JERUSALEM SCENES Outside the Damascus Gate

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

XX JERUSALEM SCENES Outside the Damascus Gate Continuing eastwards along the northern walls of Jerusalem from the New Gate (the vantage point for last month’s picture) we come to the Damascus Gate, the largest of the eight gates of the city. This gate is on the site of an old Roman gate, constructed by the Emperor Hadrian when turning Jerusalem into the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina. The foundations of this gate are visible below the present gate, which was built by the Turks in the sixteenth century after the walls had been broken down for several centuries. The gate has had several names over the centuries. The Arabs called it the Gate of the Column, because a column erected in honour of Hadrian had once existed in the open place just inside. The Crusaders called it St Stephen’s Gate, a name now given to a gate on the east side, because by tradition it was where Stephen was stoned. The name Damascus Gate links with the fact that it is the main exit from the Old City northward in the direction of Damascus. Our picture shows the scene outside the gate, taken from on top of the gate. The steps leading down to the open area and the bridge across the outer ditch are modern. Here an informal street market has grown up in which bread, fruit and vegetables and all kinds of trinkets are sold, and people stop and chat. These people are not Jews but the Arab inhabitants of east Jerusalem. It is the Arabs who in many instances preserve the old way of life going back to Bible times. In Scripture we read of the importance of the gate as the centre of activity, and so it is at the Damascus Gate today.—Tony Benson.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Jerusalem in Classical Ages: a Critical Review
Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 14, No 2, pp. 139-154 Copyright © 2014 MAA Printed in Greece. All rights reserved. JERUSALEM IN CLASSICAL AGES: A CRITICAL REVIEW Sultan Abdullah Ma'ani1, Abd alrzaq Al-Maani 2, Mohammed Al-Nasarat2 1Queen Rania Institute of Tourism and Heritage, Hashemite University, Jordan 2Department of History, Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma’an, Jordan Received: 07/10/2013 Accepted: 06/12/2013 Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT This study is a review and in several cases it sheds light upon the history of Jerusalem City during the Roman and Byzantine epochs through focusing on a) the demography of the city, b) the names which had been mentioned in historical sources, c) ancient inscrip- tions and d) its urban design. The review goes through Jewish sources, particularly those which deal with the reign of the Roman leader, Pompey (Pompey the Great) and the Maccabees (Machabees); the reign of the Roman Emperor, Titus, during which the Jews were tortured; the reign of the Roman king of Jews, Herod (or Herod the Great); the reign of the Roman Emperor, Ha- drian; and the converting of the City from paganism to Christianity. KEYWORDS: Jerusalem, Roman epoch, Byzantine epoch, Hasmonean dynasty, historical sources, inscriptions. 140 MA'ANI et al 1. DEMOGRAPHY OF THE CITY The Jewish historian, Josephus, said that Herod built in the City a sports stadium and Jerusalem is a city fenced with valleys, a horse-racing hippodrome (Al-Fanny, 2007, situated above a mountains range in Central p.15). Palestine. This range extends between the Jerusalem, as the other big cities of Pales- Palestinian coast to the west and the Negev tine and Syria, uses the Latin language as an desert to both the east and south.
[Show full text]
Betar and Aelia Capitolina: Symbols of Jewish Suffering Dr
Betar and Aelia Capitolina: Symbols of Jewish Suffering Dr. Jill Katz Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology, Yeshiva University Of the five specific tragedies that warrant fasting on Tishah b’Av (Mishnah Taanit 4:6), two are related to the Second Jewish Revolt against Rome. The first is the capture of the city of Betar (135 CE) and the second is the plowing of Jerusalem one year later. At first glance, these calamities do not seem to be of the same scale as the destruction of the First and Second Temples. The Jews were neither forcibly removed en masse to a distant land nor was a standing Temple destroyed. Perhaps one could argue that their inclusion within the list was simply due to their still being fresh in people’s memories. Surely, the rabbis of the Mishnaic period would have encountered eyewitnesses to these events and been moved by their recollections. Yet, if this were so, then the Mishnah really need only include one reference to the rebellion. By including two, the Mishnah is teaching us something about the magnitude of this tragedy and the challenges that lay ahead for the Jewish people. Betar If not for the Bar Kokhba rebellion, it is unlikely many people would be familiar with Betar. The ancient city (Khirbet el-Yahud – “ruin of the Jews”) was a modest settlement southwest of Jerusalem in the Judean Hills. Surveys and brief excavations have demonstrated that Betar was first settled during the period of the Shoftim and became a city of moderate importance by the time of Hizkiyahu.
