripe. 

We also drove by a remnant of a Roman road from Biblical times. The steps were cut very small so that cart wheels could roll over them easily. Every mile or so, there was a hole dug in the ground so that when it rained, water would collect and horses and other animals were able to drink saving their owners from having to bring water for them on a long journey.

We then stopped at an area called Bet Gubrin (previously named Acropolis) where the largest columbarium (pigeon coop) was found. There are over 2000 pigeon coops carved into the stone. Next to this area, there are some really neat caves called bells caves because of their shape. The area used to be a rock quarry and at some point was used a shelter where early Christians hid from persecution.

The last stop before driving back to the city was the Road to Emmaus. Emmaus was known for producing good wine and many ancient wine presses were found by archaeologists. This area is mentioned in Luke 24:13 when Jesus appeared to some of the disciples as they were walking along this road. The spot where we stopped over looked the valley where Joshua told the sun to stand still in Joshua 10:12.

We ended the day back in Jerusalem doing some shopping at the Jewish Quarter!

Sadly, that was the last of our trip! We went back to the hotel to pack and eat dinner. Before we left we had to get a picture with our awesome tour guide!

We headed to the airport at 8pm and our flight out was at midnight. We finally made it back to Austin around 1130am. We were happy to be back home and beyond thankful for such an amazing and unforgettable trip!