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The history of Israel - Different perspectives
Biblical ProductionsInternational Producer Sharon Schaveet 3]
"Everyone has a city, and its name is Jerusalem"
-Israeli poet, Natan Yonatan
Sharon Schaveet biblical productions
Jerusalem is considered a holy city by Jews, Christians, and Moslems from all over the world. It has some of the trappings of an ordinary modern city, but Jerusalem's heart and true uniqueness lies inside its Old City's walls. Within an approximately one square kilometer area lies the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, and centuries of historical treasures piled layer upon layer, only to be discovered occasionally during archeological excavations.
The Old City is set apart from the modern city by a wall with seven open gates. A great deal of the city's rich history comes to light by learning more about these gates. The wall that is standing today, as well as most of the gates, was built by the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, between 1535 and 1541. It is not completely clear to historians why Suleiman built the wall around the city. For hundreds of years prior to the Ottoman rule, Jerusalem did not have secure walls surrounding it. Some scholars claim that the Turks feared a second crusade from Europe; others argue that the main reason was to protect the city from attacks of violent Bedouins. Although the reason for the wall is not clear, the purpose of each gate is evident. The function of each gate throughout history usually comes across in the evolution of the gate's name. Overall, by reviewing each gate, one can better understand the history of the city as well as the demographic developments and changes that have taken place over the years.
Jaffa Gate [3]
The Jaffa Gate is the largest, and is considered to be one of the main gates of Jerusalem's Old City, which today can be accessed on foot and by car. Situated above the Hinnom Valley, its topographical benefits are the reason why the Jaffa Gate was the primary gate during most of its history. The reason why it is called Jaffa Gate is because during the 19th century the traffic to and from the main port of Jaffa passed through this gate.
There are three inscriptions around the gate that explain its history. The main inscription, found above the gate, denotes the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled over Jerusalem during the wall's construction, between 1537 and 1540.
The Jaffa Gate was also known throughout the centuries as Hebron Gate, or Bab al-Khalil, which is a phrase in Arabic referring to Abraham the friend of God, because Abraham is connected to the city of Hebron, and this gate led to Hebron. The second inscription, found inside the gate, refers to this name. The inscription reads: "There is no God aside from Allah and Abraham is loved by God." In the past, the gate was also referred to as Bethlehem Gate (because it led to Bethlehem) and during the Crusader period, David's Gate (because of its close proximity to the Tower of David).
The final inscription is found outside the gate, to the right of the entrance, above a stone bench. It was added after the Six Day War when the wall underwent repairs. It reads: "On the 19th of December 1969 the repair of the city's walls was completed." This is accompanied by a quote from the book of Nehemiah referring to the completion of the city's walls.
Up until the 1870's the Jaffa Gate was closed each night at sunset and was reopened at sunrise. The Jaffa Gate was the first gate to open during evening hours because the first neighborhoods built outside of the Old City walls were adjacent to the Jaffa Gate.
New Gate
The origin of this gate's name is, quite unimaginatively, because it is the most recent gate added in the Old City's walls. Built in 1889, the New Gate was created due to pressure from the French Ambassador on the Sultan Abdul Hamid II to ease the passage between convents and churches in the Old City and hostels built for pilgrims outside of the Old City walls. In Arabic the gate is called Bab Abdul el-Hamid, after the Sultan who built the gate.
Damascus Gate
Built in 1538, by Suleiman the Magnificent, the Damascus Gate is the most visually striking of all the gates. Since the time of Herod's rule over Jerusalem, the location of the Damascus Gate has served as the main passageway from the Old City to the direction of Damascus and Nablus (in Hebrew the gate is called Shchem Gate - Hebrew for Nablus). The Arabic name for the gate is Bab al-Amud or the "Column Gate", originating from a column that stood opposite the gate during the Roman era, which held a statue of the Caesar. The Damascus Gate was the main gate to old city during the Roman era. The existence of this pillar is noted in the ancient Madaba map, which was found in a church in Jordan and contains a detailed map of the old city of Jerusalem during the Byzantine period (for more information on map see article - "The Madaba Map and Jerusalem").
Like most of the Old City's gates, the Damascus Gate also has a Christian name given to it during the Crusader period. It was called St. Stephen's Gate, after the first martyr, Saint Stephen, because the gate led to his burial site. Jewish pilgrims during the Middle Ages referred to the gate as "Abraham's Gate."
Herod's Gate
Herod's Gate, also known in Arabic as the Flower Gate, leads to the Moslem quarter. It is called Herod's Gate because in the late Middle Ages it was believed that a crusader church in the middle of the Moslem quarter was built on the remains of Herod's palace. This crusader church became a mosque called Dir Al Adas. Flower Gate, a second name for the gate, originates in a misunderstanding. The gate was named after a nearby Moslem cemetery, al-Sahairad, but the name of the cemetery is similar to the word for Flower, which led to a confusion in the pronunciation. And thus, over time the gate became known as the Flower Gate. The gate was closed until 1875, and after it was opened the first Arab buildings were built outside of the city walls, including large private houses surrounded by vast land. Over time an Arab neighborhood developed next to the gate called Bab-al-Sahairad- the flower gate neighborhood.
Lion's Gate
The Lion's Gate is the only open gate on the Eastern side of the wall. Like most of the gates it has had many names throughout history, given to it by Jews, Arabs, and Christians. Its present name, Lion's Gate, was given by Jews in the mid 19th century. On the outside of the gate there four images of Lions which is the reason for the gate's name. Some believe that the lions are the insignia of the Sultan Baybares who ruled over Israel and Jerusalem from 1260.
The gate is significant in modern Israeli history because IDF paratroopers entered the Old City through this gate during the Six Day War. The Lion's Gate is also significant because it is along the route of the Via Dolorosa.
Zion Gate
Zion Gate, located next to Mount Zion, is also called Bab Hrat el-Yahud - Gate to the Jewish Quarter, because of its close proximity to the Jewish Quarter. The gate was also referred to as the Gate of David the Prophet, because one would pass through this gate to get from the Old City to the grave of King David on Mount Zion.
