Roman Coins found under Western Wall change history 

Newly found coins underneath Jerusalem’s Western Wall could change the accepted belief about the construction of one of the world’s most sacred sites two millennia ago, Israeli archaeologists said Wednesday. The man usually credited with building the compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary is Herod, a Jewish ruler who died in 4 B.C. Herod’s monumental compound replaced and expanded a much older Jewish temple complex on the same site. But archaeologists with the Israel Antiquities Authority now say diggers have found coins underneath the massive foundation stones of the compound’s Western Wall that were stamped by a Roman proconsul 20 years after Herod’s death. That indicates that Herod did not build the wall — part of which is venerated as Judaism’s holiest prayer site — and that construction was not close to being complete when he died “The find changes the way we see the construction, and shows it lasted for longer than we originally thought,” said the dig’s co-director, Eli Shukron.

Roman coins minted around 17 AD

The four bronze coins were stamped around 17 A.D. by the Roman official Valerius Gratus. He preceded Pontius Pilate of the New Testament story as Rome’s representative in Jerusalem, according to Ronny Reich of Haifa University, one of the two archaeologists in charge of the dig. The coins were found inside a ritual bath that predated construction of the renovated Temple Mount complex and which was filled in to support the new walls, Reich said.



Eli Shukron kneeling in the ritual bath
where the coins were found

They show that construction of the Western Wall had not even begun at the time of Herod’s death. Instead, it was likely completed only generations later by one of his descendants.

The coins confirm a contemporary account by Josephus Flavius, a Jewish general who became a Roman historian. Writing after a Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Temple by legionnaires in 70 A.D., he recounted that work on the Temple Mount had been completed only by King Agrippa II, Herod’s great-grandson, two decades before the entire compound was destroyed.

Scholars have long been familiar with Josephus’ account, but the find is nonetheless important because it offers the “first clear-cut archaeological evidence that part of the enclosure wall was not built by Herod,” said archaeologist Aren Maeir of Bar-Ilan University, who was not involved in the dig. Josephus also wrote that the end of construction left 18,000 workmen unemployed in Jerusalem. Some historians have linked this to discontent that eventually erupted in the Jewish revolt. The compound, controlled since 1967 by Israel, now houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden-capped Muslim shrine known as the Dome of the Rock. The fact that the compound is holy both to Jews and Muslims makes it one of the world’s most sensitive religious sites. The dig in which the coins were discovered cleared a Roman-era drainage tunnel that begins at the biblical Pool of Siloam, one of the city’s original water sources, and terminates with a climb up a ladder out onto a 2,000-year-old street inside Jerusalem’s Old City. The tunnel runs by the foundation stones of the compound’s western wall, where the coins were found. The drainage tunnel was excavated as part of the dig at the City of David, which is perhaps Israel’s richest archaeological excavation and its most contentious. The dig is being carried out inside the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, and is funded by a group associated with the Israeli settlement movement that opposes any division of the city as part of a future peace deal. The excavation of the tunnel has also yielded a Roman sword, oil lamps, pots and coins that scholars believe are likely debris from an attempt by Jewish rebels to hide in the underground passage as they fled from the Roman soldiers.

Solomon's Quarries

Solomon's Quarries

1st in a series…Jerusalem underground

Exploring this cave complex will be an optional event during our Jerusalem stay.

Zedekiah's Cave – also known as Solomon's Quarries – is a 5-acre underground limestone quarry that runs the length of five city blocks under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was carved over a period of several thousand years. The entrance to Zedekiah's Cave is just beneath the Old City wall, between the Damascus and Herod Gates. Beyond the narrow entrance, the cave slopes down into a vast 300-foot-long auditorium-like chamber.

Aproxamate locaation of Solomon's Quarries

Inside of Zedekiah's Cave Beyond the “auditorium”, are a series of artificial galleries hewn by ancient stonecutters into chaotic, sometimes bizarre, patterns and formations. Paths give access to every corner of the quarry system, which takes at least 30 minutes to explore thoroughly. Chisel marks are visible in many sections and in some galleries huge, nearly finished building blocks destined for some long-ago structure are locked into the rock where the stonecutters left them centuries ago. From entrance to the furthest point, the cave extends about 650 feet. Its maximum width is about 330 feet and its depth is generally about 30 feet  below the street level of the Muslim Quarter. Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC) certainly used the main quarry at Zedekiah's Cave for building blocks in the renovation of the Temple and its retaining walls, including what is known today as the Western Wall. When the Roman Jewish writer Flavius Josephus (37 - 100 AD) mentions the "Royal Caverns" of the Old City, he is referring to Zedekiah's Cave. Suleiman the Magnificent (1494-1566), the Ottoman sultan who built the present walls around the Old City, also mined the quarry, ultimately sealing it up around 1540 because of security concerns. The site was then lost to history for over 300 years until, in 1854, the American missionary James Turner Barclay was walking his dog one day. The dog, following a fox’s scent, dug through dirt near the Old City wall and suddenly disappeared through an opening. After nightfall, Barclay and his two sons, dressed in Arab garb and carrying candles, slithered through the newly opened crack to discover the vast cavern as well as the skeletons of previous visitors. In the mid-1980s, The Jerusalem Foundation built paths and installed lights throughout the cavern, facilitating tourist access.