[Show full text]
Eusebius and Hadrian's Founding of Aelia Capitolina in Jerusalem
ELECTRUM * Vol. 26 (2019): 119–128 doi: 10.4467/20800909EL.19.007.11210 www.ejournals.eu/electrum EUSEBIUS AND HADRIAN’S FOUNDING OF AELIA CAPItoLINA IN JERUSALEM Miriam Ben Zeev Hofman Ben Gurion University of the Negev Abstract: From numismatic findings and recent excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem it emerges that the preparatory work on Aelia Capitolina started at the very beginning of Hadrian’ reign, most probably in the 120s, more than a decade before the Bar Kokhba war. The question then arises as how it happened that Eusebius mentions the founding of this colony as a conse- quence of the war. The answer lies both in the source he depends upon, possibly Ariston of Pella, and also in Eusebius’ own conception of Jewish history. Keywords: Bar Kokhba’s coins, Jerusalem excavations, Ariston of Pella, Eusebius’ view of Jewish history. The military colony of Aelia Capitolina which Hadrian founded in Jerusalem constitutes a traumatic event and a turning point in Jewish history. The holy city of Jerusalem turned into a pagan site inhabited by Roman soldiers, where idolatrous shrines were built and pagan religious rites were held. Jews were prohibited from entering it. The meaning of this event has been variously interpreted in modern scholarship,1 and its very timing within the context of the Bar Kokhba war has long been debated in view of the conflicting testimonies provided by the extant sources. At the beginning of the third century CE, Cassius Dio records the founding of the colony as preceding the Bar 1 For example, scholars are found who consider it usual Roman praxis and attribute it to technical and logistical considerations (Bowersock 1980, 134–135, 138; Mildenberg 1980, 332–334; Schäfer 1981, 92; Schäfer 1990, 287–288, 296; Schäfer 2003, 147; see also Tameanko 1999, 21; Bieberstein 2007, 143–144; Bazzana 2010, 98–99), while others contend that the founding was meant to put an end to Jewish expectations of a Temple by founding a miniature Rome explicitly intended for the settlement of foreign races and for- eign religious rites.
[Show full text]
Story of Judaism - Timeline
Story of Judaism - Timeline God creates the world by speaking; therefore, Hebrew letters have creative power. God of Jews is Creator of the World – not tribal. Creation of Humanity Year 0 Special place to Humans. Two stories. No original sin. Abraham: God chooses Abraham Covenant – promise and contract: the chosen people Moses: Leads people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt Inscription of Merneptah – first mention of Israel in recorded history (1206 BCE) C C BCE th 12 Moses receives the law on Mt Sinai – ten commandments, sacrificial system, other - th commandments 14 Beginning of Judaism King David: Model of king for Israel Kingdom of Israel C C BCE Temple is built (under his son, Solomon) th Sacrifices at the temple – means of forgiveness 10 Centralized political and religious system Assyrians invade and destroy the northern kingdom of Israel They seem to disappear from history 722 BCE Babylon conquers the southern kingdom of Judah. Temple is destroyed Leaders and others taken into exile in Babylon 586 BCE Development of first synagogues – place of prayer and study Return to Jerusalem – gradual Many stay in Babylon for more than 2000 years there is a Jewish community in that region Ezra and Nehemiah are early leaders 520 BCE Temple is gradually rebuilt: it is smaller but sacrifices begin again Political kingdom never becomes as large and powerful as before Seleucid Greeks conquer Israel Desecrate the temple by sacrificing a pig in temple C C BCE Maccabees revolt and expel the Seleucids nd 2 Re-dedication of temple leads to holiday of Chanukah Story of Judaism - Timeline Roman General, Titus, destroys Jerusalem and the 2nd temple What should we do after destruction of temple and Jerusalem? 4 answers: (Josephus, mourn, die, Rabbinic) Beginning of Rabbinic Judaism 70 CE Redefinition of Judaism – no longer sacrifices at temple Rabbis (teachers), Torah, Talmud, Study and Synagogue replace priests, temple and sacrifices.
