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Mount of Olives

Coordinates:31°46′42″N35°14′38″E/ 31.77833°N 35.24389°E/31.77833; 35.24389
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"Mount Olivet" redirects here. For other uses, seeMount Olivet (disambiguation).

Mount of Olives
Mount Olivet
Aerial photograph of the Mount of Olives
Highest point
Elevation826 m (2,710 ft)
Coordinates31°46′42″N35°14′38″E/ 31.77833°N 35.24389°E/31.77833; 35.24389
Naming
Native name
  • הַר הַזֵּיתִים(Hebrew)
  • الطور / جبل الزيتون(Arabic)
Geography
LocationJerusalem
Parent rangeJudean Mountains
Climbing
Easiest routeRoad
A-Sawane Neighborhood on the Mount of Olives

TheMount of OlivesorMount Olivet(Hebrew:הַר הַזֵּיתִים,romanized:Har ha-Zeitim;Arabic:جبل الزيتون,romanized:Jabal az-Zaytūn;both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic alsoالطور,Aṭ-Ṭūr,'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge inEast Jerusalem,east of and adjacent toJerusalem's Old City.[1]It is named for theolive grovesthat once covered its slopes. The southern part of the mount was theSilwan necropolis,attributed to the elite of the ancientKingdom of Judah.[2]The western slopes of the mount, those facing Jerusalem, have been used as aJewish cemeteryfor over 3,000 years and holds approximately 150,000 graves, making it central in the tradition ofJewish cemeteries.[3]Atop the hill lies thePalestinianneighbourhood ofAt-Tur,a former village that is now part ofEast Jerusalem.

Several key events in the life ofJesus,as related in theGospels,took place on the Mount of Olives, and in theActs of the Apostlesit is described as the place from which Jesusascended to heaven.Because of its association with both Jesus andMary,the mount has been a site ofChristianworship since ancient times and is today a major site of pilgrimage forCatholics,the Eastern Orthodox,andProtestants.

Geography and geology

Olive tree on the Mount of Olives said to be 800–2,000 years old[4]

The Mount of Olives is one of three peaks of a mountainridgewhich runs for 3.5 kilometres (2.2 miles) just east of the Old City across theKidron Valley,in this area called theValley of Josaphat.The peak to its north isMount Scopus,at 826 metres (2,710 feet), while the peak to its south is the Mount of Corruption, at 747 m (2,451 ft). The highest point on the Mount of Olives is At-Tur, at 818 m (2,684 ft).[5]The ridge acts as awatershed,and its eastern side is the beginning of theJudean Desert.

The ridge is formed of oceanicsedimentary rockfrom theLate Cretaceousand contains a softchalkand a hardflint.While the chalk is easilyquarried,it is not a suitable strength for construction and features manyman-made burial caves.

History

The Mount of Olives,c. 1899
The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives, 155 years apart. The map, from 1858,considered the most accurate in existence at the time,marks the Jewish graves clearly on the bottom left. The aerial photo, from 2013, is taken from the south.

FromBiblical timesuntil the present,Jewshave been buried on the Mount of Olives. Thenecropolis on the southern ridge,the location of the modern village ofSilwan,was the burial place of Jerusalem's most important citizens in theperiod of the Biblical kings.[2]

The religious ceremony marking thestart of a new monthwas held on the Mount of Olives during theSecond Temple period.[6]During the time of theRoman procuratorAntonius Felix(52–60 CE), a Jewish prophetic figure known as "the Egyptian"gathered his followers atop the Mount of Olives in preparation for an invasion of the city or in the belief that he would cause the walls of Jerusalem to fall, allowing them to enter (depending on the version). This group was crushed by the Romans. While" the Egyptian "managed to flee, many of his followers were killed or taken captive, and the remainder escaped.[7][8]

Roman soldiersfrom the10th Legioncamped on the mount during theSiege of Jerusalemin the year 70 AD.[9]After the destruction of theSecond Temple,Jews celebrated the festival ofSukkoton the Mount of Olives. They made pilgrimages to the Mount of Olives because it was 80 meters higher than theTemple Mountand offered a panoramic view of the Temple site. It became a traditional place for lamenting the Temple's destruction, especially onTisha B'Av.[6]In 1481, an Italian Jewish pilgrim,Meshullam of Volterra,wrote: "And all the community of Jews, every year, goes up toMount Zionon the day of Tisha B'Av to fast and mourn, and from there they move down along Yoshafat Valley and up to Mount of Olives. From there they see the whole Temple (the Temple Mount) and there they weep and lament the destruction of this House. "[10]

In 1189, in the wake of the 1187Battle of Hattinand reconquest of the land bySaladin,the sultan gave the Mount to two of his commanders.

