The Mount Of Olives - East Slope
The Mount of Olives is directly in front of the Temple Mount and is home to many important Biblical sites. In this section, we will begin on the "back" side of the Mount of Olives (the eastern side) and move up and over to the western side, which is before the Kidron Valley and the Temple Mount.
Bethany
The name "Bethany" means "house of the poor/afflicted" and was the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, all friends of Jesus. One Biblical reference is Luke 10:38-42 in which Jesus visits Mary and the very busy Martha. Matthew 26:6-13 recounts Jesus being anointed with costly ointment. Jesus shares a meal with friends here in John 12:1-11.
Prior to this meal is probably the most remembered event at Bethany - the raising of Lazarus. This is recorded in John 11:1-44.
So come and let us enter Bethany:
There is now a mosque over the Tomb of Lazarus. Jerome reports the existence of a Christian church there as early as 390 CE. Note the minaret (tower) of the mosque in the picture.
The next photo shows the previous entrance to the tomb of Lazarus, which was bricked up by the Muslims. Also visible is some of the mosaic from the floor of the Byzantine church that was here.
The current church is across the way from the above photo and is Greek Orthodox. Inside are paintings commemorating the raising of Lazarus. This first one is above the altar and depicts Jesus entering Bethany:
Another depicts Lazarus emerging from the tomb:
Although the first entrance was blocked off, the tomb of Lazarus is still accessible from another, side entrance cut by Franciscan monks in the late 1500's.
Going into this entrance will take us underground (left) to the entrance of cave-like tomb (right).
In Bethany one can also see simple tombs that were cut into the side of the limestone hill, as many tombs were. In this area there can even be found a fig tree, calling to mind Jesus' cursing of the fig tree in Matthew 21:19-22 and Mark 11:12-14:
Also significant in Bethany is the opportunity to visit a stone house that serves to give an idea of what an average dwelling at the time of Jesus may have looked like (without the iron gate).
Going inside we see a well in the central area:
And a modest living room area:
It is easy to assume the image of people living in houses of wood with far-removed stables of wood as we are accustomed to in our culture. The idea of a separate wooden stable is also evident in Christmas manger scenes. However, first century houses were stone, and most stables were attached directly to the side of the dwelling, for safety and convenience. It was common for women to go next-door to the stable area for privacy to give birth. The houses were very small, and very crowed due to the presence of the extended family. Therefore, the following picture is probably closer to the "manger scene" of the first Christmas (note the stable off to the left).
Bethphage
As we move up the Mount of Olives, we come to Bethphage, where according to the Gospels, Jesus began his Palm Sunday procession to Jerusalem.
(Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11,Luke 19:29-40)
Below is a painting in a Bethpage church showing the beginning of Jesus' ride to Jerusalem: (in the left picture, you will notice a black fence to the left. It surrounds a large square stone that Crusaders reverenced as the stone Jesus used to mount the donkey. However, they were thinking of a tall stallion, not a short Palestinian donkey!)
Pater Noster Church
We are now near the top of the Mount of Olives. "Pater Noster" is Latin for "Our Father" so that this is the "Church of the Our Father." A cave here became associated with the giving of the Lord's Prayer. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives the Lord's Prayer in chapter 11, which immediately follows the story of Mary and Martha in Bethany in chapter 10.
The church courtyard is surrounded by displays of the Lord's Prayer in nearly 70 different languages. Below, we stand before the courtyard:
A walk around the courtyard reveals the Lord's Prayer in the many different languages, such as Hebrew, Aramaic (left) and even Yoruba (right):
Beneath the church is a grotto commemorating the giving of the Lord's Prayer:
We are now ready to begin our descent down the west slope of the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane, which will ultimately lead us to Jerusalem.