Иерусалим

Jerusalem is the heart of Palestine, the center of the political and religious life of the Jewish people. The entire “country of Israel” was holy, for it alone could bring firstfruits, or firstfruits, or “continuing” showbread to God. But the walled cities of this land were even more sacred than itself. Not a single leper was allowed into them, and a body taken out of the city for burial could not be brought back. Jerusalem is the “holy city” par excellence, for there were great shrines in it: the mountain with all the sacred buildings, and the church in its most sacred place. And in this sacred place there was an even more terrible place in its holiness - namely, the Holy of Holies, where once there was the Ark of the Covenant with the tablets of the commandments of God and other sacred objects, where the Shekinah apparently resided. The temple was the crown of the religious system, the glory and consolation of Israel: like plants to the sun, so the hearts of the Jews were drawn to the temple; in their synagogues and houses of worship scattered throughout the earth, during each service they turned their gaze to the temple. Jerusalem and the church were the subject of constant and ardent love of the Jews. On the rivers of Babylon, having hung their organs on the coastal willows, the Jews wept, remembering Zion, and exclaimed in tears: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, forget me, my right hand” (Ps. 136:5). From all over the universe, wherever the Jews lived, the same cry was always heard that burst from the chests of the exiles at the sources of the Jordan. “As a deer longs for streams of water, so longs my soul for You, O God! My soul thirsts for the mighty living God: when will I come and appear before the face of God! My tears were bread for me day and night, when they said to me every day: Where is your God? Remembering this, I pour out my soul, because I walked among a crowd, I entered with them into the house of God with the voice of joy and praise of the celebrating host” (Ps. 41: 1-4). The same ardent love for Jerusalem is expressed now in the insane hope expressed in the Targum (on Canto VIII, 1) that the bodies of the righteous Jews who died on a foreign side will make their way underground to the Mount of Olives, and will rise from the dead there. Jerusalem is the city of God, the city of the Great King, when the shadow of the law passed away, it became the “Matter of Churches” (Resurrection verse, chapter 8), a prototype of the heavenly Jerusalem, “the Church of the firstborn, written in heaven” (Heb. 12:22-23). Here the great atoning sacrifice for the human race took place: the death, resurrection, ascension into heaven of our Lord Jesus Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, who, endowed with power from above, “went out preaching everywhere, even to the last of the earth,” the gospel of our salvation (Mark 16:20, Acts 1:8). Jerusalem in wedge-shaped inscriptions is called Ursalimm, in hieroglyphs Schalam, in Hebrew Ieruschalaim, Aramaic form Ieruschelem; in the LXX Ἰ ερουσαλήμ, in the Vulgate Hierusalem. The oldest information about Jerusalem lies in writings found in 1887–8. in Tell Amarna (in upper Egypt) and containing, among other things, letters from the king of Jerusalem to Pharaoh Amenophis III (XIV-XV centuries BC). From the latter it is clear that Jerusalem with the name Ursalimm existed 1 1/2 thousand years BC, in that distant era it had an already developed state structure and, together with other Canaanite cities and states, was under the rule of Egypt. In the Bible, Jerusalem is first mentioned under the name of Salem, in which during the time of Abraham Melchizedek was king and priest, who met Abraham in the Royal Valley after his victory over the Mesopotamian kings (Gen. 14, 17, 18) 6. Actually, the name Jerusalem is found for the first time in the book of Joshua: at the head of the kings of Canaan, who united against Joshua, Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem, is indicated (I. Joshua 10, 1). Jerusalem was a city of the Canaanites, more specifically of the Jebusites: 7 under Joshua and during the period of the Judges, the usual name for the city was “Jebus,” “city of the Jebusites” (Judges 19, 10. I Josh. 15, 8, 63, 18, 16. 28). And after the victory I. Joshua over Adonizedek and after the division of the land of Canaan, when Jerusalem was assigned to the tribe of Benjamin, it continued to remain in the hands of the Jebusites (I. Joshua 15:63). Only David, having defeated the Jebusites, took possession of their fortress of Zion and made Jerusalem his capital, calling it “the city of David” (2 Samuel 5:5–9, 1 Chronicles 11:4–8), and soon moved the ark of the covenant there (2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13:15–16). Having strengthened and expanded Jerusalem, David wanted to build a church to Jehovah, but - according to the direction of God through St. Nathan - he only had to prepare the materials necessary for it. The Church of Jehovah was built on Mount Moriah by David's son and successor Solomon. From this moment on, Jerusalem becomes the “city of God” (Ps. 45, 5. 86, 3), chosen by Jehovah for his habitation (Deut. 12, 5. Ps. 9, 12), “the city of the great king” Ps. 47, 3. Matt. 5, 35), “the holy city of universal salvation” (Isa. 52, 1. Dan. 9, 24. Matt. 4, 5. Apoc. 11, 2. 