In the mid-1850s, the villagers ofSilwanwere paid £100 annually by the Jews in an effort to prevent the desecration of graves on the mount.[11]

Prime Minister of IsraelMenachem Beginasked to be buried on the Mount of Olives near the graves ofEtzelmembersMeir FeinsteinandMoshe Barazani,rather thanMount Herzlnational cemetery.[12]

Status since 1948

Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives

Thearmistice agreementsigned by Israel and Jordan following the1948 Arab–Israeli Warcalled for the establishment of a Special Committee to negotiate developments including "free access to the holy sites and cultural institutions and use of the cemetery on the Mount of Olives". However, during the 19 years theJordanian annexation of the West Banklasted, the committee was not formed. Non-Israeli Christian pilgrims were allowed to visit the mount, but Jews of all countries and most non-Jewish Israeli citizens were barred from entering Jordan and therefore were unable to travel to the area.[13][14][15]

By the end of 1949, and throughout the Jordanian rule of the site, some Arab residents uprooted tombstones and plowed the land in the cemeteries, and an estimated 38,000 tombstones were damaged in total. During this period, a road was paved through the cemetery, in the process destroying graves including those of famous persons.[16]In 1964, theIntercontinental Hotelwas built at the summit of the mount. Graves were also demolished forparking lotsand afilling station[17]and were used inlatrinesat aJordanian Armybarracks.[18][19][20][21]TheUnited Nationsdid not condemn the Jordanian government for these actions.[22]

State of Israel

Following the 1967Six-Day Warrestoration work was done and the cemetery was reopened for burials. Israel's 1980unilateral annexationof East Jerusalem was condemned as a violation of international law and ruled null and void by the UN Security Council inUNSC Resolution 478.

Tombs in theMount of Olives Jewish Cemeteryhave been prone to vandalism, among them the tombs of theGerrer RebbeandMenachem Begin.[23][24][25][26]

On 6 November 2010, an international watch-committee was set up byDiaspora Jewswith the aim of reversing the desecration of the Jewish cemetery. According to one of the founders, the initiative was triggered by witnessing tombstones that were wrecked with "the kind of maliciousness that defies the imagination."[26]

Religious significance

Hebrew Bible references

David and Absalom

The Mount of Olives is first mentioned in connection withDavid's flight fromAbsalom (II Samuel15:30): "And David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went up." The ascent was probably east of theCity of David,near the village ofSilwan.[1]

Site of "the glory of the Lord"

The sacred character of the mount is alluded to in theBook of Ezekiel(11:23): "And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the city."[1]

"Mount of Corruption"

The biblical designation Mount of Corruption, or in HebrewHar HaMashchit(I Kings11:7–8), derives from theidol worshipthere, begun byKing Solomonbuilding altars to the gods of hisMoabiteandAmmonitewives on the southern peak, "on the mountain which is before (east of) Jerusalem" (1 Kings 11:7), just outside the limits of the holy city. This site was known for idol worship throughout theFirst Templeperiod, until king of Judah,Josiah,finally destroyed "the high places that were before Jerusalem, to the right of Har HaMashchit..." (II Kings23:13)

Apocalypse, resurrection, and burials

An apocalyptic prophecy in theBook of Zechariahstates thatYHWHwill stand on the Mount of Olives and the mountain will split in two, with one half shifting north and one half shifting south (Zechariah 14:4). According to theMasoretic Text,people will flee through this newly formed valley to a place calledAzal(Zechariah 14:5). TheSeptuagint(LXX) has a different reading of Zechariah 14:5 stating that a valley will be blocked up as it was blocked up during the earthquake during KingUzziah's reign. Jewish historianFlavius Josephusmentions inAntiquities of the Jewsthat the valley in the area of theKing's Gardenswas blocked up by landslide rubble during Uzziah's earthquake.[27]Israeli geologists Wachs and Levitte identified the remnant of a large landslide on the Mount of Olives directly adjacent to this area.[28]Based on geographic and linguistic evidence,Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau,a 19th-century linguist and archeologist in Palestine, theorized that the valley directly adjacent to this landslide is Azal.[29]This evidence accords with the LXX reading of Zechariah 14:5, which states that the valley will be blocked up as far as Azal. The valley he identified (which is now known as Wady Yasul in Arabic, and Nahal Etzel in Hebrew) liessouthof both Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.