In earlier times there was no gate at this location, because during the First and Second Temple periods, and during the Byzantine era, Mount Zion was considered part of Jerusalem. The mountain was first secluded from the city in the 11th century, before Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders. During the Crusader period there was a gate and a wicket at this site that eased the passage from the city to Mount Zion, where an illustrious Crusader church was located. Afterwards, the Moslem conquerors, who captured the city from the Crusaders, built a stronger and more elaborate gate a few meters away. When Mount Zion was not part of the Old City a gate was needed in order to allow a passageway for people of different faiths wors
The Search for the Cross
Today, thousands of pilgrims commemorate Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. According to the Scriptures, when Jesus entered the city, He already knew the fate that would befall Him and told His disciples that He was to die on the Cross. Carrying his own cross, and flogged by Roman soldiers, Jesus made his way along the streets of the Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem - the traditional way of the Cross. Thousands of pilgrims still follow the route of Jesus each year during Good Friday on the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Agony. The last Stations of the Cross are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is said that here Jesus was crucified, and His Cross was found 300 hundred years later.
Rumors indicate that fragments of the Cross that touched the body of Jesus are still hidden inside vaults in the basements of the church. We are told that only a few priests are given access to the remains of this holiest of relics in the Holy Sepulchre Church.
.According to the legends, the story of the True Cross begins long before the Crucifixion. Some of the most important references about the early history of the True Cross can be found in simple Church of San Francesco in Arrezo in Tuscany, Italy where the early renaissance painter Piero Della Francesca told the stories and beliefs about the True Cross in a group of frescos. Della Francesca was inspired by The Golden Legend, a tale that had been written by a Franciscan monk in the 13th-century.
The first fresco of the cycle tells the story of Adam's death. As Adam's death was approaching, he begged his son Seth to bring him some relief from the Garden of Eden. The archangel Michael gave Seth a branch from the tree of knowledge. But Adam died before Seth got back, so Seth planted the branch at the head of Adam's grave. A tree grew upon that spot, which eventually became the tree used in the crucifixion of Jesus. This link between Adam and Jesus through the Cross may sound like an odd coincidence, but it has theological significance. Through the tree that became the Cross of Christ, man again finds paradise; at the Monastery of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, it is traditionally believed that the seed was planted for the tree from which the Cross of Jesus was made.
Popular interpretations suggest that the Cross was made of olive wood. But would an olive tree actually be strong enough to support the body of a man being crucified? Furthermore, if you look at olive trees, you'll see that olive trees are very short. They are so short because they have to be pruned. If you don't prune an olive tree, they grow up and up, which would be good for a crucifixion, but not good for olives. The olive tree was one of the least suitable trees available. What's interesting is that many people know the story about the Valley of the Cross in Jerusalem where the wood for Jesus' cross might have been taken from. The Monastery of the Valley of the Cross is a 6th century Byzantine monastery, but the legend which ties that monastery to the Cross of Jesus comes a thousand years later, in the 16th Century.
Archeologist Vasilios Tzaferis, who was once a priest at the monastery, found that although most of the stories have never been proven in fact, they provide the only known history of the Cross. "There is an opening, according to the legend or the tradition, and this is the place where the Tree of the Cross grew up. This is the story."
The Greek Orthodox version of the Legend of the Cross is painted on the walls of the Church of the Holy Cross. According to Greek Orthodox tradition, the story of the Cross begins with Lot, Abraham's brother. When Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot abandoned the city and sinned with his daughters. According to the legend, he then went to his brother Abraham to ask him how he could purged of his sin. Abraham had been visited by three angels who announced the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. They left three sticks in his tent. Abraham gave these sticks to Lot, and told him to plant them, and give them water from the River Jordan. If a tree would bloom from these sticks, God would forgive Lot's sins.
According to the legend, Lot was supposed to bring water from Jordan, but the devil was always trying to prevent him to bring water because he knew what would happen to the tree, and the sticks; he was always appearing to him as a thirsty man and was drinking his water. But finally, when he succeeded in bringing some water and watering the sticks, they bloomed into a kind of tree with three sorts of trees: the cedar, the bross, and the pine."
The Greek Orthodox tradition tells us that the tree was cut down in the days of King Solomon, and the intention was to use it as a beam in Solomon's Temple. But the beam didn't fit, and it was thrown away as a damned beam. In the time of Jesus, this damned beam was recovered, and out of it the Cross of Jesus was made.
The Golden Legend also associates the wood of Jesus' Cross with the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. King Solomon cut down the tree from his grove to use in the building of the Temple. But the beam was eventually discarded, and used as a footbridge over a small stream. When the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem to pay her respects to the king, she discovered the bridge. When it was divinely revealed to her what the final use for this wood would be, she knelt in reverence. Solomon heard of Sheba's reverence, and began to fear for the kingdom of the Jews, should the purpose of the wood be discovered. To protect his people, he had the footbridge removed, and the wood buried.
Hundreds of years later, the wood of the Cross floated up to the surface of the pool of Bethesda at the time of Jesus' trial. This scene is depicted in a painting by the medieval painter Agnolo Gadi. In his painting the carpenters are building the Cross from the wood which was found in the pool of Bethesda. It was here that Jesus healed the cripple, saying to him, "Rise, take up your pallet and walk." Next to Bethesda is the Church of St. Anne, and not far is the site of Jesus' arrest and trial.
The stone floor of the praetorium was originally part of a street from the time of Jesus. From here begins the Way of the Cross. Flogged by Roman soldiers, Jesus carried His Cross to the site of the crucifixion, believed to be in the Holy Sepulchre Church. He was crucified on a small hill called Golgotha, the Place of the Skull. The bare rock can still be seen inside the church in a chapel that commemorates the sight of the crucifixion. "And when they came to the place which is called the skull, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right, and one on the left."