21, 2). Philologically, the first part of the name Jerusalem is derived either from jarasch, to take possession, to possess, or from jarah, to lay foundation; the second part, in any case, comes close to the word schalom, world. Therefore, the word Jerusalem means “the possession or dwelling place of the world” or “the foundation of the world” 8 . Jerusalem lies at 31º47' northern latitude and 35º13'25" eastern longitude, almost in the middle of Palestine from east to west, 9 12 hours' journey from the Mediterranean Sea (about 60 versts) and 8 hours west of the Jordan. It is located in the southern part of the mountainous hills, separated from the main ridge of the Judean mountains. This plateau, consisting of calcareous rocks and therefore poor in water, in some places rises to 2500 feet. above sea level: the highest point of Jerusalem is the northeastern corner of the city. In Jerusalem, as in all of Palestine, there are two alternating periods - rainy and dry: the first lasts from late October to early May, the second - from May to October inclusive. During the rainy season, Jerusalem experiences an average of 52 rainy days and 30 inches of rainfall. The climate is moderated by the proximity of the sea and the mountainous nature of the area: the average temperature in summer does not exceed 17°, in winter 3°. In winter there are frosts down to –2° and snow falls, but melts quickly. The coldest month is February, the hottest is August. The longest day is 14 1/4 hours, the shortest winter day is 9 3/4 hours. The entire area occupied by Jerusalem, according to Josephus, consisted of four hills: Zion, Acre, Moriah and Bezefa. Now these hills have merged; the valleys that separated them in ancient times were quite deep, but now they are filled up and built up. From north to south, Jerusalem is cut by a ravine, in ancient times the Tyropeon gorge, which divides the city into two halves: the western - in the land of Zion and the eastern - on the heights of Acre, Moriah and Bezefa. On three sides, Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys: Gion and Hinnom - in the west and southwest, Kidron - in the east. In the north rises the hill of Skopos, in the south lies the Mount of Evil Consultation, rising above the valley of Hinnom. To the west of Jerusalem lies the mountainous heights of Gion, through which the road to the Mediterranean Sea runs. From the east rises, beyond the Kidron Valley, the Mount of Olives, or Olivet. Mount Zion was located at the junction of the mountain gorges of Tyropeon and the Valley of Hinnom, to which it descended in the southwest. At the top of Zion was located the “city of David,” which I. Flavius ​​calls the “upper city.” Initially, the fortress itself bore the name Zion (2 Kings 5:6–10), but as the city expanded, this name passed to other parts of the city (Isp. 10, 12, 24, 23. 31, 4), often denoting the whole of Jerusalem (Ps. 75:3). “Scripture,” says the blessed one. Theodoret calls Zion the city of David. The Upper City was named this way, and now all of Jerusalem is called so” (question 6 on 1 Kings). The northern border of the “upper city” was the Wall of David with the Gennath Gate. Begun by David and completed by Solomon, this ancient, so-called. The “first wall” ran along the western side of the “upper city”, then went south to the junction of the valleys of Hinnom and Kidron (near the spring of Siloam), turned east until it reached the eastern side of the church, from where it ran in a straight line to the point from which it began. This wall, especially in its northern part, was constantly strengthened, since the northern side of the city, the most open and unprotected by anything other than walls, always served as a point of attack for all enemies, from the Assyrians and Chaldeans to the Arabs and Turks. Herod V. built three famous fortresses - Hippika, Phasaila and Mariamne (at the time of Jesus Christ they had just been rebuilt). These fortresses, rising majestically in the form of towers above the wall, which itself rose high above the crest of a high hill, were built of white marble, and the stones were laid on top of each other with such art that almost no cracks were visible at all. “Each tower,” says Josephus, seemed as if it were a great natural rock, carved by an artist, like the rock-hewn buildings of Edom.” Now the territory of the “upper city” is occupied by the Armenian, southwestern quarter of Jerusalem; it is accessed by a street running from the station through the Jaffa Gate; to the south-east from here rises the citadel or castle of David: one of the towers, almost completely massive in its lower part, which consists of huge stones, is believed to be identical with the tower of Phasail or Hippicus. In general, the “upper city” was an aristocratic, but not a commercial part of the city. If the “lower city” and the suburbs 11 were the place of markets, shops, workshops, then the “upper city” was the place of palaces. On the eastern ridge of Zion stood the old palace of the Maccabees: from its hall one could look out over the city and the church. From the Maccabees this palace passed to Herod: Herod Agrippa was here on that terrible Easter, when Pilate sent Jesus for questioning to the ruler of Galilee (Luke 23.6-7). To the north of the palace there was a large open space, surrounded by a high covered colonnade, known as xista 12, where folk festivities took place. Near the xist the palace of the “royal meeting” rose and the public archives were located. On the slope of the hill was the house of the high priest, with a lower floor under the main premises and a vestibule in front: here on the night of the legend the apostle was. Peter “in the courtyard below” (Mark 14:66). Now