Page 4 - Holyland Magazine - 2022 Edition

By Reuven Doron What is it that has drawn so many devout During the Israelite First and Second Temple
Photo: courtesy of the IMOT, by Noam Chen Jews to this particular burial site over many periods, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount
centuries? What are the biblical treasures that were the center of Israel’s cultural, social
call for the devotion and affection of millions and religious life. Due to its proximity to the
of Christians from around the world for nearly Temple, the mountain was attributed special
2,000 years? And what do Muslims revere religious significance and gained importance
and worship in this mountain? The discerning for Israel’s religious services and ceremonies.
traveler will find answers to these questions
not only in the mountain’s historical past, but It was from that mountaintop overlooking the
tretching prominently on the eastern also in its remarkable present, as well as its Temple Courts that Jesus gave His epic Olivet
flank of Jerusalem just across the intriguing future as it appears in Bible prophecy. Discourse (Mathew 24), and it was from the
Kidron Valley, one cannot miss the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives that
impressive outline of the Mount of Jesus was recorded to have been ascended
SOlives. Mentioned in many biblical History of the Mount of Olives to heaven (Luke 24:50-51). Even after the
stories and events, this mountain range is Since the dawn of recorded history, long before destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD,
home for rich history, fascinating archaeology Jerusalem became King David’s Capital City, the surviving Jewish population used the
and unending religious fervor. the Mount of Olives served as the eastern Mount of Olives to celebrate biblical feasts
border of Jerusalem, or Salem of ancient and perform religious ceremonies throughout
While the majority of the present day residents times, creating a natural barrier between the the long centuries during which they had no
who live on the Mount of Olives today are of city and the Judean Desert to the east. This is access to Jerusalem itself.
Arab descent (Muslims and Christians alike), the reason some scholars interpret the name
the largest and oldest Jewish cemetery in ZION (often referred to Jerusalem) as “the city Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (Israel’s
the world is stretching across the western, on the edge of the wilderness,” since ZION war of independence), the country of Jordan
southern and eastern slopes of the mountain, in the Hebrew language is a derivative of the was in control of the area and Israelis were
totaling more than 120,000 graves! word “TZI-YA” meaning wilderness. not permitted to visit the Mount of Olives. The

Sweeping views of the Mount of Olives

The historical fascination of the

Mount of Olives

A major site of biblical treasures and religious significance

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