DAYS 10 & 11 of the Tour - Jerusalem

For this post, we are combining days 10 and 11 since we will spend most of our time within the walls of the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is very challenging to explore historically and archaeologically since it is a modern city with vibrant communities and traditions. We can’t simply point to an area of the site and describe the Iron Age settlement during the time of Solomon as we do at Megiddo. Instead, we need to create mental pictures of what the city might have looked like during the biblical periods. To this end, a trip to the Israel Museum on the afternoon of the first day in Jerusalem will be immensely valuable. The stunningly beautiful and expansive model of Jerusalem during the NT period will help us grasp the magnificence of the city during the Roman Period.

Earlier in the day, the visit to the Mount of Olives will afford us a general view of the city, but again, this will not be quite what the 19th century A.D. Scottish artist David Roberts was able to capture during his visit to the Holy Land. His rendering of the city from the Mount of Olives takes us a little bit closer to the stillness and quaintness of the ancient city.

Current excavations at the city of David (see AOT ch. 14) along with Hezekiah’s tunnel (AOT ch. 17, especially pp. 345-346) give us a great, albeit limited view of what Jerusalem was like during the monarchy of the Hebrew kings, along with its water system. For a chronology and description of the current excavations, check this very informative website.

On the second day, part of our time will spent on the al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount and what is left of the Herodian era retaining wall for the temple today (the Wailing Wall).

The afternoon time will take us to Bethlehem and the traditional sites related to Jesus’ birth. One highlight will be a visit to Bethlehem Bible College, directed by a Gordon-Conwell alumnus. We will be exposed to the missional challenges of Christian ministry in the volatile context of the region, which will serve as a fresh reminder of the need to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in the Middle East today.

• Text References: AOT chs. 14, 17; ANT ch. 3
• Map References: CBA 243, 244, 245, 265