Because of the immense impact they had on the world, the last days of Jesus have always been an object of fascination. Special dramatizations of Jesus' last days are performed every Easter. In Manila, every year a few Christians are chosen to emulate their Savior. This tradition of re-enacting the passion has spread to all corners of the world. Believers would still do anything to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Throughout the Roman empire, crucifixion was a common method of execution for criminals and traitors. Crucifixions took place every day. No records were left from Roman times of how crucifixion was actually implemented. For centuries, artists created their own interpretations of the crucifixion. Opinions varied as to how Jesus was attached to the Cross. The most popular representation of Jesus is with nails through the palms of his hands, and His feet crossed at the ankles. However, doctors say that the victim eventually dies from asphyxiation rather than pain by itself.
Since the 1940's, experimental research has been carried out to discover exactly how crucifixions were performed. Students were even hung on a cross in all kinds of ways to determine which were the most likely to have been used in Roman times. A momentous discovery in a burial tomb near Jerusalem led to the first archaeological evidence of crucifixion. The bones of a man who had been nailed to a cross were found.
In 1968, they discovered in Jerusalem the remains of a young Jewish man who was crucified around the time of Christ. And what was interesting about it is that until today it is the only direct evidence of crucifixion in the world. What we have here is an iron nail coming from the outside of the foot, after being driven through a piece of wood. You can still see the wood here after 2, 000 years, and traces of the wood, which is olive wood.
After His crucifixion, the body of Jesus was taken down from the Cross and laid on the Stone of Unction, and prepared for burial. "Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid." - Luke 23:53. Although no one today knows were the original tomb of Jesus was, the shrine in the church commemorates the place where his body rested for three days. The events of the next few days became the foundation of a new religion. Jesus' resurrection gave His followers the faith to spread His teachings around the world.
A controversial discovery in Jerusalem revealed four burial ossuaries from the time of Jesus, that were believed by some to be the tombs of the holy family. There is an inscription which might say 'Jesus, the son of Joseph." Engraved on one of the ossuaries seems to be the name Jesus, son
of Joseph. On another, the name Maria is clearly engraved, and on the third, Joseph. The other one is Joseph, which is Yoseph -- all of the names are in Hebrew. According to historians, these were common names in Jesus' time, and their appearance together could be just a coincidence.
According to Jewish law, the bones found in the coffins were buried in a secret grave site. If indeed the bones of Jesus rested in this coffin, it would put the idea of His resurrection into question. However, if there were no empty tomb, one could still believe in the resurrection because in all the creeds of Christendom, there is never mention of an empty tomb.
In 326 AD, Helena the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, came to Jerusalem in an attempt to locate the authentic location of the crucifixion and asked the local Christian bishop where the sites of the crucifixion and resurrection were, the bishop took her to a built-over area where there had been a pagan temple to the goddess of Venus. It is widely accepted that the crucifixion took place on this site. It had only been three hundred years since the actual event took place when Queen Helena found the site and built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Yet this location is disputed by most Protestants. They believe that the site of the resurrection was in the Garden Tomb, outside of the City walls. This fits the biblical description.
The rock nearby is believed to be the site of the Crucifixion, and surprisingly resembles the form of a skull. For Queen Helena, this empty space would have been more convenient to build the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
This is an argument for the authenticity of the site of the Holy Sepulchre, namely that if they had wanted to lie, or they didn't know, or if they didn't have a strong local tradition of where it was, and they just chose convenience, that is, they found an open space nearby.
Legend, however, paints the history of the discovery of the Cross differently. Firstly, Helena is the one responsible for the search, and the finding of the Cross. The Golden Legend tells us that in her search for the True Cross, Empress Helena found a Jew named Judas who knew of its location. He refused to tell her, so she had him thrown in an empty well, and starved him.
As depicted by the artist Piero Della Francesca, Judas directed Helena and her entourage to a temple within the city walls dedicated to Venus. Helena ordered the temple demolished so that the digging could begin in search of the holy wood. Twenty fathoms down into the ground, three crosses were found.
When the True Cross was identified, it was divided into three pieces.
One was sent back to Constantinople. Another was sent to Rome, and the third remained here in Jerusalem. To commemorate the finding of the True Cross, a feast day was declared. Every year in early May, the relic was brought out to be venerated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After mass, pilgrims were invited to kiss the wood. As ancient and similar to the veneration of the Cross, the most spectacular of the ceremonies celebrated at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the annual miracle of the Holy Fire. Thousands of ecstatic worshipers anxiously await the fire that descends from heaven, directly into the tomb of Jesus. After it is released, they rush forward to share in its light. Documents from the 4th century describe the celebration of the veneration of the Cross.
The discovery of the True Cross was the most important discovery
in Christian history. So influential was this finding, that among the Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine Emperor Constantine, and his mother Helena, are now venerated along with the Cross.
The Christians of Jerusalem remained prosperous and at peace for almost three centuries. But the tables turned with the brutal attack by the Persians under king Chosros. Their aim was to wipe out all traces of Christianity in the Holy City. Thousands of the faithful were slaughtered. Churches were pillaged and burned. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was especially hard-hit.
When the Persians came through, they stole the relic of the Holy Cross, the main relic that was here -- a big chunk. And, the Christians felt this was a disaster.
Chosros was prepared to destroy the True Cross, but his wife, herself a Christian, convinced him against it. Instead, he brought it back to his palace. Chosros started a new religion, making himself a god. He put the Cross next to his throne, representing the son in the holy trinity, and since the dove represents the Holy Spirit, he replaced it with a rooster. The Christians of Byzantium could not tolerate the thought of the True Cross and Jerusalem being under the control of non-Christians. From Constantinople, the emperor at the time, Heraclius, set out in 620 AD to recapture territory from the Persians. In 627 AD, he and his men met Chosros and his army in a fierce battle on the plains of Ninveh. Heraclius was victorious and Chosros was beheaded.
In the Church of the Holy Cross, an icon depicts the return of the Cross to Jerusalem. Heraclius himself brought the sacred relic back to Jerusalem. Legend tells that when he arrived, adorned as a king, suddenly the stones of the Golden Gate joined together like a wall.