on the site of Anna’s house there is the Armenian Church of St. Angels; and near it is the main Armenian church of St. ap. James Zebedee (Armenian Patriarchate), in the western ship of which they indicate the prison in which the apostle was killed (Acts 12:2). There is a large garden, rich in magnificent trees, which extends along the city wall. The street leading south leads to the Zion Gate. Further to the west from the palace of the high priest, the xist, etc., the terrace-like beautiful buildings of the upper city rose, and in the very northwestern corner of it stood the new palace of Herod. It was almost a city and a fortress, and most of the northern half of Mount Zion was within its fence-like walls; the latter at 45 f. tall, with three strong towers on the flank, they formed the second line of defense. "The palace itself was distinguished by indescribable splendor. Vast rooms, with elaborately carved walls and ceilings, some of them decorated with expensive stones, exhibited oriental splendor before thousands of guests at certain times. Gold and silver glittered on all sides. Around these luxurious rooms, porticoes with graceful columns of expensive stone were the place for wide, shady shelters. Alleys and gardens were located around the palace, along with wells and artificial rivers, bordered by long, beautiful alleys, which were visited during the day by everyone, who turned a blind eye to the desecration of Jerusalem by the numerous statues that adorned them 13 . Herod built, or rather expanded and rebuilt the hippodrome and gymnasium for pagan games built by the high priest Jason 14 and turned it into a theater; he decorated it magnificently, decorating it with gold, silver, expensive stones, trophies of his victories (weapons) and inscriptions in honor of Augustus. This pagan building, located on the slope of the Zion Hill towards Tyropeon, directly opposite the temple, aroused deep indignation and caused conspiracies on the part of the Jews 15. It perhaps spoke most eloquently of the power of pagan Rome over the holy city and country and served as a clear omen of the coming end of the holy city. But before God’s judgment was completed on the chosen people and their holy city, Zion, so glorified in the Old Testament (Ps. IX, 12. LOXXIII, 2. LXXXVI, 2-4. XCVIII, 3, etc.), received an even higher glory, however, predicted for it by the prophet (Isa. 2, 2. 3. Mic. 4, 1–3). Ancient Zion - “the mountain of the house of the Lord” (Isa. 2:2) - became “the mother of churches, God’s dwelling place” (Resurrection verse 8 voices). In Zion, the Old Testament ended - the last Passover was celebrated and the New Testament began: here was the upper room in which the Savior of the world celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and established the greatest New Testament sacrament - St. Eucharist. In this same “Upper Room of Zion,” according to legend, another event of great immeasurable importance took place—the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles: “And they came and entered into the upper room, where they remained... all with one accord in prayer and supplication, with certain women, Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:13-14). In the Apostolic Age, a church was built here, which survived the devastation of Jerusalem and is known among Christians as “the first church and the mother of all churches.” Then the churches of St. Helena 16, but since 1559 the Turks, under the pretext that David and Solomon rest here, took away this holy place from Christians and still own it; now here is the En-nebi-Daud mosque (“Prophet David”), which indicates the “tomb of David” (a stone elevation covered with a green shroud), recognized by Muslims as a great shrine - on a par with the tomb of Abraham and Sarah in Hebron. Now, behind the city wall there is an Armenian church, where the altar altar contains most of the stone that was rolled to the tomb of the Savior. Near this church is the Coenaculum building in which the Last Supper was celebrated. Another sacred mountain that shared with Zion all the vicissitudes of the centuries-old history of Jerusalem is Moriah. Solomon, having expanded Jerusalem, included in his area the hill of Moriah, which was located in the northeastern part of Jerusalem and was separated by the Tyropeon Valley both from Zion in the southwest and from Acre in the west. On this mountain, sanctified by the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22) and the appearance of an angel to David during the sea plague (2 Kings 4, 16, 1 chronicles 21, 16), Solomon built a church to Jehovah (1 Kings 6, 1–38, 2 paragraphs 3, 1) 17. In 586 BC. the church was destroyed by the Chaldeans, but upon the return from captivity by the Jews, a second church was built in the same place (536–516), which was subsequently restored by Herod the Great 18. Herod's Church, restored under the strong influence of Greek architecture, surpassed not only the Temple of Zerubbabel, but also Solomon in its volume, splendor and grandeur. In the year 70 AD, during the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, the church along with the city was destroyed by the torch of a Roman soldier. The southern spur of Moriah was occupied by Ophel, where the Nethinim lived (2 par. 27, 3. 33, 14), and there was a quarter of priests. In the south of the cliff, where the latter rose in the shape of a dome, Solomon built himself a palace (1 Kings 3, 1. 