Herodium (ANT chapter 4)
Herodium is one of the many of Herod the Great’s building projects (21 total), but this one holds particular appeal for several reasons. The view from the top of the tumulus offers great vistas of the Judean wilderness and the hill country. Its architectural remains are equally impressive. But, Herodium is most famous for the claim by the first Century AD Jewish historian that Herod was buried there. Over the course of the centuries, the actual burial site has proved to be particularly elusive. In 2007, however, the search came to an end, when Hebrew University archaeologist Ehud Netzer discovered Herod’s final resting place. For an account of the discovery, do read the following Smithonian article.
Jerusalem
For those of us who live in the Boston area, the Museum of Science is currently showing an IMAX movie about the city of Jerusalem. But for those of us who can’t go, we’ll have even a better show, since we will walk “the places where Jesus walked” (to use a well known phrase by generations of visitors to the region).
Sites we will visit inside the Old City will include the Pool of Bethesda. From the Damascus Gate, we will take the way of the Cross/Via Crucis/Via Dolorosa which finds its way through the Old City, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The complex (an area that stood outside the city walls at the time of Jesus) is historically connected to Golgotha and Jesus’ tomb. As a result, this site has always been the center of attention for Christian Pilgrims since the first Christian emperor Constantine replaced the Roman temple to Venus (Greek Aphrodite) with a Church (4th Century A.D.) For a detailed description of the stations of the Cross (followed by Christian Pilgrims today) consult this website which also contains great pictures of the Old City. Today, the Church complex is shared by several branches of the Orthodox Church, chief of which is the Greek Orthodox with Theophilos III, the Jerusalem Patriarch ) and the Roman Catholic Church.
Protestants have no formal jurisdiction over the complex. Typically, Protestant pilgrims have gathered instead at the site called the Garden Tomb. While it does evoke the tomb from which Jesus rose from the dead, archaeological research at the site refutes the idea. The Wikipedia entry is a good introduction to the debate on the historical value of the Garden Tomb*
*While I do not endorse Wikipedia as a scholarly reference, the summary on the Garden Tomb is actually quite good as it describes the history of the tomb.
Conclusion
As you make final preparations for our tour, I recommend Jerome Murphy-O'Connor's The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, Fifth Edition. Consider bringing it along as a companion to the tour. A paperback version can be purchased at the Gordon-Conwell CBD website and a Kindle version is available at Amazon.com.
Thus, we end our time together in the Holy Land in a fitting manner: a time of reflection and of re-commission to the high calling of discipleship (Luke 9:23) and what this means for our lives today. As so many travelers to the region have testified, we will never quite read the Scripture in the same way as a result of our exposure to the sights and sounds of the place where God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).
- Scripture References: Matt 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; Luke 9:23; John 1:14
- Text References: ANT ch. 3, 4
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