According to the legend of the True Cross: 'The angel of the lord then appeared on the gate, saying, when the king of heaven went to his passion by this gate he was not arrayed like a king, but came humbly on an ass.' In Agnolo Gadi's painting of the legend, Heraclius arrives on his horse humbly carrying the Cross. Gadi painted only a partial cross in Heraclius' hand because according to the story, three hundred years earlier Helena had cut the wood of the Cross into three pieces.
The artist Piero Della Francesca, however, wanted to show the Cross in all its magnificence, and ignored this important element in the story by painting the Cross whole. Having the True Cross in Christian hands was imperative to the believer as a potential vehicle for the divine. From this time on, the Byzantines carried the holy wood with them into battle, as a symbol of their faith and devotion.
According to one: "The orthodox armies, whether in Byzantium, or in Greece, or in Russia, right through the First World War, when they would go into battle, the priests would carry an icon of the Holy Cross. This is preserved in the great music of Tchaikofsky's Overture in which the Russian's side is represented by a hammering motif - the antiphon of the Holy Cross. This is because the priests with the Russian army carried the icons of the Holy Cross into battle."
Shortly after Heraclius' triumphant return to Jerusalem with the True Cross, the swift horsemen of Arabia rode in. They wrested away the entire southern Mediterranean seaboard, including the shores of Palestine. Jerusalem was defeated, and once again, the balance of power was changed in the Holy City. Unlike previous conquerors, the Moslems took the reigns of power without shedding any blood. At first, religious sites and churches were left intact.
The situation became worse for pilgrims who came from the West in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, as they were barred from the holy places. The stories these pilgrims brought back with them to the Church began a religious ferment to free the Holy Land. In 1012, the mad Caliph al-Hakim ordered the destruction of all non-Moslem sanctuaries. Once again, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was leveled.
The True Cross, kept in the lower levels of the church, is said to have been spared in the destruction. The Christians of Europe were calling for a Crusade to redeem the site of the Holy Cross.
The Crusades were essentially launched to recover the possibility of Western Christians coming on pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre, and the place of the Crucifixion and the place of the relic of the Holy Cross. It was considered offensive and a scandal that this holiest of Christian sites should be "in Moslem hands."
The call to crusade suddenly became a call for a collective act of penance, a panacea for the needs and woes of an entire generation. And the Cross was the symbol under which they fought, in the name of God. The Crusaders wore a cross in red on their cloaks, and when they went off on Crusade, they were blessed by the bishop with the sign of the Cross.
By the spring of 1097, four large armies had concentrated at Constantinople. After two years of battle in the region, they finally reached Jerusalem. On June 7, 1099, the Crusaders laid siege to Jerusalem. By the 15th of July, the Moslems could no longer hold out under the pressure. The Crusader Knights tasted their sweetest victory. The Holy Sepulchre and the True Cross of Jesus were back in Christian hands.
When the Crusaders came to Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox priests hid the Cross, they didn't want to give it to the Latins. And then, only after torture, they revealed where they hid the cross, and since then, the True Cross became the major relic that they took to all the battles."
The Crusades did not end with the capture of Jerusalem. The knights had a mission to Christianize the entire region. The relic of the True Cross became the battle standard of the Crusaders, and was carried by the patriarch of Jerusalem in front of the troops to inspire the warriors in battle. They were rarely defeated for over a hundred years. When the Crusaders nearly lost one battle, it was attributed to the fact that they didn't have the cross with them. Under Crusader rule, Jerusalem was Christianized, and the symbol of the cross heralded the top of the Golden Dome of the Rock.
By the end of the Twelfth Century, the new leader of the Moslem army was determined to shake the Crusaders' hold on the Holy Land. Saladin was a gifted statesman, and in the eyes of the great masses of Islam, he represented the embodiment of Moslem virtues. To the Moslem leader, the war he was waging against the Christians was also holy. In 1187, Saladin took definitive steps to quash the Crusader knights. In the blazing heat of the Middle Eastern summer, the Crusaders met Saladin's army just outside Tiberias.
They slowly moved towards Tiberias, but the Moslems forced them to withdraw to a crop of rocks called the "Horns of Hattin." And then, there was the last battle because the knights could not do anything without their horses. And the heavy iron armor killed them in the heat of summer.
Rather than waiting in their protected enclaves for Saladin to back down, they set out towards the sea of Galilee to rescue the besieged city. Twenty thousand men set out on the second of July, in full armor, despite the excruciating heat. They would find no water until they reached the sea. The hot and thirsty Crusaders were no match for the Moslem warriors, who set fire to the brush around them. When the smoke thinned, the Crusaders threw down their weapons and laid themselves at the mercy of their captors. The Cross was lowered by Moslem hands. There's a beautiful illuminated manuscript depicting Guy of Lusignan, the Crusader king facing Saladin, and Saladin is holding the True Cross and snatching it from the hands of Guy of Lusignan."
The True Cross was in the hands of the Moslems. The Crusaders felt that the symbol of their victory was gone. Their presence in the Holy Land was in jeopardy. Within months, the Holy Land was conquered by the Moslems, and the Crusaders were pushed to the shores of Tyre in Lebanon. There they prepared for their next crusade to save the Holy Cross. Led by Richard the Lionhearted, the Crusaders laid siege to the city of Acco. The Moslems were almost defeated; negotiations for the Holy Cross began. It was then in the Acco region, because we know that the negotiators of Richard the Lionhearted were permitted to venerate the True Cross when they went to negotiate with Saladin in August of 1191. And then, Richard made one of the greatest mistakes of his life by slaughtering over 2, 000 Arab prisoners and the negotiations were broken off. The following November, Richard brought up the question again with Saladin, and again the negotiations are broken off. It took the Crusaders and their Moslem conquerors years of negotiation to settle their disputes over the Holy Land. Richard the Lionhearted asked Saladin for the return of the True Cross. "To you it is nothing but a piece of wood but it is very precious in our eyes and if the Sultan will graciously give it into our hands, we will make peace." Unfortunately, Saladin rejected the Crusaders' request but during the fifth crusade, the Moslems agreed to give the True Cross back to its rightful owners.