7, 1) 19. The church and its courtyard occupied almost the entire Mount Moriah. The area of ​​the mountain is vast at 14½ square meters. desiatin parallelogram is not quite regular in shape. It is almost horizontal and its northwestern corner is only 3 meters (4 arsh.) higher than the northeastern one; twelve gates cut through it: eight in the west, three in the north and one, namely the “golden” gate, in the east; The area is lined with cypresses, olives, pomegranates and other trees. Now the area of ​​Mount Moriah is located in the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem and is occupied by two mosques - Omar and El-Aqsa: the entire space occupied by these mosques with the buildings belonging to them is called Haram Es-Sherif, i.e. “sacred fence”, go “church courtyard”. The Mosque of Omar rises almost in the center of the mountain square and is located on the very site of the Old Testament temple 20. It is built on a natural terrace, representing a natural, leveled rock, which rises three meters (4 arsh.) above the area of ​​the mountain. Wide staircases ending in graceful arcades 21 lead to the terrace from all sides. The Mosque of Omar is a majestic octagonal building and is the most perfect work, the beauty of Arab architecture 22. The main shrine of the mosque is a completely exposed limestone rock located in the very center, surrounded by a balustrade; from this rock the mosque received its very Arabic name - “Kubbet es-Saqra”, i.e. “dome of the rock”, covering the rock, which is recognized by Muslims as the second shrine in the world after the Mecca Kaaba. Jewish tradition, recorded in the Talmud, considers this rock to be the “stone of creation”, on which the world was established, the center of the earth, and many great events of Old Testament history are dated to it: the sacrifice of Isaac, the vision of Jacob; It was as if the Ark of the Covenant was placed on it, which Jeremiah subsequently hid here. The best researchers, however, believe that on this rock there was not the ark of the covenant (“holy of holies”), but an altar of burnt offerings, traces of which are still visible today. On the western and northern sides of the rock, traces of a channel are still visible, through which the blood of sacrificial animals flowed into Mount Moriah and then was diverted into the Kidron stream 23. In the southern part of the Haram there is another large mosque, shaped like a parallelogram with a dome, known as El-Aqsa (“distant, extreme”) 24. According to legend, initially on this site there was a veil built by Justinian. basilica with the Church of the Presentation of St. Mother of God. In a special chapel of the mosque they indicate the stone from which, according to Mohammedan tradition, Jesus Christ ascended to heaven. The ancient quarter of the Ophel, the royal palace, and the cattle pens were turned over time into a church square, completely leveled, and a magnificent triple colonnade was built here, towering over the Ophel with dazzling splendor, known as the royal portico (στόα βασιλχιή). Here, as some suggest, there was a synagogue in which the 12-year-old boy Jesus talked with the Jewish scribes (Luke 2:45-51) 25. At the eastern end of this southern colonnade stood a tower, believed to be the “wing of the church”, which is mentioned in the story of the temptation of Christ the Savior (Luke 4:9). Beyond this height the Kidron Valley yawned 450 ft. below her. From the height of this tower, the priest watched the sunrise every morning and announced it. In the southeast corner of the Haram, a wall contains an entrance and descent into the vast underground structures of Mount Moriah. They represent several galleries (up to 13), running from south to north, deep into Moriah, and formed by tall, thick 4-cornered pillars. These huge underground structures served as a platform for the construction of Solomon’s temple and palace and are known as “Solomon’s stables”: now they have been cleared of centuries-old debris. In the southern and western parts of the underground galleries you can see the remains of the ancient, so-called. “double” and “triple” gates: the double (under the El-Aqsa Mosque) and triple galleries leading from them served as an underground passage to the temple. A stone-lined road led down the mountain to this gate, traces of which were discovered by Varren's excavations. Along this road and through these gates, Christ the Savior, his Most Holy One, undoubtedly often passed to the church, especially during festive processions. Mother and Apostles. In the eastern wall of the Haram, on its inner side, there was another colonnade or gallery, known as Solomon’s porch (Ancient 20, 9. 7). 26 There was a large crowd of people here: the scribes and Pharisees were talking with the people. Here the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles walked and taught (John 10, 23. Acts 3, 11; 5, 12): here it was that the Lord spoke most of His speeches and accomplished most of His deeds in Jerusalem 27. Almost at an equal distance from both ends of the eastern wall there are “golden” or “red” gates (Acts 3, 2, 10); this was the most brilliant gate in the church square, located in the time of Jesus Christ at the top of the long staircase leading to the Kidron Valley: through them, according to legend, Christ the Savior entered Jerusalem on the casting of lots (Matthew 21:10; Mark 11:11) 28. About 400 f. to the north of the southwestern corner of the Haram, outside the fence, in the space between the Omar and El-Aqsa mosques, there is the “wailing wall of the Jews,” representing the remnant of the western wall of the temple, surviving from the Hebrew period. 