On my many visits to Old Jerusalem, sometimes I would climb stairs to walk around on top of the wall surrounding the city. From the wall on the east side I could see a mountain where many religious sites are identified. I could't wait to cross the valley and climb the "Mount of Olives".

As I have pointed out before, the Holy Land is important to Christians, Jews, and Muslims . So, often a site has been venerated by more than one religion (Christian/Jew, Christian/Muslim, or all 3 or some other combination). Christianity has its roots in the faith of the ancient Hebrews. Jesus was a Jew, and so, many Jewish sites are therefore also connected to Christianity. Muslims, accept Jesus as a prophet, but not Messiah, and also have an interest in some of the locations as Christians. Here, on the Mount of Olives, I found most of the places Christian specific, but not all.

The Mount of Olives is not a part of Jerusalem, it is one of three hills east of Jerusalem. But, it's always associated with Jerusalem and at one time was covered with olive trees. Jesus would have traveled over this mountain when He walked between Jericho and Jerusalem.

The Mount of Olives is 330 feet higher than Jerusalem. Most people either take a taxi up to the top, or go by tour bus. But, what fun is that? I walked up several different times! The sites to see are spread out all over the mountain and require a lot of up and down climbing . So, I only visited a few sites each time I went. Here are a few of the sites. I wrote about more in the upcoming blog entries.


TOMB OF MARY, MOTHER OF JESUS
Walk out Lion's Gate in the Old City Jerusalem, cross the Kidron Valley, and you will find the Tomb of Mary at the foot of the mountain. There is no mention in the New Testament about the death and burial of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, but this site is widely accepted as the tomb. 

The tomb is located inside a dimly-lit, below-ground-level church. From the road steps go down to a square courtyard to the upper church. Then, stairs descend immediately from the entrance down into a cave filled with dozens of hanging oil lamps and incense. 

Halfway down the wide steps are the memorial shrines of Joseph, Mary's husband, and on the other side the shrine of her parents .

The underground church is in the shape of a cross. At the bottom of the wide steps, turn right to reach Mary's Tomb. This is an empty tomb, now enclosed by glass. The low doorway is to make sure anyone entering will have to bow, showing their respect for the sanctity of the site. 

Protestant Christians honor Mary as the virgin God chose to give birth to His Son. Roman Catholics believe in the Assumption of Mary, whereby she was assumed bodily into heaven either before or after her death. (There is a church south of Zion's Gate called The Church of the Dormition. It is dedicated to the belief in the assumption. It's important to Catholics, but I didn't visit there.)

A place has been set aside for Muslims to pray. Since Islam regards Jesus as a prophet, Mary is important in their religion. Muslims also believe that during the Night Journey of Mohammed, he witnessed a light appear over the tomb of the Virgin Mary .


"OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN"
Near the top of the mount, is the place believed to be where Jesus taught His disciples "The Lord's Prayer". He taught the prayer on 2 occasions, once in the Sermon on the Mount in Galilee and the other time here. It's the Church of the Pater Noster, Latin for "Our Father".


A cave located on this site is thought to be where Christ spoke to His disciples and taught them how to pray. After His crucifixion, Jesus’ followers would have faced opposition from the Jewish community and the Romans for continuing to believe in Jesus and follow his teachings. So, this cave was a safe, secret place for them to gather.

Roman Emperor Constantine built a church over the cave here in the 4th century. Pater Noster Church is a part-reconstruction of Constantine’s church . Built to the same dimensions, it gives a good idea of what that original church looked like. 

Steps below the altar platform lead down to the crypt of the 4th-century basilica, partially built in the cave. But only a little of the stonework remains of that original church.

The Lord’s Prayer is written in more than 160 languages here (more continually being added). Each prayer version is painted on tiles and hung on the walls around the courtyard. The English prayer is written in Braille.


"JESUS WEPT" - THE DOMINUS FLEVIT CHURCH
To visit this church I walked halfway down the western slope of the Mount of Olives, on a narrow road with high walls on either side. The Church is built in the shape of an upside down teardrop. This small church commemorates the time Jesus looked down on the city of Jerusalem and wept over it as he prophesied its future destruction . The scriptures say "Jesus Wept". Then He rode the donkey down the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem as crowds threw their clothes on the road in front of Him.

The day I went, there was some type of special service going on, so I didn't get to go inside. But, I stood at the back door and looked in!


A CONTRAST OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
Leaving the "Jesus Wept" church, across the steep, narrow road, there is a high wall. What I saw, looking through a hole in the wall, made me stop in my tracks to think about where I stood.


The wall a few feet behind me surrounded the church remembering how Jesus wept because the Jew rejected the Messiah that HAD come.


In front of me was a wall surrounding the world's largest and oldest Jewish cemetery, placed here in the hope that the Messiah WILL come one day .


The Jews believe that when the Messiah comes, the dead will begin to rise from their graves starting on the Mount of Olives. So, 150,000 Jews have picked this as their gravesite, facing Old Jerusalem. If it were available, a burial plot would cost more than $50,000.


Futher down, in the bottom of the Kidron Valley, at the foot of this mountain, is the Christian cemetery. I did not fo there, but it is said to be run down and unkept. Muslims are buried on the east hillside below the Temple Mount.


THE CHURCH OF MARY MAGDALENE
I tried several different days to find the entrance to this church. It's a Russian Orthodox Church with seven gilded onion domes, each topped by a tall cross. It looks like something from a Disney movie. You can see the gleaming domes all the way from Old Jerusalem, when looking towards the Mount of Olives . The church honors Mary Magdalene, one of the few persons named in the Gospels as being present at Christ’s crucifixion and who was the first recorded witness of His Resurrection.


The church has about 30 nuns living in the convent and, after finally finding it one day, it was closed to visitors that day. So, I just saw the awesome exterior, but I read that the interior is very ordinary.


SCRIPTURE: 
Jesus laments over Jerusalem: Luke 13:34
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem: Luke 19:37-44
The Lord’s Prayer:Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-4
Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene: John 20:1-18
King David flees over the Mount of Olives: 2 Samuel 15:30
King Solomon builds pagan temples: 1 Kings 11:7-8
“Glory of the Lord” stops on Mount of Olives: Ezekiel 11:23
Splitting of mount prophesied: Zechariah 14:3-4
Jesus enters Jerusalem: Luke 19:29-44
Jesus foretells his Second Coming: Matthew 24:27-31


NEXT: "THE UPPER ROOM & GARDEN OF GETHESEMANE"