A Look at David's City

On Sunday we walked throughout Jerusalem and discussed various sites. Here are a few things that we saw and did. We do most of our trips on Sunday since Saturday is the Holy Day for Jews known as Shabbat and most sites are closed.

David did not build Jerusalem from scratch but captured it from the Jebusites after it had been inhabited for over 1,000 years. This is an artist’s rendition of what the City of David probably looked like from what we know of the archeological remains. Strong walls on all sides and the Gihon spring just outside the normal boundary of the city with its own walls surrounding it. There was also a tunnel from the spring into the inner city that allowed water to be drawn with out risk of attack in times of siege. There is debate on whether or not this is that tunnel that David used to attack the city.

Looking down Warren's Shaft (named after the man who discovered it).

6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David. 8 On that day, David said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.” 9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him. II Samuel 5:6-10

This is in Hezekiah's tunnel the tunnel is about 1600 feet long and about two feet wide. King Hezekiah commissioned the digging of the tunnel from the Gihon spring to a pool that was built below the city. This was a huge advance in water collection for the city. There was a seeping coming out of the hill at the bottom of the valley and Hezekiah's engineers figured that it was connected to the spring so they started two teams cutting out the rock from either end and eventually after a very windy trail met in the middle. Our group waded through the long dark tunnel. Pictured are the two girls in our group, their names are both Christina.

We now move to the First Temple Period after the City of David had been expanded to the highlands above by Solomon. This is a section of wall in the north of the city that is particularly important for defense as attacks would come from the downward slopes to the north. This section is a small curving section that provides extra support in a ravine and is known as the Broad Wall. Nehemiah mentions this section of the wall in chapter 3 where he lists everyone who helps to repair the wall. Many of the archeological finds in the Old City were discovered after the 1967 war. Many parts of the city were reduced to rubble and time was taken for excavations. Now some of the most important sites are exposed in the new city plan.

8 Uzziel son of Harhaiah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired the next section; and Hananiah, one of the perfume-makers, made repairs next to that. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. Nehemiah 3:8

Here I am at the Southwestern corner of the temple mount. In an earlier post I mistakenly said that the Western Wall is the only remaining section of the Temple however that is not true. There are many stones surrounding temple mount that are in their original positions from the time of Herod. The Western Wall happens to be the most important section because it is the closest section to where the Holy of Holies would have been. This section is very important archeologically though because the remains are very complete for a massive arch and stair case that led up to the top of the Temple mount and you can see the fallen stones for that arch behind me(artists rendition below). The street I am standing on was a very highly traveled street that Jesus surely would have walked on however not these very stones because we have records of the street being repaved in 69AD just before the Temple was destroyed in 70AD. Notice the size of the stone just over my head. These weigh hundreds of tons and are constructed without any mortar but rely on their sheer weight for stability. Excuse me for rambling on but one more thing. Notice also the cut margin around the edge of the stone. All stones cut in Herod's time had this margin. They can be seen all over the city as stones were often reused over and over again. As new kings commissioned building projects constrution crews grabbed whatever good stone was still available. By knowing styles of stone you can trace the history of many walls in Jerusalem.

An artist's sketch of what the stairway and arch would have looked like. The edge of the arch where it enters into the side of the wall is still present.

Here is a wall inside of our Campus that is built directly on top of a portion of old city wall. This is bedrock that at one time was the foundation for the city wall. The stair step design allowed the wall to be placed on top of this notched pattern which provided added strength from exterior attack.

This is a very exciting new discovery in Jerusalem. In just the last two years this pool, which is quite confidently believed to be the Pool of Siloam (John 9:1-12) has been uncovered for the first time in almost two thousand years. It is a Roman era pool that is fed by the water coming out of Hezekiah's tunnel. Until just recently another pit nearby was fabeled to be this pool however it is not very convincing. Recently when a new utility project was cutting through this area the pavement was discovered and the project halted. Archeologists were brought in and excavations revealed this exceptionally well preserved pool. We can say with some confidence that these are stones Jesus walked on. The rest of the pool will be excavated when land rights are cleared for the area.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they demanded. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said. John 9:1-12

These are stairs that were in place in Herod's day that led up to the temple from the Southern side. This was also a favorite place for Rabbis to sit and teach. It is likely that Jesus and the apostles, especially Saul, taught on these stairs that overlook the Mount of Olives.

This is the pool of Bethesda. Jesus also healed a man here. Originally this pit was divided into two sections that served as a Roman era reservoir for the city. Later a church was built that extended over the pit. The Chruch has since been destroyed. The story below may have even more sting when Jesus says: "Do you want to get well?" because a wading pool beside this deep pool was committed to the Roman gods. This could have been the pool he was laying beside, thereby seeking healing in the wrong place.

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” John 5:1-8