[Show full text]
Aelia Capitolina’ Through a Review of the Archaeological Data
Roman changes to the hill of Gareb in ‘Aelia Capitolina’ through a review of the archaeological data Roberto Sabelli Dipartimento di Architettura Università degli Studi di Firenze Abstract opposite page Following Jewish revolts, in 114-117 and 132-136 AD, the colony of Iulia Aelia Cap- Fig.1 itolina was founded by Publio Elio Traiano Adriano on the site of Jerusalem – View of the east side Aelia in his honour and Capitolina because it was intended to contain a Capi- of the old walled city from Kidron Valley tol for the Romans – so as to erase Jewish and Christian memories. On the ba- (R. Sabelli 2007) sis of the most recent research it is possible to reconstruct the main phases of transformation by the Romans of a part of the hill of Gareb: from a stone quar- ry (tenth century BC - first century AD) into a place of worship, first pagan with the Hadrianian Temple (second century AD) then Christian with the Costantin- ian Basilica (fourth century AD). Thanks to the material evidence, historical tes- timonies, and information on the architecture of temples in the Hadrianic pe- riod, we attempt to provide a reconstruction of the area where the pagan tem- ple was built, inside the expansion of the Roman town in the second century AD, aimed at the conservation and enhancement of these important traces of the history of Jerusalem. 1 The Gehenna Valley (Wadi er-Rababi to- The hill of Gareb in Jerusalem to the north of Mount Zion, bounded on the day) was for centuries used as city ity 1 dump and for disposing of the unburied south and west by the Valley of Gehenna (Hinnom Valley) , rises to 770 me- corpses of delinquents, which were then ters above sea level; its lowest point is at its junction with the Kidron Valley, burned.
[Show full text]
The Coins of Aelia Capitolina
Top of the Damascus Gate. (Detail of a photo in Wikimedia Commons by Laurice Haddad) N 2018 Donald Trump, the president of called Aelia Capitolina and no Jews lived (Jupiter), parts of which still stand. In Ithe United States of America, ordered there. From the reign of the Roman 130 AD he visited Jerusalem and it was that his country officially recognize Jeru- Em peror Hadrian (117-138 AD) to the from that time that the city was rebuilt salem as the capital of Israel. Following reign of Hostilian (251 AD) a number of as a Roman colony which Hadrian called the United States the Australian gov - coins were minted bearing the name Aelia Capitolina. His family name was ernment ordered that West Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina, and the coins reflect the Aelius, and Capitolina referred to the be recognized by Australia as the capi - Greco-Roman culture that existed in the gods worshiped on the Capitoline Hill tal of Israel. Not many Australians know city at that time. in Rome. Coins were struck to celebrate that for some centuries after the Second Jesus Christ was crucified in Jerusalem the foundation of Aelia Capitolina. ( Fig - Jewish Revolt (132-135 AD) the city was in 30 AD. The city that he knew was ures 1 and 2 ) Veterans of the Roman de stroyed by a Roman army in 70 AD army and other non-Jewish people were after the First Jewish Revolt (66-70 AD). settled there. Jews were not allowed The temple that King Herod built in to live in the city and circumcision was Jerusalem was demolished but the great forbidden.
[Show full text]
Of the Legio X Fretensis in Jerusalem/Aelia Capitolina—A Possible Identification North of the Damascus Gate1
ELECTRUM * Vol. 26 (2019): 109–117 doi: 10.4467/20800909EL.19.006.11209 www.ejournals.eu/electrum THE TRAINING GROUND (CAMPUS) OF THE LEGIO X FRETENSIS IN JERUSALEM/AELIA CAPITOLINA—A POSSIBLE IDENTIFIcatION NORTH OF THE DAMASCUS Gate1 Avner Ecker Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan Abstract: This paper suggests to locate the training ground (campus) of the legio X Fretensis in the shallow valley north of the Damascus Gate, perhaps where once the siege camp of Titus was built. Topographically it is the most level ground around Jerusalem, hence fitting for a campus. Furthermore, the area was devoid of structures between 70 CE and the 4th century, except for two monuments erected by legionary forces and dedicated to the emperors: one monument definitely dedicated to Hadrian (upon his visit) and the other either to Hadrian or less likely to Antoninus Pius. Positioning the campus in this area neatly explains why it was empty for centuries and why the cemetery of Aelia Capitolina was pushed north of the line of the “Third Wall.” Keywords: legio X Fretensis, campus, training grounds, Damascus Gate, Roman Military, Jeru- salem topography, Hadrian. One must admit that the archaeological finds from Roman Jerusalem do not allow for a clear identification of the location of the camp of the legio X Fretensis.2 One cannot even be sure if the camp had a typical “playing card” shaped plan based on the “poly- bian” model — such as those camps archaeologically known for more than a hundred years from the Roman West,3 or if the camp melded with the city, like the military quarter of Dura Europos.4 1 This paper was borne out of ongoing work on Aelia Capitolina together with Hannah M.