In 1219, the fifth Crusade was besieging Danietta in the delta of Egypt, and the Sultan al Kamil offers them the True Cross, Jerusalem, and central Palestine, if the Crusaders will leave Egypt. They refuse -- they think they can win. Several months later, its clear no one is going to win. There are new negotiations, al Kamil again offers the True Cross, it's accepted by the Crusaders, but then when the Moslems go to look for it, they can't find it. And that's the end of the story.
Opinions vary as to where the Sultan took the True Cross. Some say it was taken to Damascus, and placed under the steps of the largest mosque in the city. There the feet of every passerby would tread upon the True Cross, bringing renewed humiliation to the Christian faith.
The main part of the cross disappeared, but small portions of it still remained in the form of relics. By early medieval times Christians began collecting relics with an intensity never known before. Merchants were making their fortunes selling phony bones and cloth from the garments of saints, and wood from the Cross of Jesus to believing Christians who hoped to benefit from their healing powers. Small portions of the wood of the True Cross, often set in reliquaries covered in gold and gems, were sold to those who could afford them. The oldest reliquary that we have from the Middle Ages dates to 1130; it's in the form of a gold cross with two bars. It was 23 centimeters high, and it is gold wrapped around a wooden frame, and into that wooden frame were stuck slivers which were taken from the relic of the True Cross in Jerusalem.
Many Churches around the world claim to have pieces of the True Cross in their possession. This powerful relic has meant money and prestige. To Christians, no relic could be more powerful, or valuable, than a piece of the True Cross. The wood that remains today is the only relic that could actually have touched the body of Jesus. When real relics could not be found to venerate, every kind of fraud was perpetuated.
It's been alleged that there are probably as many pieces of the Cross around as to build Noah's Ark. Somebody decided to look at this, and they found out that if you look at all the Churches that claim that they have parts of the True Cross, there is only about enough wood for one cross.
Deep in the basement of the Holy Sepulchre Church, beneath the site of the crucifixion, some pieces of the True Cross are kept in a secret vault. This is the most valuable relic of the Greek Orthodox Church, and is rarely presented in public. It is believed that the biggest piece of the Cross in existence today is kept there. Its origin, according to one priest, is from the part of the Cross brought back to Jerusalem by the Emperor Heraclius after defeating the Persians. "Inside their personal crosses, the priests kept sawdust from the wood of the Cross, which is said to have healing power."
For some, the value of the Cross of Jesus will always transcend its physical existence. Whether or not more relics of the Cross will be discovered is far less important than what the Cross represents to the faithful. Some say that to find the True Cross of Jesus, one need not look further than the heart of any Christian believer.
History of the Excavators of Jerusalem
Due to its centrality in the Christian religion, Jerusalem was the first site in the Holy Land to be excavated; the excavators of Jerusalem, past and present, form an anthropomorphic mosaic of characters and an integral part of the city's history.
The first excavation that took place in 1863 was conducted at a clearing of the 'Kings' Tombs' by a French soldier by the name of de Saulcy, who had traveled to the Holy Land following his wife's death. The stone sarcophagi he found are exhibited today at the Louvre Museum.
Avi-Yonah, Michael
Professor of classical archaeology. Professor Avi-Yonah has focused on the theoretical research of the city, synthesizing and interpreting the data. His reconstruction model of Second-Temple-period Jerusalem at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem still wins the admiration of spectators and scholars alike.
Bliss, Frederick Jones
An archaeologist of American origin, who assisted Sir Flinders Petrie in his first excavation at Tell Hesi, Bliss was one of those who prepared the foundations for modern archaeological research in Israel. With Archibald C. Dickesy he excavated Mount Zion and the City of David (1894-1879) by means of tunnels - a popular excavation method that turned out to be ruinous in the long run.
Clermont-Ganneau, Charles (1846-1923)
A French epigrapher, archaeologist, orientalist, diplomat and pioneer in ancient Palestinian inscription research. In 1867, he was sent to Jerusalem as a translator for the French consulate. A superb philologist, his epigraphic discoveries include the Greek inscription from the Herodian period prohibiting the entrance of gentiles into the Temple court. In 1873-1874, he conducted wide-range research in the history of the Dome of the Rock and ancient Jewish burial customs in Jerusalem on behalf of the Palestinian Exploration Fund (PEF). As did Conrad Schick, he documented all that he observed, without actually excavating.
Garstang, John
With the establishment of the British Mandate came the golden era' of archaeology. John Garstang was the founder of the Antiquities Department of the British government in Palestine and the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem. Enthusiastically supported by the Israeli public he proved the historical significance of the City of David. It had already been realized that an archaeological site as important as this could not be adequately studied by an archaeologist working alone, thus the Israeli Department of Antiquities decided to invite foreign schools of archaeology to participate in the excavation of the City of David.
Kenyon, Kathleen Mary (1906-1978)
British archaeologist and first woman President of the Oxford Archaeological Society. In 1961, under Jordanian rule, she began what would be seven years of excavations in Jerusalem. In her excavations she employed a new stratigraphic method, involving trenches cut along the steep slopes of Jerusalem, after which her work was carefully recorded. For the first time, a historic framework for the city's 3800 years of existence was established. Using the new methods of modern archaeology, Kenyon was able to answer questions brought up by former excavators, though some of her conclusions have been questioned. Since her death three volumes on her Jerusalem expeditions have been published.
Macalister, Robert Alexander Stewart (1870-1950)
An Irish archaeologist. He won his reputation through his excavations at Gezer (1902-1909) - the first large-scale excavation carried out in Israel that was supported by the British Palestine Exploration Fund. Between 1923 and 1925, Macalister excavated the Ophel together with Duncan. Although challenged by Kathleen Kenyon, his relative chronology of the city walls has been confirmed by the subsequent excavations of Yigal Shiloh.
