Then and Now

Jerusalem
Then and Now
Jerusalem has been occupied
for at least six thousand
years, has played a
prominent role in world
history, and is one of the
most extensively excavated
sites in the Middle East.
Jerusalem
at the time of Jesus…
Jerusalem
today…
Temple Mount
Jesus’ time…
Looking west toward the Temple Mount in the 1st century
Temple at the time of Jesus, from the east
Temple Mount
Today…
Site of Temple now occupied by the Muslim Dome of the Rock
Commissioned in 691 AD by Umayyad Caliph ‘Adb al-Malik and built
over the large outcropping of bedrock where Solomon’s temple stood.
Why al-Malik built it is the subject of controversy
Some historians suggest he ordered it built to
attract Muslim pilgrims to Jerusalem and away
from Mecca where his chief rival lived
Unlikely only 60 years after Mohammed’s
death (in 632 AD).
Second explanation: Reflects Muslim
interpretation that a passage from the Koran
refers to Jerusalem as the place where
Mohammed ascended to heaven to speak with
Allah and earlier prophets (including Moses,
Abraham and Jesus) and received the
instruction that his followers should pray five
times daily (although the text does not
explicitly mention Jerusalem):
“Glorified be He who carried His servant
[Mohammed] by night from the Masjid alHaram [the mosque in Mecca] to the Masjid
Al-Aqsa [the farthest mosque].” (Sura 17:1)
Perhaps true reason is told by an inscription
from the Koran in the building: “People of the
Book (the Bible), overstep not bounds in your
religion and of God, speak only truth. The
Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an
apostle of God … Believe therefore in God and
his apostles and say not „Three.‟ It will be
better for you. God is only one God. Far be it
from His glory that he should have a son.”
Dome of the Rock is not a
mosque for worship, but a
shrine for pilgrims.
It has no Qibla to indicate direction for prayer (Mecca).
Royal Portico on the
south end of the
Temple Mount at the
time of Jesus…
Site of the Royal
Portico today…
Site of Royal Portico now occupied by the al-Aksa Mosque
Present al-Aksa Mosque built 1035 on site of
previous structures, earliest dating before 705
al-Aksa Mosque interior
View toward
south entrances
(Huldeh Gates) to
Temple Mount
at the time
of Jesus
Huldeh Gates and
Rabbis’ Teaching
Steps today
Reconstructed steps below
the southern retaining wall
of the Temple mount
Steps are not even in width; possibly built to characterize the
rhythmic patterns of the Psalms of Ascent (Ps. 120-134)
Here teachers could address the assembled crowds.
It is probable that Jesus taught from this vantage point.
Western Huldeh
Gate, time of
Jesus
Western Huldeh
Gate, today
Original
Herodian Stones
Interior
of Double
Huldeh
Gate
Section of the gate’s ornate ceiling panel
Eastern Huldeh
Gate, Today…
North-south
street in the
Tyropoeon Valley
at the time of
Jesus
North-south
street in the
Tyropoeon Valley
today
Monumental staircase to
Temple Mount as it appeared
at the time of Jesus.
Robinson’s Arch, the spring
or start of an arch that
supported the great stairway
leading up to the Temple
Mount from the street below
Another view of Robinson’s
Arch at the southwest corner
of the Temple Mount
Excavated north-south street that passed under
Robinson’s Arch, with shop doorways on the left.
Four doorways of shops on the valley
street’s west side. The massive piers of
these shops supported part of Robinson’s
Arch which in Jesus’ day supported a
staircase that led up to the Temple Mount.
Stone that formed the southwestern
corner of the Temple Mount’s retaining
walls. It marked the place where a priest
blew a trumpet to announce the start
and end of Sabbath and festivals.
Hebrew inscription, reads "For the place of trumpeting to…"
Antonia Fortress at
the northwest corner
of the Temple Mount,
time of Jesus…
Site of Antonia
Fortress Today…
Antonia destroyed 70 AD, site
now occupied by several
buildings, including ElOmariyye Midrassa, an
Islamic school for boys; also
the 1st Station of the Cross on
the Via Dolorosa…
Site of Antonia Fortress, named for Mark Antony
Western Wall, a section of the Temple Mount retaining walls
Men’s prayer area at the Western Wall
Lower courses of massive stones were laid by Herod
the Great in the decades just prior to Jesus’ birth
Handwritten prayers stuffed in spaces between stones
Worshiper wearing
a phylactery, strip
or strips of rawhide
parchment
inscribed with
scripture passages
and enclosed in a
case, with a thong
for binding on the
forehead or around
the left arm in
memory of the duty
to observe the law.
“These commandments
that I give you today are
to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your
children. Talk about
them when you sit at
home and when you
walk along the road,
when you lie down and
when you get up. Tie
them as symbols on
your hands and bind
them on your
foreheads.”
(Deuteronomy 6:6-8)
“These commandments
that I give you today are
to be upon your hearts.
Impress them on your
children. Talk about
them when you sit at
home and when you
walk along the road,
when you lie down and
when you get up. Tie
them as symbols on
your hands and bind
them on your
foreheads.”
(Deuteronomy 6:6-8)
“Gate called Beautiful”
“Now a man crippled from
birth was being carried to the
temple gate called Beautiful,
where he was put every day
to beg from those going into
the temple courts.” (Acts 3:2)
Temple at the time of Jesus, from the east
Gate
Called
Beautiful
Solomon’s Colonnade
“While the beggar held on to
Peter and John, all the people
were astonished and came
running to them in the place
called Solomon’s Colonnade.”
(Acts 3:11)
Solomon’s
Colonnade
Jesus’ Time
Solomon’s
Solomon’s
Colonnade
Colonnade
Now
Jesus’ Time