[Show full text]
On the Lost Circus of Aelia Capitolina
On the Lost Circus of Aelia Capitolina Joseph Patrich The circus — an arena for chariot racing — was a popular entertainment facility in the Roman world. Whether or not there was a circus in Aelia Capitolina is a matter of de- bate. Thus, in a map charting the results of the detailed study o f the Roman city by the Dominican Fathers Vincent and Abel, a circus is marked adjacent to the SW comer of the Herodian temple platform (Fig. I);* 1 such a notation is not found on the maps of Germer-Durand.2 On an early map by Avi Yonah, a hippodrome (the Greek equivalent of the Roman circus) is depicted farther to the south, in the course of the central valley — the Tyropoeon Valley.3 Bahat, in his first published version of the historical maps of Jerusalem,4 adds a question mark to Vincent and Abel’s circus, but leaves it in place. In his later versions, no trace of a circus or of a hippodrome is to be found.5 Similarly, no circus or hippodrome appears in a later map published by Avi Yonah,6 or in maps by Tsafrir7 and Geva.8 The absence of any reference to a circus in the recently published * I should like to express my thanks to Dr. Leah Di Segni for help and valuable discussions on the Greek and Latin material here, and to Professor Yoram Tsafrir for useful advice. 1 Η. Vincent and F.-M. Abel, Jérusalem — Recherches de topographie, d ’archéologie et d'histoire II: Jérusalem Nouvelle, Paris 1914, 1-39 and pi.
[Show full text]
THE END of PAGAN TEMPLES in ROMAN PALESTINE Gregory
ABSTRACT Title of Dissertation: THE END OF PAGAN TEMPLES IN ROMAN PALESTINE Gregory William Stoehr, Doctor of Philosophy, 2018 Dissertation directed by: Professor Hayim Lapin, Department of History I am investigating fate of polytheist temples in Late Antique Roman Palestine, with a primary focus on the archaeological remains of the temples themselves. This focus is a deliberate effort to steer the conversation about “Christianization” and the “end of paganism” into the domain of empirical evidence. The inner religious states of individuals, and hence populations, confound efforts at quantification. Thus, this dissertation is instead an accounting of the fate of the public venues that were used by pagans, for specific ritual behavior that enhanced status, in what was the most significant part of the Empire in terms of the history of Christianity. Ancient Palestine in the third and early fourth centuries was part of the normal Mediterranean pagan milieu. Cities such as Bet Shean, Aelia Capitolina, and Caesarea Maritima provide us with evidence for dozens of pagan temples. This study finds evidence for forty-four temples. There were certainly many more than those for which we have evidence. All of these pagan temples eventually went out of commission. Only three temples in Palestine had endings that were remarkable enough to be preserved in the literary record. The ending of the rest was far less dramatic, if we even know about it. A combination of neglect, natural disaster, extended quarrying through time, and encroachment of ritual space by other buildings was significantly more common than more dramatic scenarios that involved overt social conflict.