Mazar, Benjamin (1905-1995)
An Israeli historian and archaeologist, Professor Mazar became a member of the academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1934 where he established a department for the Historical Geography of the Land of Israel. His largest and most important enterprise was the excavation south and west of the Temple Mount, where he unearthed remains from the Iron Age, Second Temple Period and Early Islamic period. His broad knowledge of the various Near Eastern fields of study, Biblical studies and archaeological research, and his ability to synthesize these disciplines, were his main legacy to three generations of scholars in Israel.
Parker, Montegue
Directed by a friend's dream, this British adventurer came to Jerusalem (1909-1911) seeking the treasures of the Temple. He dug a complex system of tunnels in the City of David and uncovered important data.
Robinson, Edward (1794-1863)
An American Bible scholar who identified numerous biblical sites in the Holy Land in 1838. Robinson was the first to identify the stones projecting from the western wall of the Temple Mount, near its southwestern corner, as the springers of a large arch.
Schick, Conrad (1822-1901)
A German missionary and architect. In 1845 he was sent to Jerusalem as one of four missionaries to teach mechanical trades to young men. Schick showed great interest in the study of the city's ancient topography and architecture and soon became the leading architect in Jerusalem; many of his buildings, including his own home, still stand on the Street of the Prophets (Rehov Ha-Nevi`im). He showed great interest in the study of the city's ancient topography and architecture. When Charles Wilson arrived in Jerusalem in 1866, he instructed Schick to record ancient construction in his excavations and draw the plans of all architectural remains. His most important discovery was that of the Siloam inscription - the most important historical inscription hence found in the city. Schick remained active in the study of the city's archaeology till the end of his life. Much of the work of his contemporaries and their successors owes a great debt to his work. His papers are kept in the archives of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
Shiloh, Yigal (1937-1987)
Israeli archaeologist who directed the excavations at the City of David (1978-1985). He revealed important finds, thus providing a clearer picture of the 586 BCE destruction of Nebuchadnezzar and of early postexilic Jerusalem. Between 1983 and 1986, Shiloh served as Director of the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology. In 1984, he published an interim assessment of the results from the City of David excavations.
Tobler, Titus
A Swiss physician, who in 1845-1846 wrote a detailed description of the ancient remains of Jerusalem by matching these sites with the historical data. It was he, and not Charles W. Wilson, who first identified Wilson's Arch' as the final arch of the bridge that led from the Upper City of Jerusalem to the Temple Mount.
Vincent, Louis-Hugues (1872-1960)
Head of the French St. Etienne Monastery and Professor of archaeology at the Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Francais in Jerusalem. He accompanied Parker's hunt for the Temple's treasures (1909-1910) and recorded his finds. His enduring achievement is a series of massive studies of monumental complexes in Bethlehem, Hebron and Jerusalem. Despite new data that has been discovered, his works remain indispensable due to the wealth of data he assembled.
Warren, Charles (1840-1927)
Renowned excavator of Jerusalem's Temple Mount and southeastern hill (1867-1870). In 1867, he was commissioned by the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) to study the features of Jerusalem's historic structures. His investigations, heralded the development of stratigraphic excavation, and are still of great value thanks to the careful plans and diagrams he provided, although achieved under extraordinarily difficult conditions. Warren mapped the rock surface of the Temple Mount, as well as the water systems deriving from the Gihon Spring. He was the first to go through Hezekiah's Tunnel. His findings were published in a volume co-edited with Claude R. Conder. Warren's publications include Recovery of Jerusalem (with C.W. Wilson), Underground Jerusalem and The Temple and the Tomb. He joined the PEF committee in 1871 and remained a member until his death.
Weill, Reymond (1874-1950)
A French Egyptologist who was the first Jewish archaeologist to dig in the country (1913-1914). Weill arrived in Jerusalem as representative of Baron Eduard de Rothschild in order to set foot in the City of David and particularly in reaction to the scandalous excavations of Parker. Weill was the first in Jerusalem to expose a wide excavation area rather than dig tunnels. Later, during 1923-1924, he returned to the City of David, again funded by Rothschild. He identified the hewn cavities as the tombs of the Judean kings. His most significant discovery was a Greek inscription mentioning two synagogue leaders, Theodotus and father Vettenos, dating to the late Second Temple Period. Following his first campaign in the City of David, Weill returned to France to take part in World War I. He was severely wounded, and was awarded the Legion of Honor.
Wilson, Charles William (1836-1905)
A British Royal Engineer whose meticulous survey of Jerusalem provided the basis for all subsequent studies of the city. Wilson's survey work led to the foundation of the Palestine Exploration Fund (PEF) in 1865. Jerusalem was surveyed according to standard Ordnance Survey practice, at scales of 1:500, 1:2, 500 and 1:10, 000. The plans of the city and its important buildings along with 90 diagrams and 83 photographs were published by the Ordnance Survey in 1866. It was the first time that the topography of Jerusalem had been so accurately recorded. Wilson was chairman of the PEF at the time of his death.
Video clips about Jerusalem
References & source: biblical productions jerusalem
Production Services Israel
Tel Aviv
The City That Never Sleeps
Night clubs and dance clubs open their doors around 11 pm or midnight and rarely close before 3 or 4 - if then! Ethnic nightclubs draw patrons of all ages and feature performers and entertainers from just about every community making up the city's complex social fabric. Artists presenting repertoires that reflect the entertainment culture of Turkey, Iran, Greece, Israel, and Russia abound in Tel Aviv, especially in Jaffa and the "Little Tel Aviv district in the north of the city, but not only there.
After midnight the serious nightlife scene begins, as Tel Aviv's younger residents in particular flock to the dance clubs in south Tel Aviv and Allenby Street, or, in the summer, to the beaches and the Tel Aviv and Jaffa ports, where the partying often continues until after dawn. One significant focus of late-night action in south Tel Aviv is Lilienblum St. and the surrounding area, with their ever growing number of bars, bistros and restaurants. Neve Tzedek, not far away, is another focal point for night life.