The Word became flesh

and made his dwelling among us.

John 1:14

In his book I am not but I know I AM  Louie Giglio comments on this passage.

"He didn't send a note, an e-mail, a check, a cosmic event, a mandate, or an image on a toasted cheese sandwich. When God came to man- when BE came - BE became flesh. The God of the world in a body like yours and mine. Why does that matter? Because you can touch flesh. You can identify with flesh. You can wrap your arms around flesh and feel its heartbeat. You can hear the voice of flesh and it will bleed. You can nail flesh to a cross."

Shakshouka Israel

Shakshouka is a  popular breakfast meal in Israel, where It is traditionally served up in a cast iron pan with pita bread to mop up the sauce.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 red peppers or 2 green peppers, roughly chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and minced 

8 fresh plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 (28 ounce) cans Italian plum tomatoes, strained (peeled)

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, more to taste

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup canned tomato juice

1/2 cup vegetable broth

4 large eggs

za'atar spice mix, for serving (available in any Middle Eastern Market)

4 pita breads, warmed

Directions:

1.   Place large saute pan over medium heat, add and heat oil. Add onion and saute until lightly browned.

2.   Add garlic, jalapeno and bell peppers, and saute 2 minutes more.

3.   Add fresh and canned tomatoes, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.

4.   Add hot and sweet paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper and sugar. Stir for 1 minute.

5.   Add tomato juice and vegetable broth and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until mixture is very thick and has little liquid left, about 1 hour; stir occasionally to make sure vegetables do not stick to bottom of pan, and add more tomato juice or vegetable broth as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

6.   Gently crack eggs into pan, taking care not to break yolks. Simmer until whites solidify but yolks remain runny, about 8 minutes, or as per personal preference

7.   Ladle equal portions of vegetables and eggs into 4 serving bowls. Sprinkle with zaatar to taste, and serve with warm pita bread

Jerusalem Midnight Biking

An optional event while in Jerusalem is a midnight bike tour through the Old City of Jerusalem. One testimonial read “Incredible trip, perfect for tourists and Israelis!  Midnight Biking was one of the most exciting and fun things that I have ever done in Israel. Even though I have lived in Israel for a couple years and I know Jerusalem well, this trip gave me a fresh perspective on the city. The tour guide and staff were excellent. I would definitely recommend this activity."

Where God Lived, The temples of the Israelites.

Where God Lived,

The Temples of the Israelites.

The Tabernacle or "dwelling place", according to the Old Testament, was the portable tent-like structure for the divine presence of God from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. This was the structure that contained the Arc of the Covenant. The Tabernacle was built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, and described in Exodus 25-31 and 35-40. This structure accompanied the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land.

The First permanent structure, built in Jerusalem, superseded the Tabernacle as the dwelling-place of God among the Israelites. This building, known as the First Temple or Solomon's Temple, was build approximately 1000 BC. 1 Kings 6:1-38, 1 Kings Chapter 7, and Chapter 8 describe the construction and dedication of the Temple under King Solomon. This Temple stood in the same area as the current Muslim shrine, the Dome of the Rock. In 587 BC Jerusalem and the Solomon's Temple were destroyed by the Babylonians who carried the Israelites away into captivity.  

Remains of the 2nd Temple

Exiles returning form Babylon rebuilt a modest replacement temple at the same location from 535 to 516 BC. This structure became know as the Second Temple. This structure was repaired and enlarged by Herod the Great beginning in 20 BC. It was during this rebuilding that the current footprint of the Temple Mount area was established. In 70 AD the Second Temple was destroyed by Roman troops under Titus during the Siege of Jerusalem. Remnants of the destruction can still be seen at the base of the Temple mount walls where massive building stones lie in a jumble after Roman troops pushed everything over the edge.

The Word Became Flesh

John 1:14 from The Message translation

The Word became flesh and blood,
      and moved into the neighborhood.
   We saw the glory with our own eyes,
      the one-of-a-kind glory,
      like Father, like Son,
   Generous inside and out,
      true from start to finish.