Models and Memories—Day Eight

A view looking north across the City of David, which appears in the lower right foreground
of this 1/50th scale model of First Century Jerusalem

Israel's National Museum offers a remarkable exhibition—a scale model of 1st Century Jerusalem. Constructed by artisans, some of whom have dedicated their lives to this "living model". It was described thus by our guides because the model is constantly being revised as new archaeological evidence comes to light. Apparently, the model-makers have the final say though. The newly excavated southern steps below the Temple Mount show both a two-arch and a three-arch entry and exit course, but the modeler responsible for what you see above (look carefully at the southern Mount wall) believes the original was symmetrical and has left his model thus.

A view of the Temple Mount from the east as it would have appeared during the Second Temple period right before its destruction in 70 A.D. 

Founded in 1965, the museum is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The museum grounds feature sculpture by Rodin and Henry Moore, among others. One can get a feel for the zeitgeist of Israel just by touring the grounds. But the real treasures lie within. The museum is a large complex, covering dozens of acres. Its various exhibits trace the story of the Promised land from prehistoric times through to the biblical narrative. Leaving our tiny Jerusalem behind, we ventured into a part of the museum dedicated to the Qumran discoveries. Interior photography is forbidden within the exhibit, where lush displays enlivened the ruins we had seen only a couple of days before. Artifacts related to the Essene's scribal work lined a darkened hallway leading to the main exhibit. We saw storage urns, lamps, and all manner of tools for copying ancient scrolls. The heart of this exhibit though was a copy of the most famous of the Qumran discoveries—a complete scroll of Isaiah.

Though interior photography is prohibited, some bloggers took a chance and were rewarded with a treasured image of the main display. Here Isaiah's scroll is shown in the round where the exhibit is designed to mimic a scroll within a clay jar.

A detailed view of a portion of Isaiah's scroll. The display features a convincing copy.
The original is too precious to risk exposing.

Another view of the scroll.

This copy pre-dates any previous manuscript witness by 1000 years and testifies to the remarkable work of God throughout history by the hand of His people to preserve His word. This oldest copy shows only minor textual variations, none of which alter the message of the prophet to God's people.

The exterior roof mimics the lids on storage urns within which the Qumran scrolls were found.
Its color and system of water fountains help cool the building's interior.

A black obelisk sits opposite the white roof of the Qumran exhibit,
contrasting the darkness of evil with the light of God's truth.

After a full morning, we made our way to the Mount of Remembrance, the site of Israel's national cemetery and memorials like Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust memorial. The area's beauty belies its purpose, to memorialize one of the darkest periods in the history of the Jews, if not the world. Interior photography is banned because of an appropriate reverence for the gravity of these memorials. Few in our party left without a profound sense of the harm done to the Jews, and the remarkable bravery of those numbered as the Righteous Among the Nations.

Funded by a Holocaust survivor who lost her child to the death camps,
this installation memorializes the millions of children who were killed. 

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The entrance to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial

A beautiful walk and monument bisect Yad Vashem at its apex.

After a short and somber bus ride, we made our way to David's Tomb Compound on Mount Zion. The site is considered by some to be the burial place of David, King, according to a tradition traced to the 12th century. A majority of historians and archaeologists do not consider it to be David's final resting place and instead favor a recently discovered complex of tombs in the City of David, precisely where one would expect to find David's remains according to the biblical record.

Part of the complex known as Davids Tomb, photo courtesy of Matt Curfman, Red Bus, yeah! :-)

The compound also hosts a Jewish seminary, considered one of the holiest sites in Israel. Christian pilgrims, like our group, honor the wishes of the seminarians by segregating men and women, with the men traveling one route to the tomb and the women another. Men also don a kippah or yarmulke, as it is commonly termed.

A traditional site believed to be David's tomb from about the 12th Century.

The Cenacle (from Latin cēnāculum "dining room"), also known as the "Upper Room", is part of the compound as well. It is traditionally held to be the site of the Last Supper. The historical building is currently managed by the State of Israel Ministry of the Interior, but it has passed thus through many hands along the way. The site bears evidence of Byzantine, Crusader, medieval Franciscan, and Muslim handiwork. Thought by some to be an ancient synagogue used by early Christians, there is little archaeological evidence to support this claim. However, the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D. makes it difficult to determine the site's early use.

Beautiful Gothic details are evident in the traditional site for the Upper Room

It also still bears evidence of Muslim rule when the church was converted to a mosque.

Leaving the crowds behind, we travel north through Jerusalem to the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu, built on the excavated remains of Caiaphas house. The church seems to cling to the hillside, almost as if suspended above its foundations. A short walk through the grounds brings us to the rough and tumble remains of the wealthy and expansive grounds where Caiaphas' household stood.

The Church of St Peter in Gallicantu

The foundations of a large complex identified as the home of Caiaphas,
where Jesus would have undergone one of His trials.

More recent ruins of a Byzantine church built upon the site. Thanks, Matt Curfman for the pic!

Original First Century stairs which would have led into the High Priests house.
It is likely that Jesus, John, and Peter would have walked upon these stones.

A trip through the history of Jerusalem is a trip through layers, where depth equals age. The deeper you go, the older are the artifacts. One has to navigate layers of civilization, sacred structure, and rubble to reach the time of Christ. It was a joy that we were rewarded at day's end by the hard work of archaeologists who had uncovered for us a site that Jesus would likely have recognized.

As we boarded the buses for our hotel, shabbot was beginning, but not just any Sabbath. This one was special. It was part of a three-day celebration of Purim, where everyone dressed up in outrageous costumes to celebrate the memory of Queen Esther's story and deliverance of the Jews from the evil Haman! You can read all about it in the Book of Esther. Just go to Psalms and take a left past Job. :-)