Many Jews have wanted to be buried on the Mount of Olives since antiquity, based on the Jewish tradition (from the Biblical verse Zechariah 14:4) that when the Messiah comes, the resurrection of the dead will begin there.[30][unreliable source?]There are an estimated 150,000 graves on the Mount. Notablerabbisburied on the mount includeChaim ibn Attarand others from the 15th century to the present day. Tradition wrongly identifies Roman-period tombs at the foot of the mount as those ofZechariahandAbsalom,and a burial complex of the same period on the upper slope as theTomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

New Testament references

Flevit super illam(He wept over it); byEnrique Simonet,1892

The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in theNew Testament[31]as part of the route from Jerusalem toBethanyand the place whereJesusstood when he wept over Jerusalem (an event known asFlevit super illaminLatin).

Jesus is said to have spent time on the mount, teaching and prophesying to his disciples (Matthew 24–25), including theOlivet discourse,returning after each day to rest (Luke21:37, and John 8:1 in the additional section of John's Gospel known as thePericope Adulterae), and also coming there on the night of his betrayal.[32]At the foot of the Mount of Olives lies theGarden of Gethsemane.The New Testament tells how Jesus and his disciples sang together – "When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives"Gospel of Matthew26:30. Jesusascended to heavenfrom the Mount of Olives according to Acts 1:9–12.

Gnostic references

Again, the story of Jesus with his disciples on the Mount of Olives can be found in theGnostictextPistis Sophia,dated around the 3rd to 4th century CE.[33]

Landmarks

Landmarks at the top of the Mount of Olives include theAugusta Victoria Hospitalwith the Lutheran Church of the Ascension and its massive 50-metre (160 ft)bell tower,the Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension with its tall and slender bell tower, the Mosque orChapel of the Ascension,theChurch of the Pater Noster,and theSeven Arches Hotel.On the western slope are the historicJewish cemetery,theTomb of the Prophets,the CatholicChurch of Dominus Flevit,and the Russian OrthodoxChurch of Mary Magdalene.At the foot of the mount, where it meets theKidron Valley,there is the Garden ofGethsemanewith theChurch of All Nations.Within the Kidron Valley itself are theTomb of the Virgin Mary,the Grotto of Gethsemane, and the nearby tomb of the medieval historianMujir ed-Din,and further south are the tombs ofAbsalom(Hebrew name: Yad Avshalom), theHezir priestly familyand ofZechariah.At the northern margin of Mount Olivet stand theMormon Universitywith theOrson Hyde Memorial Gardenand the Jewish settlement ofBeit Orot,bordering on theTzurim Valleyand the Mitzpe Hamasu'ot ('Beacons Lookout') site, where theTemple Mount Sifting Projectfacilities are located.[34][35]What lays north of here belongs to Mount Scopus.[citation needed]On the south-eastern slope of the Mount of Olives lies the Palestinian Arab village ofal-Eizariya,identified with the ancient village ofBethanymentioned in theNew Testament;a short distance from the village centre, towards the top of the mount, is the traditional site ofBethphage,marked by a Franciscan church.[34]

The construction of theBrigham Young University Jerusalem CenterforNear Eastern Studies,better known locally as the Mormon University, owned and operated bythe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS) near the Tzurim Valley which separates the Mount of Olives from Mount Scopus, initially sparked controversy because of concerns that theMormonswould engage in missionary activities. After the Mormons pledged not to proselytize in Israel, work on the building was allowed to proceed.[36]