29 The wall is 48 meters (22 fathoms) long and 18 meters (8 fathoms) high, rising with two rows of stones, some of which are huge blocks. Above these 9 rows of ancient masonry there are 15 rows of smaller stones of Arabic masonry. The lower rows of stones were worn out from the frequent touching of praying Jews. Every Friday, before sunset, you can watch a spectacle that leaves an indelible impression. Jews, in a fit of burning grief, fall to the weathered stones and cry, emitting soul-wrenching cries, and kiss the worn stones. Many of the men, often barefoot, sit for hours, reciting prayers and mourning the loss of Israel's former greatness. To the south of the “Wailing Wall”, which is now located in the African quarter - Moggrebins, Muslims - immigrants from North Africa, lies the so-called. Wilson's Arch, opened in 1865 and representing the remnant of the bridge that connected the north-eastern corner of the xist with the church area (Ancient 14, 4 2, 16: 3) 30. The northern - western part of the Haram represents the highest part of Moriah, at 300 ft. exceeding the highest parts of the city. On a rock plunging steeply into Tyropeon, separated by a chasm from Mount Moriah, in the time of the Savior there was a huge and gloomy tower of Anthony, in its appearance and the nature of its buildings presenting a strange contrast with the church, which all shone with gold and marble under the rays of the sun. Nehemiah is believed to have built the castle of Bir (in I. Flavius ​​- Baris) - a strong 4-cornered structure to protect the church from the north. Simon Maccabeus rebuilt this fortress and turned it into his palace. Baris was decorated with even greater splendor by Herod, who built towers, fountains, galleries, made it his palace and renamed Baris Antonia. The Roman garrison was stationed here, sent from Caesarea to maintain order during the great public holidays; from here the Romans observed the behavior of the people in the church square; an underground passage led from the fortress to the church itself, which was connected to it by colonnades and stairs. The robes of the high priest were kept in the fortress. Here, as is now believed, there was a praetorium (τό πραιτόριον: John 18, 28), the palace of the Roman regional governor - the “procurator” of Judea, as well as Liphostroton, according to Heb. Gavvatha (John 19:13), that is, the stone platform from which Pilate pronounced the condemnation of the Lord and from which the Lord’s way of the cross began. Later, the apostle was imprisoned for some time in the Antonia fortress. Paul (Acts 22:23–27). On the western side of the Haram in biblical times there was a narrow and deep valley called Tyropeon, or “the valley of cheese” (Jude 5:3:2), stretching south to the source of Siloam and separating the two sacred mountains. Seven bridges spanning the Tyropeon connected Zion and Moriah in ancient times: and at the present time seven gates lead to the Haram square from the west, which are believed to correspond to the seven ancient bridges. In Tyropaion the streets had the form of terraces running along the steep slopes of a hill; mountain paths, which replace streets in eastern cities, wound here and there to the top of the hill. Tiropeon was part of the “lower city” and was a populated and commercial part of Jerusalem: there were shops of coppersmiths and woodworkers, a market where clothes were sold, and a square where public holidays were held. – In ancient times, a stream flowed through this valley, perhaps, filled up along with others by Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:4). Later, a water supply system was installed here, supplying the city with water from Solomon’s ponds. Now this valley, for the most part, is littered with garbage, and only the ruins and remains of ancient structures - church walls, bridges, water pipes, cisterns indicate its past life: the Jewish quarter is now located on its site. From Tyropeon, the “lower city,” in the shape of a crescent, headed north, gradually expanding into an almost quadrangular suburb. The northern part of the “lower city” is known as Acres 31. Since the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, this name began to be called the third hill, lying west of Moriah and north of Zion, separated from them by Tyropaion, but it also designated the second part of the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:14). The growth of the city in the northern direction, where only the city could spread, caused the construction of the “second wall” of Jerusalem, which was begun by Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:5) and completed by Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:14), and then restored by Nehemiah (Neh. 2–4 ch.). The second wall, according to I. Flavius, began at the Gennafian (“garden”) gates of the former Zion Wall, which bounded the “City of David” from the north, and surrounded Acre on the western and northern sides, ending at the Tower of Anthony; it had 14 towers. Acre, like Tyropeon, was seething with life and restless urban activity. On the sides of the streets, narrow and crooked, there were butchers' shops, workshops of wool carders or linen spinners. Outside his narrow shops in the streets, in full view of those passing by, a shoemaker was working, making his shoes; a tailor with his needle and a carpenter or coppersmith. Others walked around with some signs of their trade: a dyer with multi-colored threads; a scribe with a cane tucked behind his ear; a tailor