One more area of the city that also has been developing as a hub for nightlife, dining and fun is farther north, located between the old Tel Aviv Port and the Hayarkon Estuary. Elsewhere in Tel Aviv too, newer nightspot areas are also developing - and the number of clubs and discos in the city, spotlighting just about every type of music to dance to, has transformed it into a center of entertainment and merriment that is second to none and has been earning a reputation abroad as well as at home..
Tel Aviv - Jaffa On The Mediterranean
The Sea & the ShoreWelcome to Tel Aviv, one of the world's most unique seaside metropolises, a combination of beach, culture, activities, nightlife and just plain fun!
The Mediterranean shore in the Greater Tel Aviv area, stretching from upmarket Herzliya, north of the city - Israel's "Silicon Valley" with its modern marina - to Bat Yam in the south, features kilometers of clean, supervised beachfront and a vortex of activity all the year-round; however, there is much more to do here than merely enjoy the wonderful beaches and sea. A range of water sports is readily available, including scuba diving for both beginners and experienced divers: lessons for neophytes and - for the more experienced - the marine life beneath Jaffa Port, where a sunken Israeli navy boat is a major attraction. Other water sports options include surfing, snorkeling, kitesurfing and water skiing, with sailing boats, kayaks and water sports equipment available for rental.
The promenade, which extends along the Tel Aviv shoreline from the Hayarkon Estuary in the North to the entrance to Old Jaffa in the South - the stretch of beachfront along which most of the city's major hotels are located - is always alive with strollers, joggers, vendors, musicians and mimes, and lots of fun. Restaurants and snack bars are ever-present along the promenade and the waters of the Mediterranean are shared by swimmers and "dippers, " surfers, windsurfers, boaters and the like. The Tel Aviv Marina can berth 300 sailboats and yachts - with many more available in similar facilities in Jaffa and Herzliya.
Tel Aviv Night , For those who prefer not to get their feet wet, a sedate evening excursion out of Jaffa Port beckons, complete with a few cocktails on the deck of a cruiser and as you watch the sun set into the Mediterranean Sea. Groups with more time on their hands may prefer to charter a yacht and sail out of Tel Aviv along the coast, to the ancient picturesque seaport of Acre in the North. Winds in Israel are particularly good in the spring and fall and in the late afternoons during the summer months, and the Mediterranean Sea is a sailor's paradise.
Tel Aviv - Jaffa On The Mediterranean
Shopping in Tel Aviv
Israel's cosmopolitan nerve center, the heart of its commerce, the focus of sea, entertainment and fun, Tel Aviv also is known for its broad and varied selection of shopping opportunities. Aside from antiques, upscale products for which Tel Aviv is well known include locally designed furs, diamonds - cut and polished in Israel - and leatherwear that is available at a wide range of stores.
There are several main markets in Tel Aviv, each with its own unique character, where you can find interesting food and other staples at true bargain price. The Bezalel Market is located in the heart of Tel Aviv near Allenby and King George streets; now that most of its landmark felafel stands have been uprooted to make room for what will eventually be upmarket high rises, it is of interest primarily for the clothing shops that offer great deals and surprising finds.
Located next to Bezalel, the Carmel Market, stretching westwards from Allenby Street towards the seafront, is the largest and busiest market in Tel Aviv - or in Israel, for that matter. Spices, pickled treats, fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, meat and fish, household goods, baking goods and more: quantities are enormous and the prices are low. Rub shoulders with a cross-section of Israel in this market's crowded and bustling streets and lanes; enjoy the stall vendors as they pitch their wares. You may not understand the language, but there's no escaping the exuberance. It is the essence of Tel Aviv's Eastern character and is also the place to find excellent bargains. Savor the noise, smell and excitement. The vendors are friendly characters who patter best in Hebrew and even sing the praises of their goods, but will also enjoy babbling in English if they notice a visitor. The adjoining Yemenite Quarter (Kerem HaTeimanim) offers an excellent choice of ethnic restaurants.
Also nearby is the Nachlat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, an old section of the city renovated and gentrified in recent years. A place to see and be seen, it is loaded with shops and outdoor cafes and features some of Tel Aviv's most beautifully restored old architecture. Look for the Bauhaus style in particular. Twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday, Nachlat Binyamin turns into an arts & crafts street bazaar. Craftsmen showcase their original works and you are certain to find special ceramics, leather goods or jewelry trinkets and souvenirs. To gladden the time even more, mall entertainment is provided by street musicians, clowns, magicians and mimes. Jaffa: The Last 125 Years Starting in the late 19th century Jaffa prospered, as thousands of Jews returning to their ancestral homeland, landed there. But the British, who had captured all of the Land of Israel from the Turks in 1917, needed a deep water port for 20th-century shipping and Jaffa did not fit the bill. Thus, it began to fall by the wayside.
Meanwhile, Tel Aviv had developed its own small port to the North. Nevertheless, as Tel Aviv grew into Israel's largest city and economic and cultural capital, Jaffa also developed as an integral part of the metropolis. Today, the narrow alleyways and ancient fishing port of Old Jaffa contrast with the pulsating modernity of Tel Aviv immediately to the north. As a Mediterranean port city steeped in heritage and tradition, Jaffa is a perfect venue for tourism of many types, and now the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa has been working to remodel and renovate it with an eye to transforming this area into a major attraction for tourists from all over the world.
Attention has been focused already on the flea market itself and the Turkish clocktower, a new boutique hotel will occupy the space of the old police station at the entrance to the city and other work is being carried out - or in various stages of planning - to transform the northern entrance to Jaffa into a vibrant tourism destination. In addition, plans have been developed for renewing the Old City and adjacent Old Jaffa Port and for taking advantage of this neighborhood, close to the sea, as a site for further development that will also include the construction of new hotels.