Gallery

See also

alt text
Mount of Olives in July 2009

References

  1. ^abcHar-El, Menashe (1977).This is Jerusalem.Jerusalem: Canaan Publishing House. p. 117.
  2. ^abUssishkin, David (May 1970). "The Necropolis from the Time of the Kingdom of Judah at Silwan, Jerusalem".The Biblical Archaeologist.33(2): 33–46.doi:10.2307/3211026.JSTOR3211026.S2CID165984075.
  3. ^"International committee vows to restore Mount of Olives".Ynetnews.8 November 2010.
  4. ^"The Ancient Olive Trees on the Mount of Olives".Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development.Government of Israel. Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-28.Retrieved2019-04-28.
  5. ^Hull, Edward (1885).Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine.Richard Bentley and Son, London. p. 152.
  6. ^abHar-el, Menashe (1977).This is Jerusalem.Jerusalem: Canaan. pp. 120–23.
  7. ^Josephus,the Jewish War,2.261-63;Antiquities of the Jews,20.169-72
  8. ^Gray, Rebecca (1993).Prophetic figures in late Second Temple Jewish Palestine: the evidence from Josephus.New York, N.Y. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 116–117.ISBN978-0-19-507615-8.
  9. ^Rogers, Guy MacLean (2021).For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE.New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 547.ISBN978-0-300-24813-5.
  10. ^Nom de Deu, J. (1987).Relatos de Viajes y Epistolas de Peregrinos Jud.os a Jerusalén.Madrid. p. 82.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^Menashe Har-El (April 2004).Golden Jerusalem.Gefen Publishing House Ltd. p. 244.ISBN978-965-229-254-4.
  12. ^Sheleg, Yair (2007-04-07)."The good jailer".Haaretz.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-11-15.Retrieved2010-07-16.
  13. ^To Rule Jerusalem By Roger Friedland, Richard Hecht, 2000, p. 39, "Tourists entering East Jerusalem had to present baptismal certificates or other proof they were not Jewish."
  14. ^Thomas A Idinopulos, Jerusalem, 1994, p. 300, "So severe were the Jordanian restrictions against Jews gaining access to the old city that visitors wishing to cross over from west Jerusalem...had to produce a baptismal certificate."
  15. ^Armstrong, Karen, Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, 1997, "Only clergy, diplomats, UN personnel, and a few privileged tourists were permitted to go from one side to the other. The Jordanians required most tourists to produce baptismal certificates—to prove they were not Jewish...."
  16. ^Ferrari, Silvio; Benzo, Andrea (2016-04-15).Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean.Routledge.ISBN9781317175025.
  17. ^Bronner, Ethan; Kershner, Isabel (2009-05-10)."Parks Fortify Israel's Claim to Jerusalem".The New York Times.Retrieved2010-03-27.
  18. ^Alon, Amos(1995).Jerusalem: Battlegrounds of Memory.New York: Kodansha Int'l. p.75.ISBN1-56836-099-1.After 1967, it was discovered that tombstones had been removed from the ancient cemetery to pave the latrines of a nearby Jordanian army barrack.
  19. ^Meron Benvenisti (1996).City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem.University of California Press. p.228.ISBN978-0-520-91868-9.
  20. ^Har-El, Menashe.Golden Jerusalem,Gefen Publishing House Ltd, 2004, p. 126.ISBN965-229-254-0."The majority (50,000 of the 70,000) was desecrated by the Arabs during the nineteen years of Jordanian rule in eastern Jerusalem."
  21. ^Tessler, Mark A.A History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,Indiana University Press, 1994. p. 329.ISBN0-253-20873-4.
  22. ^Blum, Yehuda Zvi(1987).For Zion's Sake.Associated University Presse. p. 99.ISBN978-0-8453-4809-3.
  23. ^Mount of Olives security beefed up to stop vandalism,Jerusalem Post 17-12-2009
  24. ^Has Israel abandoned the Mount of Olives?,Jerusalem Post 15-05-2010
  25. ^Vandalism returns to Mount of Olives cemetery,Ynet News 12-05-2010
  26. ^abShameful dereliction at the Mt. of Olives Cemetery,Jerusalem Post 06-11-2010
  27. ^Flavius Josephus,Antiquities of the Jews,book 9, chapter 10, paragraph 4, verse 225,William Whiston
  28. ^Daniel Wachs and Dov Levitte, Earthquake Risk and Slope Stability in Jerusalem, Environmental Geology and Water Sciences, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 183–86, 1984
  29. ^Charles Clermont-Ganneau,Archaeological Researches in Palestine, Vol. 1. p. 420, 1899; Charles Clermont-Ganneau,Palestine Exploration FundQuarterly Statement, April 1874, p. 102
  30. ^Mount of Olives description, from www.goisrael.comArchived2012-03-20 at theWayback Machine,retrieved January 4, 2012.
  31. ^Matthew 21:1;26:30, etc.
  32. ^Matthew 26:39
  33. ^G. R. S. Mead(1963). "2".Pistis Sophia.Jazzybee Verlag.
  34. ^abAlternative Tourism Group (ATG)- Study Center.The Mount of Olives[1]
  35. ^"Emek Tzurim".The City of David. 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-02-12.Retrieved2010-07-16.
  36. ^"Jerusalem – Beyond the Old City Walls".Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. July 22, 1946.Retrieved2013-03-26.

External links

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