[Show full text]
"Judea/Israel Under the Roman Empire." Israel and Empire: a Postcolonial History of Israel and Early Judaism. Perdue, Leo G., and Warren Carter.Baker, Coleman A., Eds
"Judea/Israel under the Roman Empire." Israel and Empire: A Postcolonial History of Israel and Early Judaism. Perdue, Leo G., and Warren Carter.Baker, Coleman A., eds. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015. 217–292. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 1 Oct. 2021. <http:// dx.doi.org/10.5040/9780567669797.ch-006>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 1 October 2021, 06:15 UTC. Copyright © Leo G. Perdue, Warren Carter and Coleman A. Baker 2015. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 6 Judea/Israel under the Roman Empire What might a postcolonial optic highlight in the interactions between Rome and Judea/Israel in the centuries between 63 BCE when Pompey asserts Roman control, and 135 CE when the Bar Kokhba-led revolt is crushed?1 The question gains some pointedness with the general aban- donment of the old stereotype of Judea/Israel as a seething cauldron of rebellious anger that �nally boils over in the 6670 CE war. Martin Goodman has largely argued the opposite view in proposing a double thesis: the lack of anti-Roman resentment and an accidental war. The travails of Judea up to 66, he writes, do not suggest a society on the brink of rebellion for sixty years. Rather, the tensions of the 50s CE comprised terrorism within Jewish society rather than revolt against Rome [They were] internal to Jewish society rather than symptoms of widespread resentment of Roman rule. The reason for the lack of blatantly revolutionary behavior to support [Josephus] picture of a decline into war was that no such revolutionary behavior occurred.
[Show full text]
'Jerusalem As Construct in Tradition and History'
1 ‘Jerusalem as Construct in Tradition and History’ 2-3 September 2013, Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies and the Herzog Center, School of Languages Literatures and Cultural Studies, Trinity College Dublin ‘Judea Capta’ Roman coin. Photo courtesy of the Department of Classics, Trinity College, Dublin Jerusalem, sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, is among the world’s oldest cities, with a rich and complex history. Seemingly home to a West Semitic people known as the Jebusites prior to establishment of the Davidic kingdom, Jerusalem was conquered in the 8th century BCE, and this heralded the city’s long subjection under empire through the Neo-Babylonian and Persian periods. Alexander’s successors styled it as a Hellenized city-state during the Ptolemaic and Seleucid periods, after which, Jerusalem enjoyed a short period of independence under the Hasmoneans. The Roman Empire established Judea as a client kingdom with Jerusalem as the seat of the Herodian dynasty and then as subject to Roman rule from Caesarea. After its destruction in 70 CE, Jerusalem was re-built as Aelia Capitolina under Hadrian and Christianized from Constantine onwards. Caliph Umar ushered in the era of the Caliphs, taking the city from the Byzantines in the seventh century. The Crusaders re-established the city as the Kingdom of Jerusalem until it was wrested away by Saladin. Jerusalem’s history as a real city in space and time (in which people live, work, etc.), a place of worship, a site of pilgrimage, and a battleground, is derived from both textual and material evidence. As both a spiritual and a temporal centre, Jerusalem has inspired traditional accounts that are often idealized, legendary, and symbolic, and these accounts are powerful forces that have informed how Jerusalem has been understood.
[Show full text]
Reading Guide to Armstrong's Jerusalem
Rel 289 A. Porter Reading Guide for Armstrong’s Jerusalem This reading guide lists important dates for each chapter of Armstrong’s book. It also provides some definations for some unfamiliar terms (if you would like to suggest additions to these terms, please email me the term and I will be happy to add it). Finally, part of your journel assignment is to describe your responses to Armstrong’s arguments and ideas. To help you with this, I have provided some study questions. The ones with an asterick (*) you are required to address in your journal. The ones without astericks you may write about or you can write about something else. Many of these questions ask you to reflect on your own religious tradition. If you have been raised without any religious tradition, you can answer these questions by describing what is important in your personal world- view. Introduction History: Terms/Names: God / the Sacred Myth Scholars of religion, “myth” is not “false” (as in, “the idea that pigs can fly is a myth”). Notice how Armstrong defines the term here, because she will use this defination throughout the book. Symbol Like myth, scholars don’t see symbols as “only” symbols. Notice how Armstrong defines this term, too. Questions: * Do you agree with Armstrong’s assertion that religion always employs mythic language when discussing the divine? What examples of this sort of language can you think of from your own tradition? What are some symbols that are important in your religious tradition? Rel 289 A. Porter Reading Guide for Armstrong’s Jerusalem Chapter 1: Zion History: 3200-2300 Ophel Hill had some settlement, demonstrated by pottery 1900 “Rushalimum” mentioned in Egyptian texts Archaeological evidence of city walls 1300s Settlement of Hurrians / Canaanites in Jerusalem 1200s Hill country most abandoned.
[Show full text]