Temple Mount- Jerusalem
On our third trip to Israel
we finally got permission to visit this site.
The Temple Mount is built on Mount Moriah,
the famous mountain where Abraham
offered his son, Isaac,
as a sacrifice to God.
Isaac was spared when God provided the sacrifice.
This famous mountain lends its name
to the entire mountain range running north
to south between the Kidron Valley
and Mount of Olives (to the East).
This was once the Tyropean Valley
and Mount Zion (to the West).
Layers of rubble from Jerusalem's
many destructions have completely
filled in the Tyropean Valley.
Originally, The Jebusites took up residence
on the southern slope of Mount Moriah
above the Gihon Spring.
When David became king,
he fought for and took the site
and renamed it the "City of David"
and made it the capital city of his monarchy.
The Northern area of the mountain's summit
remained the private threshing floor of Araunah,
the city's former Jebusite king.
Late in his reign as King of Israel,
David erred grievously in the sight
of the Lord by ordering a census to be taken.
2 Samuel 24:10- 1 Chronicles 21:1-8
As part of his repentance, David purchased the property,
as well as several oxen,
from Araunah for 600 shekels of gold.
David then erected an altar
and offered sacrifices there.
It was David's intent to someday build a temple
to the Lord on this property.
However God chose Solomon for this task instead.
The last days of David's reign
were spent gathering resources
were spent gathering resources
for his son Solomon to build a magnificent building
to house God's glory.
In 1015 BC the Temple of Solomon was built on the site.
It incorporated the spectacular rock
at the top of Mount Moriah.
Solomon used dirt from the temple construction
to fill in this east-west lateral rift on Mount Moriah
so that he could build his own palace
on an area that separate the summit of the mountain
and the Temple from the city below.
When Solomon's Temple
was destroyed by the Babylonians,
Zerubbabel;
rebuilt the Second Temple on this same site.
rebuilt the Second Temple on this same site.
Later, it was enlarge by Herod in 19 BC
and renamed Herod's Temple.
This was where Jesus often taught
during his ministry in Jerusalem.
Herod's Temple was demolished in 70 AD
by the Romans as a result of the Jewish rebellion.
At Temple Mount-Daughter Jessica
and son-in-law Daniel on our tour.
Connie and daughter Jessica
Connie and husband John---
standing the appropriate distance apart
so that the guards don't come and make you separate.
No Touching!
can certainly be heard on Temple Mount.
To respect the site it is important
that men and women do not touch-
an influence of the Muslim culture that manages this site.
The Heinitz- Murphy family
that joined our Israel trip- Dec- 2016.
The young folks that joined our tour Dec 2016.
In 1315 AD, the Roman Emperor Hadrian
began construction of a new city, Aelia Capitolina,
upon the ruins of old Jerusalem.
Hadrian built a temple to Jove, the Greek god Jupiter,
on the site of the destroyed Jewish temple.
But this temple was demolished by the Byzantines
after the empire became Christian
under Emperor Constantine (306-337 AD).
In 638 AD, six years after the death of Muhammad,
Jerusalem ws captured by the Muslims.
Soon after occupying the city, Caliph Umar
cleanses the Temple Mount and built a small mosque
dedicated to Muslim worship.
Later, in an effort to create a worship center
that rivaled the architecture of the nearby
Christian Church of the Sepulchre,
the Muslims decided to build
a more impressive building.
The site chosen was the same sacred rock
where the Jewish temples had stood.
This was based on a story in the Koran
linking the Prophet Muhammed
with Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.
This story is called "The Night Journey"
and is found in the seventh Sura of the Koran.
It tells of a mystic journey where Muhammed
was taken by the Archangel Gabriel on a winged horse
to Mt. Sinai, Bethlehem,
to finally land on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
There they encountered Abraham, Moses,
Jesus and other prophets
whom Muhammad led in prayers.
According to the account,
Gabriel then escorted Muhammad
to the pinnacle of the rock on the Temple Mount
where Muhammad ascended through the
seven heavens into the presence of Allah.
Following this divine meeting,
Muhammad flew back to Mecca with Gabriel.
From Temple Mount you can see
the cross of Redeemer Lutheran Church.
This highlights the story of the juxtaposition
of the cultures
of the cultures
and religions that mark Jerusalem.
The spectacular gold-topped mosque commemorating
this dream was called the dome of the rock
and was completed in 691 AD.
It covers the huge rock where the altar
of burnt offering stood.
In fact, several channels are etched
into the rock and a large room
has been cut out beneath it.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism,
which regards it as the place
where God's divine presence
is manifested
more than in any other place.
According to the rabbinic sages whose debates
produced the Talmud,
it was from here the world expanded
into its present form and where God
gathered the dust used to create
the first human, Adam.
Temple Mount is known to Muslims
as the Haram esh-Sharif.
In light of the dual claims
of both Judaism and Islam,
it is one of the most contested
religious sites in the world.
Since the Crusades, the Muslim community
of Jerusalem has managed the site as a Waqf,
without interruption.
As the site is part of the Old City,
controlled by Israel since 1967,
both Israel and the Palestinian authority
claim sovereignty over it,
and it remains a major focal point
of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In an attempt to keep the status quo,
the Israeli government enforces
a controversial ban on prayer by non-Muslims.
The controversy and tension
that surround Temple Mount
leads to strong feelings of who
"owns or controls" the site.
Permission to visit for Christian tourists
is often on the whim of the Muslim officials.
Our guide told us to not expect to ever get access
and then if it happened it would be a great surprise.
Good advice when visiting Jerusalem.
This Holy Week reflection time
helps us to understand a bit of the political
struggle in the works in the time of Jesus.
and also afirms that all the strife
and tension in leadership
church and in state is "nothing new under the sun."
Information -
Temple Mount Wikipedia
and the Imagine Tours Travel Guide.
Temple Mount is known to Muslims
as the Haram esh-Sharif.
In light of the dual claims
of both Judaism and Islam,
it is one of the most contested
religious sites in the world.
Since the Crusades, the Muslim community
of Jerusalem has managed the site as a Waqf,
without interruption.
As the site is part of the Old City,
controlled by Israel since 1967,
both Israel and the Palestinian authority
claim sovereignty over it,
and it remains a major focal point
of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In an attempt to keep the status quo,
the Israeli government enforces
a controversial ban on prayer by non-Muslims.
The controversy and tension
that surround Temple Mount
leads to strong feelings of who
"owns or controls" the site.
Permission to visit for Christian tourists
is often on the whim of the Muslim officials.
Our guide told us to not expect to ever get access
and then if it happened it would be a great surprise.
Good advice when visiting Jerusalem.
This Holy Week reflection time
helps us to understand a bit of the political
struggle in the works in the time of Jesus.
and also afirms that all the strife
and tension in leadership
church and in state is "nothing new under the sun."
Information -
Temple Mount Wikipedia
and the Imagine Tours Travel Guide.