with a needle, which he visibly stuck into his clothes: everywhere there were annoying sellers and haggling buyers. And in large dark rooms they traded luxury goods: there were works of Palestine or goods exported from even the most distant countries: glass, silk, fine linens, purple, essences, ointments, perfumes, products made of precious metals. Initially, market days were Monday through Thursday, followed by Friday. The shops where they sold greens and all types of meat had to be constantly open. In Jerusalem, there were special observers of trade in the markets: they certified the correctness of weights and measures and placed official marks on them, tested the quality of food supplies and drinks, and sometimes determined and lowered market prices 32 . To the north of Moriah and Acre stood the fourth hill of Bezeth, rising to the northeast. On it, in the shape of an almost regular quadrangle, lies the “New City” (καινὴ πόλις “kenopolis”), which constituted the northernmost suburb of Jerusalem. In the north-east of Bezefa, at the sheep gate (John 5:2), not far from the sheep market, there was the font of Bethesda 33, which is still located in a dried-up pond filled with garbage in the north of the Haram. During the earthly life of the Savior, this suburb was still little developed and was just being populated. The great northern road passed here; there were gardens and country villas. In the western part of the northern suburb there was a rocky hill bearing the Aramaic name Gulgotha ​​(skull), or Golgotha: the Lord Jesus Christ was brought here to be crucified (Matthew 27:31–33; 28:11 fn. Heb. 13:12). At the foot of the hill there was the garden of Joseph of Arimathea with a new tomb, which was carved into another rock, located in the vicinity of Golgotha. Here the great and terrible mystery of the death of the God-Man and the thunderous miracle of His resurrection took place. In the 41st year of R. Chr. Herod Agrippa began to strengthen the new city and began construction of the third wall of Jerusalem, which was completed only in 66, i.e., at the beginning of the fatal war for Judea and Jerusalem. Now the western part of the former northern suburb, i.e. The northern-western part of Jerusalem makes up the Christian quarter, and the eastern part is part of the Muslim quarter: from this latter to the first the so-called. Via dolorosa, i.e. “The Passionate Path” along which the Lord Jesus Christ was led from Pilate’s palace to Golgotha. Via dolorosa (λυπρὰ όδος) starts from the buildings of Es Serai (Turkish barracks and the Pasha's house), believed to stand on the site of the Antonia Tower. The length of the Passionate Path is about 1200 steps. At a distance of 100 steps from the place where Pilate’s palace stood, there is an arch “Ecce homo”, indicating the place where Pilate showed the Lord to the people after the scourging, saying: “Behold a man” (John 19:5); 245 steps from the arch indicates the meeting place of the Savior with Simon of Cyrene (Matthew 27, 32 and parallel); from here, 300 steps away, the house of St. Veronica, who wiped away the bloody sweat of the Savior with a handkerchief; 300 steps from the last - the Judgment Gate; and from the Gate of Judgment to Golgotha ​​- about 200 steps. There are said to be 14 stops (stations) on the Passionate Way, but they cannot be precisely indicated, since the original Via dolorosa is covered with ruins and lies at a depth of 30-40 feet under the modern street of this name. In the center of the Christian quarter is the Church of the Resurrection or St. Holy Sepulcher. This greatest shrine of Jerusalem consists of: in the middle the Greek Cathedral of the Resurrection, the rotunda of the Holy Sepulcher adjoins its western side; to the south is the church of Mount Golgotha; to the east is the Church of the Finding of St. Cross. To the east of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher there is a Russian house with the Church of Alexander Nevsky, where the threshold of the Judgment Gate 34, discovered during excavations in 1883, is indicated. On the western side of Jerusalem runs the Gion Valley (Hebrew gichon: 2 Chron. 32, 30), which begins near the current Jaffa Gate and then turns to the southeast. In the southwest of Jerusalem, the Gion Valley merges into the Hinnom Valley. The Valley of Hinnom (gei-hinom) or the sons of Hinnom, now called by the Arabs “Wadi El-Rebabi”, in ancient times served as the border of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (I. Joshua 15:8) Now it separates the sloping slope of Mount Zion, with the Zion Gate, from the steep cliff of Mount Evil Conference: on this mountain, according to legend, stood a country palace Caiaphas, in which there was a meeting of members of the Sanhedrin on how to destroy the Lord Jesus (John 11:47-53); now there is a naked hill with ruins. Further on the ledge of this mountain, not far from the mouth of the valley of Hinnom, is Akeldama - “the village of blood”, or “the village of the poor” (Matt. 27:7. Zech. 11:12, 13. Acts 1, 19). Heading towards the east, the valley of Hinnom bends towards the Kidron valley, with which it connects in the southeast of Jerusalem. In biblical times, Tophet was located, i.e. burning place: here the fire, maintained day and night, was supposed to burn all the refuse from the church and the rest of the city. Here, on the heights, stood images of Moloch and Refal with outstretched hands, and superstitious, or rather fanatical parents themselves threw their children into the red-hot hands of cruel