In order to savor Jaffa's true maritime spirit, it is worth relaxing at one of the fish restaurants around the ancient harbor, arriving at the harbor via the steep winding steps of the Old City. The port houses simple fishing boats as well as some modern yachts (but grandiose plans to transform the quayside into a high-tech marina with surrounding luxury apartments have so far been thwarted by environmentalists). Jaffa is especially popular at nights, when the balmy Mediterranean air is tempered by sea breezes. Israelis and tourists alike enjoy strolling through the alleyways, stopping at a cafe, restaurant or night club. The Noga Theater and annual cultural events like "Jaffa Nights, " a series of free outdoor summertime concerts by leading Israeli musicians, make this ancient town a major center for leisure-time activities.
Tel Aviv - Jaffa Museums
Non Stop Culture: MuseumsAs befits a modern Israeli city with an ancient past, Tel Aviv boasts a number of fine museums dedicated to various aspects of Jewish and/or local culture and history.
Visiting the Nahum Goldman Museum of the Jewish Diaspora (Beth Hatefutsoth), located on the campus of Tel Aviv University, is a unique experience. The museum relates the story of the Jewish people from the time of their expulsion from the Land of Israel 2500 years ago, to the present. History, tradition and the heritage of Jewish life in all parts of the world are brought here to life in murals, reconstructions, dioramas, audio-visual displays, documentary films and interactive multi-media presentations. In the Douglas E. Goldman Jewish Genealogy Center visitors can search a computerized database containing genealogies of Jewish families from all over the world and can register their own family trees.Nearby, the Eretz Israel Museum, situated on the 12th-century B.C. Tel Qasile archeological site, features a variety of pavilions, each of which deals with a different archeological, anthropological or historical facet of the history of the Land of Israel: glass; ceramics; copper; numismatics; post & philately, ethnography & folklore, and more. Another attraction at this museum is the Lasky Planetarium, offering modern and interesting inter-active "space rides" and space exhibitions. The latest section of the facility to be opened is "Land of the Baron, " a new permanent exhibit and a "museum within a museum, " dedicated to the Rothschild family, one of the great benefactors these past few hundred years, to the Jewish people and later to the Jewish State.
In the area around Tel Aviv University, a couple of newer museums have been opened in recent years - or are in the process of opening - transforming this pleasant part of the city into Tel Aviv's new "Museum Mile." The Palmach Museum is an experiential museum, covering the legacy of the Palmach (the acronym for "Plugoth Mahatz, " Hebrew for "Striking Force") through the stories of individuals and groups associated with it, from the time it was established in 1941 to aid the British war effort in defense of the Land of Israel, until its disbanding and integration into the Israel Defense Forces. There are no displays or documents, but rather an account of a fascinating personal story accompanied by three-dimensional decor, films and various effects incorporating documentary materials.
The tour - for groups only and subject to prior reservations - commences and ends in the commemorative hall for the Palmach fighters who died during the struggle for the establishment of the State of Israel.
Another new facility, situated between the Eretz Israel and Palmach museums, is the Yitzhak Rabin Center, designed by world-renowned Israeli-born architect Moshe Safdie, which includes a museum dedicated to the life of Israel's former Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who was assassinated in 1995.
Closer to the city center, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, along with its collection of works that includes just about every well-known Israeli artist of the 20th century, has on permanent exhibit European and American paintings, including those of international acclaim ranging from the Dutch old masters to the Impressionists to modern art of world acclaim. The museum also serves as a venue for performing arts and cinema.
References & source:
Tel Aviv hotel association
About Caesarea [4] | ||||||||||||||||
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     HistoryThe Phoenicians discovered it, Herod fell in love with it and dedicated it to the Roman Caesar. Augustus gazed upon it and said, "hasten slowly". He was followed by Tiberius and Marcus Aurelius, Caesars from the West and Caesars from the East, Arabs and Crusaders, the Seljuk and Turks, Genefal Allen by, Hanna Senesh and Yehuda Amihai... everyone wanted it, settled here and left behind their own mark of love. The antiquities, the sea, the serene bay -nature's very own offering of beauty. Caesarea -desired by many -was purchased by Baron Edmond de Rothschild during the 19th century and donated to the Caesarea Edmond Bengamin de Rothschild Foundation upon the establishment of the State of Israel, with the aim of developing Caesarea into a unique and qualitative neighborhood, to become one of the finest residential, tourist and industrial areas in the world. PresentCaesarea's perfect location in central Israel, near the sea, has drawn many of those in search of an unparalleled quality of life. Situated midway between Haifa and Tel-Aviv, near everywhere yet far enough from the crowded cities, Caesarea grants its residents the freedom to live as they wish and to enjoy an enchanted lifestyle, in keeping with the modern world -incorporating work and business in the city while residing in the beautiful countryside. This freedom is enjoyed by thousands of residents already residing in Caesarea who live a qualitative and tranquil life. The Caesarea Foundation controls the management and development of Caesarea via the Caesarea Edmond Benjamin de Rothschild Development Corporation. The Corporation is the central operational arm of the Foundation and is in charge of developing the land, managing and granting services to the neighbohood and the adjacent industrial Park, and for maintaining the quality of life -making sure that the area remains immaculate and nurturing the natural and beautiful environment. Caesarea has entered the third millennium while realizing the vision of Baron Edmond de Rothschild in full. Today, the number of residents in Caesarea is 3, 500 including 1, 000 children and youth who enjoy a unique life, an abundance of social activities in superb surroundings. The extensive tourist infrastructure includes a magnificent beach, aqueduct, a bay and ancient port. The promenade along the seashore includes shops, restaurants, a diving club and Roman Theater. The new and prestigious Industrial & Business Park complements the framework of the vision, which is intensifying and increasing for the benefit of the coming generations.
The history of Israel - Different perspectives | ||||||||||||||||
The Druze villages which are just next door to Haifa are Dalyat - el - Carmel and Ossefiya. They offer you a first-hand experience of Druze culture. The colorful market place of Dalyat - el - Carmel provides Druze hand work and craft work , and traditional foods, such as Druze pittas, as well as many others. You might like to wander about the old quarter of the village and visit Oliphant House.
The Carmel Nature Reserve 
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