The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge east of Jerusalem with three peaks. It is associated with Jewish and Christian traditions, as Jews have been buried there since Biblical times and Jesus spent time there, teaching and prophesying to his disciples. Key landmarks on the Mount of Olives include the Church of All Nations, Garden of Gethsemane, Church of Maria Magdalena, Dominus Flevit Church, Church of Pater Noster, and Mary's Tomb.
The Mount of Olives, a long ridge to the east of Jerusalem, is the location of many biblical events. At 820 metres, it is Jerusalem’s highest peak and offers an unrivalled vista of the Old City and its environs.
The ridge, also called Mount Olivet, takes its name from the fact that it was once covered with olive trees.
In the Old Testament, King David fled over the Mount of Olives to escape when his son Absalom rebelled (2 Samuel 15:30).
After King Solomon turned away from God, he built pagan temples there for the gods of his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:7-8).
Ezekiel had a vision of “the glory of the Lord” ascending from the city and stopping on the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 11:23).
Zechariah prophesied that in the final victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil, the Lord of hosts would “stand on the Mount of Olives” and the mount would be “split in two from east to west” (Zechariah 14:3-4).
A place for pilgrims to sleep
Until the destruction of the Temple, the Mount of Olives was a place where many Jews would sleep out, under the olive trees, during times of pilgrimage.
During the Siege of Jerusalem which led to the destruction of the city in AD 70, Roman soldiers from the 10th Legion camped on the mount.
In Jewish tradition, the Messiah will descend the Mount of Olives on Judgement Day and enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate (the blocked-up double gate in the centre of the eastern wall of the Temple Mount, also known as the Gate of Mercy, or the Beautiful Gate).
For this reason, Jews have always sought to be buried on the slopes of the mount. The area serves as one of Jerusalem’s main cemeteries, with an estimated 150,000 graves.
Among them is a complex of catacombs called the Tombs of the Prophets. It is said to contain the graves of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, but the style of tombs belongs to a later time.
From Byzantine times the mount became a place of church-building. By the 6th century it had 24 churches, surrounded by monasteries containing large numbers of monks and nuns.
The Mount of Olives, a long ridge to the east of Jerusalem, is the location of many biblical events. At 820 metres, it is Jerusalem’s highest peak and offers an unrivalled vista of the Old City and its environs.
The ridge, also called Mount Olivet, takes its name from the fact that it was once covered with olive trees.
In the Old Testament, King David fled over the Mount of Olives to escape when his son Absalom rebelled (2 Samuel 15:30).
After King Solomon turned away from God, he built pagan temples there for the gods of his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:7-8).
Ezekiel had a vision of “the glory of the Lord” ascending from the city and stopping on the Mount of Olives (Ezekiel 11:23).
Zechariah prophesied that in the final victory of the forces of good over the forces of evil, the Lord of hosts would “stand on the Mount of Olives” and the mount would be “split in two from east to west” (Zechariah 14:3-4).
A place for pilgrims to sleep
Until the destruction of the Temple, the Mount of Olives was a place where many Jews would sleep out, under the olive trees, during times of pilgrimage.
During the Siege of Jerusalem which led to the destruction of the city in AD 70, Roman soldiers from the 10th Legion camped on the mount.
In Jewish tradition, the Messiah will descend the Mount of Olives on Judgement Day and enter Jerusalem through the Golden Gate (the blocked-up double gate in the centre of the eastern wall of the Temple Mount, also known as the Gate of Mercy, or the Beautiful Gate).
For this reason, Jews have always sought to be buried on the slopes of the mount. The area serves as one of Jerusalem’s main cemeteries, with an estimated 150,000 graves.
Among them is a complex of catacombs called the Tombs of the Prophets. It is said to contain the graves of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who lived in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, but the style of tombs belongs to a later time.
From Byzantine times the mount became a place of church-building. By the 6th century it had 24 churches, surrounded by monasteries containing large numbers of monks and nuns.
Epoch-Making Events Hosted by Christ Embassy in the Second Half of 2016Chris Oyakhilome
The Man of God, Rev. (Dr.) Chris Oyakhilome would be hosting American Pastor, Benny Hinn for a two-day event, “Miracle Healing and Impartation Services” at the prestigious LoveWorld Convocation Arena, in Lagos Nigeria that starts on Friday 28th October 2016.
Most of us can recall people who would refuse to eat grapes until a priest blessed the fruit.
There is a day in the year when people buy the grapes before going to the church because on this special day grapes enter the church as “forbidden fruit” and leave it blessed. This festival is a mixture of celestial and terrestrial, solemnity and familiarity, tradition and modernity
Mark Twain's Holy Land: Journey of a Lifetime to IsraelJudith Isaacson
Mark Twain's journey to the Holy Land in the 1800s is journaled in his book, Innocents Abroad. Vivid words capture his journey of a lifetime. The following photos were shot by fellow European and American travelers to the Holy Land in the 1800s who captured the essence of the Promised Land in photographs.
Travelers camped along the route, used camels and donkeys to transport their very cumbersome luggage and as personal transportation. One can guess that hot showers at the end of the dusty trail were more mirage than reality.
Epoch-Making Events Hosted by Christ Embassy in the Second Half of 2016Chris Oyakhilome
The Man of God, Rev. (Dr.) Chris Oyakhilome would be hosting American Pastor, Benny Hinn for a two-day event, “Miracle Healing and Impartation Services” at the prestigious LoveWorld Convocation Arena, in Lagos Nigeria that starts on Friday 28th October 2016.
Most of us can recall people who would refuse to eat grapes until a priest blessed the fruit.
There is a day in the year when people buy the grapes before going to the church because on this special day grapes enter the church as “forbidden fruit” and leave it blessed. This festival is a mixture of celestial and terrestrial, solemnity and familiarity, tradition and modernity
Mark Twain's Holy Land: Journey of a Lifetime to IsraelJudith Isaacson
Mark Twain's journey to the Holy Land in the 1800s is journaled in his book, Innocents Abroad. Vivid words capture his journey of a lifetime. The following photos were shot by fellow European and American travelers to the Holy Land in the 1800s who captured the essence of the Promised Land in photographs.
Travelers camped along the route, used camels and donkeys to transport their very cumbersome luggage and as personal transportation. One can guess that hot showers at the end of the dusty trail were more mirage than reality.