deities (2 Kings 23, 10. Jer. 7, 31; 17, 32–4). Even in later times, long after the cessation of the terrible and mysterious cult, this valley evoked horror and disgust among the Jews: the abbreviated form gei-hinnom, “gehenna,” became a word among the Jews meaning hell. On the southern side of the church, where the majestic royal portico rose, there is a view of the Ginnom valley with its unquenchable fires, which Christ the Savior could often contemplate during His visits to the church: in the speeches of the Lord this image of unquenchable fire (“gehenna”) is often found, as a symbol of the eternal torment of sinners. At the bend where the valley of the sons of Hinnom joined the valley of Kidron, the eye rested on the greenery of the vast royal gardens. The valley of the brook Kidron, 35 or “the vale of deplorable”, begins in the north of Jerusalem, where it separates the city area from the hill of Skopos, and heads to the east, at the north-eastern corner of the city it turns to the south and in this southern direction runs along the entire length of the eastern wall of the city, separating the elevated area of ​​​​the Haram (Mount Moriah) from the Mount of Olives. At the junction, somewhat south of the Spring of Siloam, with the Valley of Hinnom, the Kidron Valley, 8 versts from Jerusalem, bifurcates: one channel heads straight to the south, the other turns to the left, to the southeast, and under the name “Wadi-en-Nar” heads to the Dead Sea. In ancient times, it is believed that a constant stream (“nachal”) 36 flowed through the valley; now, only occasionally in winter, for a day or two, does a stream flow here. Previously, the valley was rich in vegetation: pilgrims gathered here on the Feast of Tabernacles to cut large willow branches, which they carried in a solemn procession to the church and laid them, bowing, on the altar. Now, closer to Jerusalem, vegetation is found in the valley - olive and fig trees, under the shade of which Arab huts huddle. But the further you go to the south, the more deserted and desolate the valley becomes. In the southeast of Jerusalem, where the Tyropeon flowed into the Kidron Valley with a wide mouth, there is the source of Siloam (Isa. 8, 6. Neh. 3.15), now among the Arabs Ain-Silwan, which is a deep (up to 3 fathoms) quadrangular pool, lined inside with stones, about 8 fathoms. in length and 3 fathoms. in width; it is connected by a long (1,757 ft.) channel cut into the rock to the spring of the Virgin 37 . The latter (Ain-Sitti Marjam) is 1000 paces southeast of the Harama square and is fed from the springs of Mount Moriah; the water in it ebbs and flows; this seems to be the only source of living water in the vicinity of Jerusalem. During the time of Jesus Christ, the Siloam spring began silently at the foot of the hill and, having filled a double pond, headed south, where it disappeared from view in the royal gardens. The gaze of Christ the Savior, when He looked down from the mountain on which the church was located, could often rest on the quietly flowing waters of Siloam. At the font of Siloam (κολυμβήθρα τοῦ ᾿Σιλωάμ: John 9, 7. 11 fn. Isa. 8, 6), the Lord healed the man born blind. Here was apparently the Tower of Siloam, which fell and buried eighteen people under its ruins (Luke 13:4). Now the pool is dilapidated, its bottom is covered with garbage, and reeds rustle quietly on the sides. Jerusalem reached the heights of splendor and glory under Herod the Great, during the earthly life of Christ the Savior. “As soon as dawn appeared on the Moabite mountains, and then the sun rose from behind the Mount of Olives, causing the morning fog to evaporate and disappear into the deep valley near the Dead Sea, Jerusalem came to life, life and daily activity began to boil in it. The golden roofs and marble walls of the church shone with a dazzling brilliance; the royal pond beyond Tyropaion seemed filled with molten silver; palm trees, cypresses, fig trees in the royal gardens swayed quietly from the soft breeze" 38 . The majestic buildings of the church (on Mount Moriah), the magnificent palaces and buildings of rich Zion aroused delight among the Jews and surprise among the Romans. Jerusalem was for every Jew some kind of enchanted country. “Look at what stones and what buildings,” the disciples said to their Teacher when He left the church (Luke 13:1). But the Divine gaze already saw, still hidden from the human gaze of His disciples, the future, which soon came (13, 2, etc.). “When the silver trumpets of the priests awakened the people to prayer, or the melodious music of the Levites resounded over the city, or the smoke from the sacrifices hung, like a new shekinah, over the temple, against the green Mount of Olives, rising behind the temple; or when in every street, in the courtyard and on the roof of the house, huts were set up on the Feast of Tabernacles, and at night the lights from the temple illumination cast long fantastic shadows over the city; or when at Passover tens of thousands of Jews ascended the mountain with their Passover lambs, and hundreds of thousands sat down to celebrate the Passover supper, it was almost difficult to believe that paganism was so close to Jerusalem, that the Romans rightfully, and soon in fact, became the rulers of the country" 39 ... When the Lord Savior descended with his disciples from the Mount of Olives and looked at the city spread out before Him, he wept over it and said: “Oh, if only you, even on this day, knew what serves for your peace! But these things are now hidden from your eyes, for the days will come upon you when your enemies will surround you with trenches, and surround you, and press you in from everywhere. And they will ruin you, and beat your children, and not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visit” (Luke 19:41-44). In these words and in these Divine tears is the entire centuries-old fate of Jerusalem. Many storms and thunderstorms swept over Jerusalem and now again heavy thunderclouds are swirling there, on the distant horizon of the holy city. “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, my right hand will be forgotten” 40. In Ps. 75.3 Salem is compared with Zion as an equivalent concept. Flavius Josephus testifies to the identity of Jerusalem with ancient Salem: 10. 2), note. The Jebusites came from the descendants of Ham through Canaan. The idea of ​​peace is connected with the name of Jerusalem in Ps. 75, 3. Ps. 121, 6; Zach. 12, 6. Luke, 19, 42. According to the Old Testament concept - and in the middle of the whole earth: Ezek. 5, 5; 38, 12. Ps. 73, 12. Each stone was 30 feet long, 15 wide. and from 7 to 8 in thickness. According to Josephus I., Jerusalem was divided into an “upper city,” a “lower city,” a church area and a suburb, or “new city.” Ζυστός - a covered row of columns in a gymnasium or schools for competitions, where athletes competed in winter - so called because of the smooth floor. Geiki, Holy Land and the Bible. I issue. 247 and 302. This high priest tried to introduce Greek civilization into the Jewish country. He changed his Jewish name Joshua to Jason. In addition to the theater, Herod also built a huge amphitheater, which is believed to be located northwest of Jerusalem, behind the second city wall. The Temple and Moriah were also called Zion (Ps. 63, 8. 64, 2). About Herod's Church in Gospel. John (2:20) says that it took 46 years to build. Solomon also built a palace for the Egyptian princess (1 Kings 7, 8. 2 par. 8,11) and many different government buildings (1 Kings 9, 10–28), and also completed the construction of walls and fortresses begun by David (1 Kings 3, 1. 9, 15, 24). Although the mosque is known under the name of Omarova, it was not built by Omar, but by Abd El-Melekh in 691. The steps of these staircases by their very number (in the average number) are reminiscent of the 15 steps on which David sang the “psalms of ascent” and with which, according to legend, the Most Holy One ascended to the church. Virgin Mary. Olesnitsky A. prof. “Holy Land”, I. p. 114, Glagolev A. prof. "Jerusalem", 28. The length of each side of the octagon is 20 meters (about 27 arsh.) and the entire diameter of the mosque is 53 meters (about 71 arsh.). The height of the dome, supported by 4 massive pillars and 12 columns, is 30 meters (40 arches). Prof. A.A. Olesnitsky. “The Old Testament Church”, pp. 790 next. Distant in its location relative to other sanctuaries of Islam (Koran. Sur. 17). Glagolev, 29. There are no historical traces of the existence of this synagogue. Edersch. , 312. The wall itself still lies on the foundation laid by King Solomon. In Evangel. John (10, 23) it is noted that He taught in the temple, in Solomon's porch (ἐν τ ῇ Σολομῶνος). At the same gate sat a beggar, lame from birth, whom the apostle healed. Peter and who entered with the apostle into Solomon's porch, walking, jumping and praising God (Acts 3:1-10). Hakkotel meareb, i.e. “western wall” - in relation to the Haram square. According to archaeologists, this part of the wall is of truly ancient origin, especially its lower rows, which, as Jews think, were part of the church wall. The stones here are up to 4 arshins in size, and around each stone there is a carving, a finger 3 wide. Brockhaus, 655. Ακρα – the name by which the LXX renders the Hebrew Millo (2 Kings 5:9), means fortress, castle, bastion. Acre or Millo, which existed among the Jebusites, was expanded and strengthened by David and his successors - Solomon (1 Kings 9, 15. 11, 27), Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32, 5). Glagolev, 13. The very name Bethesda, especially its other reading - Βηθ - ξάτα (in Tischendorf) resembles the name of the hill Vezefa. Glagolev, 11 bn. Edersheim, . The discovery during excavations at a Russian site, near the Church of the Resurrection, of the threshold of the Gate of Judgment actually confirmed the correctness of the general direction of the “Passionate Way” indicated by tradition, as well as the authenticity of the real site of Golgotha ​​and the Holy Sepulcher. Glagolev, 30–31. Heb. qidron – dark, gloomy. See 2 Sam. 15, 23. 1 Kings 2, 37. In ev. John (18, 1): ό χειμά ῥῤ ος τῶν Κεδρῶν. Nachal means constant flow, not intermittent or wintry (“wadi”). Glagolev, 8. This canal or tunnel was opened in 1867. engineer Warren. In 1880, Schikkom discovered the so-called. “The Siloam Inscription” (6 lines), telling about the digging of a tunnel. Both the canal and the inscription are generally dated to Hezekiah's time. Glagolev, 10. The description is compiled based mainly on the following works: Glagolev A., priest. (prot.) “Jerusalem is biblical-Jewish and – in part – modern in historical and archaeological terms.” Brockhaus and Efron. Encyclop. Dictionary, vol. XIII Peter. 1894, Dr. K. Geikie. Life and teachings of Christ. Transl. from English priest Mich. Fiveysky M. 1893 Alfr. Edersheim. The life and times of Jesus the Messiah. Transl. from English priest M. Fiveysky, vol. 1st. Prof. A. A. Olesnitsky. Holy Land, part 1: Jerusalem and its environs 1875, etc. You might be interested in: