Holy places of Judaism. Judaism is one of the oldest religions

Hello, friends. Are you interested in learning about the oldest religion in the world that has survived to this day? About its principles, foundations, commandments and secrets, about the history of development and stages of formation? Perhaps you want to go to Israel and take a tour of the holy places?

Or maybe you have heard the ridiculous opinion of the unenlightened that Judaism has common roots with Judas, who betrayed Christ? Or do you have other questions regarding this topic?

If yes, then we will satisfy your curiosity and after reading this article everything will become very clear.
Judaism is the faith (religion) of the Jewish people. The term "Judaism" or "Jewish religion" is sometimes used. First, let's take a short historical excursion.

History of Judaism

The word “Judaism” itself is derived from the term “tribe of Judah.” What it is? The fact is that the Israeli people “grew up” from the tribes of Israel (tribes) descendants of the sons of the patriarch Jacob. And he had them, not many, not few, but twelve! Sons were born from four different women: two wives and their two maids (yes, this happens). The fourth son was Judah.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Judah played a special role in the formation of the Israeli people. His name formed the basis for the name of the religion and the entire Jewish people; in Hebrew and other languages ​​this name sounds like “Jews.”

The history of Judaism spans more than three thousand years; this religion is considered the most ancient of those that have survived to this day. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, which means that its adherents believe in one God.

According to the science that studies religion, philosophy, culture and social development of the Jewish people, Judaica, there are four large stages in the entire history of the development of the Jewish faith:

1) Biblical period (from the 20th to the 6th century BC).

At this time there was no writing or chronology, so all knowledge and religious concepts were passed on by word of mouth and were rather mythological in nature. Even when the holy book appeared, it was not yet called the Bible. This was the Judaism of priests and prophets.

2) Second Temple or Hellenistic Judaism. (6th century BC to 2nd century AD).

This stage began after the Jewish people returned to Palestine from Babylonia (where most of them were forcibly resettled). They were in Babylonian captivity from 598 to 539 BC.

It is widely believed among modern religious scholars that the Jewish faith is based on the principle of the union of God with the people of Israel, which he concluded on Mount Sinai in the era of Moses. The second stage of Judaism is considered bookish, unlike the first. At that time, sacrifices and other ancient rituals were still common.

The high priest who wrote down the scriptures was called Ezra (in Islam he is called Uzair). He recreated Jewish statehood on the basis of the law of the Torah (the law of Moses), wrote the holy book of Ezra.

During the Second Temple, so-called Messianic Judaism became widespread. Its tenets are based on the Jewish people's faith in the Messiah. When Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth) appeared, tens of hundreds of Jews followed his faith. After Yeshua's death on the cross and his resurrection, this movement took hold of other nations, over time gradually transforming into Christianity, which had little in common with Messianic Judaism.

3) Talmudic (rabbinic or rabbinic) Judaism (2nd to 8th century AD).

After the Second Temple was destroyed, the Talmudic stage of the development of Judaism began. The rituals of sacrifice became obsolete and ceased.

At the heart of this period was the belief that the main sacred text of Judaism - the Written Torah (the Pentateuch of Moses and his Ten Commandments) also contained oral explanations and laws that were not written down, and were passed down between generations by word of mouth. They were called by the Jewish people the Oral Torah (or Talmud). The Oral Torah is a kind of addition to the Written Torah (the main sacred scripture of Judaism).

4) Modern Judaism(from 1750 to the present time).

The main currents of modern Judaism originate from the times of rabbinism.
Currently, there are about fifteen million adherents of Judaism, of which about 45% are residents of Israel, about 40% live in Canada and the United States of America, the rest are mainly in Europe.

The main currents of modern Judaism are Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. So that these words do not remain hanging in the air as an empty sound, we will briefly explain the essence of each.

Orthodox Judaism

The centerpiece of Orthodox Judaism is Halacha. So, halakha is a set of laws and rules of Jewish law that regulates the life of Jews in all respects (family, religious, social and cultural). These are the laws that are contained in the Torah and Talmud and which representatives of Orthodox Judaism strictly and tirelessly follow. Halacha also contains legal decisions and rabbinic laws that dictate rules of conduct.

These laws are divided into five main groups:

1. these are the laws of the Written Torah, interpreted in accordance with the Oral Torah;
2. laws whose basis is not in the Written Torah, but they were also received by Moses (Moshe) on Mount Sinai;
3. laws that were derived by sages based on the analysis of the Written Torah;
4. the laws that the sages established in order to protect the Jews from violating the laws of the Written Torah;
5. injunctions of the sages designed to regulate the life of Jewish communities.

The development of Halakha continues to this day; it is believed that the Torah contains answers to absolutely all questions that arise before the Jewish people.

Orthodox Christians oppose any innovations in religion.

Reform Judaism (sometimes called Progressive or Modern Judaism)

In contrast to the teachings of the Orthodox school, representatives of Reform Judaism advocate innovation and renewal. Progressive Judaism emerged in nineteenth-century Germany. Its adherents believe that the old ethical commandments should be preserved, and the ritual ones should be abandoned. Which is what was done. The ritual of the divine service underwent reformation, namely: the service was conducted in German, the shofar (ritual horn) was no longer blown, ritual clothing was not required during prayer, women were recognized as equal to men in all religious matters.

According to reformists, religion should develop and improve, thus adapting to the spirit of modernity. Justice, mercy and respect for loved ones are the path followed by the movement of Reform Judaism.

Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism arose in Europe, or more precisely Germany, several decades later than Reform Judaism. This is “something in between” (so to speak) between orthodox and reformist views. Its adherents are supporters of the idea of ​​compromise between traditional religious teachings and modern ones.

The ideas of Conservative Judaism, however, are much “softer” than Orthodox Judaism. For example, representatives of sexual minorities are allowed to ordain as rabbis. You can even have same-sex marriages. That's it, friends! So much for the conservatives!

The main ideas of this movement are the following:

• Halacha is recognized as the main guide for life;
• The attitude towards modern culture should be only positive;
• The foundations of the Jewish religion are not given fundamental importance.

Commandments of Judaism

The Torah contains not ten commandments as in the Bible, but six hundred and thirteen! Of these, two hundred and forty-eight (the number of bones and organs in the human body) commandments oblige one or another action, and three hundred and sixty-five commandments (this, as you guessed, is the number of days in a year) prohibit!

We will not list them all, but we will list the most interesting, unusual and ridiculous ones (and there are some among them):

• “The husband must remain with his wife during the first year of marriage”, like this; in the second and subsequent years of marriage, it is apparently not necessary.
• “If you bought a Jewish slave, you must marry her or marry your son.”
• “Buy a Jewish slave.” Paying attention to the previous commandment, it turns out that there are absolutely no options.
• "Do not settle in Egypt."
• "Don't scratch your body."
• “In the seventh year it is necessary to stop cultivating the land.”
• “Give up everything that grows on the earth in the seventh year.”
• “If a man’s body is found in a field and it is not known who killed him, the head of the heifer must be broken.” (Just in case, let’s clarify that the heifer is, most likely, a cow).
• “For those who committed intentional murder, six cities of refuge must be allocated.”
• In addition to this, there are also such as: do not shave with a blade, do not cast spells, do not tell fortunes, do not practice magic, do not wear women's clothing for men and men's for women, and a number of other commandments.

Symbols, attributes, traditions and holy places

The main attributes of Judaism are:

• shofar (ritual horn, it is blown during worship in the Synagogue - the center of the religious life of the Jewish community);
• poison (the so-called pointer for reading the Torah);
• Tanakh (holy scripture);
• a mug intended for washing hands;
• candlesticks;

Symbols and traditions of the Jewish faith:

• Shema - a prayer that consists of four quotations from the Pentateuch;
• observance of Shabbat - in Judaism this is the seventh day of the week on which one must abstain from work;
• kashrut is a set of rules governing attitudes towards food and other areas of life;
• wearing a kippah is a Jewish national headdress, a small cap covering the top of the head, it symbolizes humility and admiration before the Lord;
• the Star of David is a Jewish symbol depicted on the flag of Israel, which is a six-pointed star (two equilateral triangles superimposed on each other, one angled down, the other angled up);
• the seven-branched Menorah - a golden lamp, is the oldest symbol of Judaism and the religious emblem of the Jewish people;
• the lion is a symbol of the tribe of Judah.

Holy places:

• At an altitude of seven hundred and seventy-four meters above sea level, the Temple Mount rises above the old city of Jerusalem (this is a quadrangular area enclosed by high walls), and it goes approximately that far underground. Currently, active excavations are underway there. The First and then the Second Temple were located on the Temple Mount. According to Jewish belief, a Third Temple will be built there in the future. Currently, Muslim religious buildings are built there - the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (these are the third most important Muslim shrines).
• The Western Wall (its other names are Western Mountain or A-Kotel) is the most important shrine of the Jewish faith. It is located around the surviving western slope of the Temple Mount. According to legend, wishes written on a piece of paper and left in the Western Wall will certainly come true. Every year, pilgrims from all over the globe leave their deepest wishes with faith and hope, awaiting their fulfillment. So, if you are going to visit Israel, formulate your wishes correctly in advance, because they tend to come true!

If, dear readers, this article has only fueled your interest in the Jewish religion, ancient customs, and shrines.

If you want to know even more, delve into history, and perhaps trace the connection of Judaism with Christianity and other religions, we advise you to read books, which you can easily order by simply following the appropriate links:

Good luck and happy reading.
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Israel - a country of three religions

Israel is the cradle of three great religions of the world. For the believing population, Israel is a holy land, because it is here that buildings, monuments and entire areas are concentrated, considered by supporters of world religions as places not ordinary, but holy. This land became holy for Christians, Muslims, and Jews, for all the most significant historical events of these peoples took place here.

The sacred places of Israel are known to people both believers and non-believers. These places are associated primarily with the earthly life of Christ. The Annunciation and Nativity of Christ, the Baptism of Jesus Christ, the Presentation of the Lord, His appearance in Tabor and the Transfiguration - everything happened here. The Savior’s path ran through this land, it was here that he preached sermons and performed great miracles. The Last Supper took place here and Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Here he endured great suffering, walked the Way of the Cross to Golgotha ​​and was crucified on the Cross. The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ took place on this same earth.

Each major Christian shrine is a monument to one of the periods of the life of Jesus Christ. Churches, monasteries and other religious buildings have been built in almost every city in the country, where hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and tourists constantly flock.

Pilgrimage to the holy places of Israel

A pilgrimage to the holy places of Israel involves visiting holy places, various temples and monasteries. This concept arose in Orthodoxy when travel to places associated with the name of Christ began.

On the eve of the most important holidays for Christians - Christmas and Easter - Israel becomes especially attractive for pilgrims, believers, as well as people who are generally interested in history.

The most popular option for pilgrimage tours is 8 days. Often the pilgrimage is complemented by treatment or relaxation in the Dead or Red Seas. A visit to the Holy Land is also often combined with Egypt and Jordan, which are also interesting as places of pilgrimage.

A pilgrimage tour to holy places includes visits to the most important Christian shrines. Programs may vary depending on the church calendar or group composition, but they always retain their basic elements.

For Russian pilgrims, the pilgrimage begins with the Russian Spiritual Mission - this is the official representation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Israel. Pilgrims receive blessings here to complete their pilgrimage, and from here the journey begins in the footsteps of Jesus.

The pilgrimage tour includes visits to holy places in Jerusalem, Tiberias, Nazareth, Netanya, Haifa, Jaffa and Lydda.

The Jerusalem Holy Sites Tour includes sites that are associated with the last days of Jesus' life on earth. First of all, this is, of course, the Mount of Olives. On it are located the Place of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, the Temple of the Ascension, the Gethsemane Convent, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, the Olivet Convent, the tomb of the Mother of God, Mount Zion, the Temple of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the tomb of King David.

The holy places of Tiberias include the ancient city of Jericho and the monastery of St. George the Chozebite, the Forty Days Monastery and the Mount of Temptations. According to legend, Jesus fasted for 40 days after baptism in the desert near Jericho, in a cave on the top of a mountain, and Satan tempted him. In memory of this event, the Greek Forty Days Monastery was built.

In Tiberias, pilgrims will also definitely visit Mount Tabor, the monastery of St. Zacchaeus, the Jordan River, in which Jesus was baptized, and the monastery in Magdala - here pilgrims bathe in the spring. It was here that Christ healed Mary Magdalene and cast out demons from her.

Almost the entire Gospel story unfolded within the Sea of ​​Galilee. Here are the Church of the Twelve Apostles, Capernaum, the Church of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, Tabgha, the Mount of Beatitudes and the Church of the Sermon on the Mount. From the shore of the Sea of ​​Galilee Jesus preached about peace and love; on these mountains he had conversations with the Father, in these places he healed the sick and performed miracles.


In Nazareth, the Virgin Mary learned from Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. Christ lived here until his youth. At the top of Mount Carmel there is a cave where the Holy Prophet Elijah lived, and according to legend, Mary and her baby visited this cave. Church of the Archangel Gabriel, Church of the Annunciation, Cave of St. Prophet Elijah, Russian Church of St. Prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel - memory of the listed events.

According to legend, the city of Jaffa is the oldest city in the world: Noah built his ark here on the seashore, and his son, Japheth, founded the city. The Apostle Peter lived in Jaffa for a long time and it was here that, according to legend, he resurrected the righteous Tabitha. In Jaffa, pilgrims visit the Russian Church of St. Apostle Peter and the Chapel of the Holy Righteous Tabitha.

Saint George the Victorious was born in Lydda, and there is a church named after him here. The city houses a miraculous icon of the Mother of God, which appeared (according to legend) during her lifetime.

Holy places of Jerusalem

Ancient maps of the world show Jerusalem at the very center, and today it is also a common shrine for Christians, Jews and Muslims. For centuries, the city has been the reason for endless long-term disputes and brutal, bloody wars. And yet, every year hundreds of thousands of people of various religions come here.

Jerusalem can truly be called a city of peace, because you will not find such an amazing mixture of peoples, historical monuments, traditions and cultures, where churches, mosques and synagogues reign equally, anywhere else.

Biblical sites of Israel in Jerusalem:

1. Temple Mount. It is located on the territory of the Old Town, in its southeastern part. It is a rectangular area with high stone walls. It is no coincidence that the Temple Mount occupies a central place in Jerusalem; it is sacred to Judaism - Jews turn their faces to it during prayer. This is explained by the fact that there used to be a Temple on the site of the mountain, which was destroyed twice. Today, only part of the Western Wall, or Western Wall, remains of the Temple - a symbol of faith of the Jewish people, as well as a traditional place of prayer.

In Judaism and Christianity there are prophecies about the coming of the Messiah for the deliverance of all mankind. At the same time, the Third Temple will be built - the spiritual center for all the peoples of the world.


The Temple Mount is also a sacred place for Muslims. The most important shrines after Medina and Mecca are located on Temple Square. In the very center, where the Jewish Temple stood, the Qubbat al-Sakhra mosque (otherwise known as the Dome of the Rock) was erected. In the southern part is the al-Aqsa Mosque. Mosques were also destroyed and were even converted into Christian churches during the Crusaders.

The Temple formerly housed the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy of Holies of the Jews. It was here that God appeared to proclaim his will, and in the ark itself the Tablets of the Covenant were kept for the Jewish people. The Ark mysteriously disappeared before the destruction of the First Temple; famous archaeologists are still searching for it.

2. Wailing Wall. As I said above, only the western part of the wall has survived today. The Western Wall is an incredibly revered holy site. Since the end of the sixteenth century, it acquired exceptional religious significance for Jewish believers.

Believers all over the world are confident that sincere prayer at the Western Wall can be truly miraculous. And there is a lot of evidence that people who prayed at the Western Wall were healed of terrible ailments, and women were freed from infertility.


One of the traditions is writing notes asking for help. Believers all over the world come to the Wall with a large number of such notes, passed on from friends and acquaintances who cannot come. It is believed that if you insert these messages into the cracks of the Western Wall, God will read them and help those suffering.

3. Golgotha. This is a mountain famous for the fact that Jesus was crucified here.

According to biblical legends, under this mountain there was a deep hole where, after execution, the bodies of criminals and the crosses on which they were crucified were thrown. The Cross of Christ was also thrown into this hole and covered up. And only centuries later, the cross was found during excavations by Queen Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I. According to legend, even the nails with which Christ was crucified were preserved.

Today, Golgotha ​​is illuminated with lamps and candles, and the Catholic and Greek thrones are placed on it (at the site of the crucifixion of Christ).

4. Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is an architectural complex that combines several buildings under its roof. The temple includes two of the most important Christian shrines: Mount Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the Holy Sepulcher, where he was buried and resurrected. There is also the Church of St. Helena, the Church of the Finding of the Life-Giving Cross, the cathedral temple of the Jerusalem Church and several monasteries.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is also called the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, for, according to the Holy Scriptures, it was built where Christ was resurrected. The temple is located geographically in the Old City. The excursions are designed to cover the entire Way of the Cross.

The Holy Sepulcher is the main altar of the temple. Christian services have been held here since the fourth century. Pilgrims and tourists bring with them icons, candles, medallions, crosses, etc. for lighting. Access to the Holy Sepulcher is completely free, except during services, especially on Christian holidays such as Easter. Every year on this night the Holy Fire rises. This fire symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus, appearing miraculously. Thousands of believers come to the temple to see this miracle with their own eyes. Pilgrims want to receive a piece of the Holy Fire and rush to light their candles from it.

5. Garden of Gethsemane. Here Christ loved to retire with his disciples for rest and prayer, and here he was seized by guards during prayer after the Last Supper. In the garden, the disciples of Jesus mourned the death of their Teacher, and it was here that the news of the Resurrection of Christ was brought.

The Garden of Gethsemane is a place associated with the Passion of Christ, and pilgrims from all over the world certainly visit it.

Holy places of Bethlehem

Bethlehem. The city where Jesus Christ was born. One can only approach this city with admiration and awe. Shrines of various religions and times are concentrated here. It is simply impossible not to visit Bethlehem and see them.

Holy sites of Israel in Bethlehem:

1. The main holy place for more than a thousand years has been the Church of the Nativity of Christ. Pilgrims do not stop coming here in order to see the Star of Bethlehem, walk along the very road along which the Magi walked, and touch the sacred temple erected by Empress Helen of Byzantium in honor of Christ. It is believed that Helen built the temple exactly on the spot where Jesus was laid in the manger.

In the temple there is an extraordinary icon in which the Mother of God is smiling.


The architecture of the Temple amazes with its grandeur: Byzantine mosaics, columns with unique paintings, frescoes depicting Christ... Even the Muslims who captured the temple did not destroy it, but converted part of it into a place of prayer.


The church was robbed and rebuilt more than once. For example, the main entrance was specially made low so that a person would bow before entering.

2. Bethlehem in Hebrew means “house of bread.” On the outskirts of the city there is the tomb of the foremother of all Jews - Rachel. This place is also revered by Muslims.

3. Next to the Church of the Nativity is the most important Catholic church - the Church of St. Catherine. Every year, the Christmas service from this church is broadcast in many countries around the world.

4. Milk Grotto – the place where Christ’s family waited with fear for the end of the massacre perpetrated by King Herod.

Holy places of Nazareth

Nazareth is the city where the Holy Virgin Mary lived and where Christ spent his childhood. Nazareth is located in northern Israel, in the Galilee region. The city is extremely multinational: Jews, Arabs and representatives of other nations live here nearby. Nazareth, like Bethlehem, has a history of thousands of years but a small population.

Holy places of Israel in Nazareth:

1. Cathedral of the Annunciation. The most significant building. The building was built over the grotto in which Mary learned from Archangel Gabriel the news of her imminent motherhood. The cathedral was built for the fifth time on the ruins of churches that stood on this site earlier and were destroyed during Muslim raids. That is, the temple is located on two levels: on the lower level there are relics, on the upper level there is a hall for worship under a dome, which is visible from anywhere in Nazareth.


2. Church of St. Joseph. Located next to the Church of the Annunciation. This is the only church in the country built in honor of the carpenter Joseph. It is built above his workshop.

3. Temple of the Archangel Gabriel. Church built in honor of St. Archangel Gabriel.

4. Lake Kinneret (Sea of ​​Galilee) witnessed many of the acts of Jesus Christ. Between Nazareth and the sea there is Mount Tabor (Tabor) - this is the place of the Divine Transfiguration of Christ. On the mountain, 588 meters above sea level, the Franciscan Church of the Transfiguration is now built.

5. The Jordan River is the river in which Christ was baptized. Christians are still baptized here.

6. The city of Capernaum on Lake Kinneret is the city where Christ preached. It is extremely unusual to see the Orthodox Temple of the 12 Apostles among Arab settlements.

7. Not far from Capernaum is the fishing village of Tabgha, where Jesus fed two fish and five loaves of bread to everyone present, walked behind a boat on the water, miraculously calmed the storm, and appeared before the disciples here after his resurrection. The Monastery of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes was built as a memory of these miracles.

Excursions to the holy places of Israel

Traveling to Israel is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The overwhelming majority of tourists go to Jerusalem, but many of them travel to Christian shrines. You can go on a tour of the holy places of Jerusalem from almost any city in Israel; you just need to book a trip in advance at the country’s excursion bureau. There are also organized trips from Egypt to Jerusalem and vice versa - tourists holidaying in Israel can visit the sights of neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan.

Traveling to Israel at Christmas or Easter is very popular. You need to book such a trip to holy places in advance: you should take into account the popularity of holidays among Christians and the congestion of flights. It is also worth remembering the number of tourists and pilgrims visiting the country on such major Christian holidays.

Israel is a country that everyone should visit. I really hope that the information I collected will be useful to you, your loved ones and family. Do not be ill!

The Double and Triple Gates are collectively called the Hulda Gate. Hulda in Hebrew means “rat”; in addition, the Bible mentions a certain prophetess Hulda, who lived during the time of King Josiah. Presumably, her tomb was located next to this gate during the Second Temple era (a reconstruction can be seen on the model of Jerusalem). Apparently, they entered through the eastern gate and exited through the western gate.

In this section of the wall, the differences between the part erected by the Umayyads in the 8th century are clearly visible. and the one that the Ottomans completed in the 16th century. In the lower, Umayyad part, two fragments of a huge white cornice are embedded. The festooned cross depicted on it indicates that the element was previously part of a Christian building - perhaps the Church of Nea, built by Justinian in 543.

The wide flight of steps leading to the Double Gates dates back to the Herodian era. Much of the Double Gate (the western gate of Hulda) is hidden by a medieval tower. Only a small eastern part of them is visible now. The large cornice and additional arch may be from Herodian times, but the ornamented arched cornice is from the Umayyad era. In the third row of stonework above it is an inverted Roman inscription. It is dedicated to Antoninus, Hadrian's adopted son, and may have been on one of the statues that stood on the Temple Mount after Jerusalem became Aelia Capitolina.

To the east of the stairs are mikvahs - Jewish ritual baths. One of them has a special configuration and size, and, apparently, was intended for priests.

The triple gate is of Umayyad form, but still shows the molded western jamb of the Hulda gate. The doors were blocked in the 11th century. All that remains of the original monumental staircase is part of the supporting arch, carved directly into the rock. Further east - Single Gate. They were created by the Templars as a side door and sealed by Saladin in 1187.

Next to them are the ruins of a Byzantine building.

CITADEL

Israeli settlements have existed in this area since the 7th century. BC, but this section appeared inside the city walls only at the end of the 2nd century. BC, during the reign of John Hyrcanus. The powerful citadel, located at the Jaffa Gate of the Old City, was erected by Herod the Great in 24 as a defensive part of the palace. Under Herod, it was called the fortress of King David, and this name survived Herod, who left a bad memory of himself both among his own people and on the scale of world history.

The citadel once had three towers, named after the people closest to King Herod - his wife Mariamne, brother Phasael and friend Hippicus.

Josephus's description of these towers mentions the Hasmonean wall: “The size of these three towers, significant as it was in itself, seemed even greater due to their location: for the ancient wall on which they stood was itself built on a high hill and , like the top of a mountain, rose to a height of thirty cubits, and therefore the towers located on it were superior in height" (The Jewish War, book five, chapter four). He further continues: “Adjoining these towers in the north was a royal palace from the inside that surpassed all description, in which the splendor and decoration were brought to the highest perfection.” Excavations show that the palace extended almost to the present southern wall.

When the Romans began to rule Palestine directly in 6 AD, the procurator, who lived in Caesarea, used the palace as his Jerusalem residence. This is a more likely location for the praetorium in which Pontius Pilate tried Jesus.

In. 18:28 – 19:16: “From Caiaphas they took Jesus to the praetorium. It was morning; and they did not enter the praetorium, so as not to be defiled, but so that they could eat the Passover. Pilate came out to them and said: What do you accuse this Man of? They answered him: If He had not been an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him to you. Pilate said to them: Take Him, and judge Him according to your law. The Jews said to him: It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death, so that the word of Jesus, which He spoke, might be fulfilled, indicating by what kind of death He would die.

Then Pilate again entered the praetorium, and called Jesus, and said to Him: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered him: Are you saying this on your own, or have others told you about Me? Pilate answered: Am I a Jew? Your people and the chief priests delivered You up to me; what did you do? Jesus answered: My kingdom is not of this world; If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would fight for Me, so that I would not be betrayed to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here. Pilate said to Him: So are You a King? Jesus answered: You say that I am a King. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I came into the world, to testify to the truth; everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice. Pilate said to Him: What is truth?

And having said this, he again went out to the Jews and said to them: I find no guilt in Him. You have a custom that I give you one for Easter; Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you? Then they all shouted again, saying, “Not Him, but Barabbas.” Barabbas was a robber.

Then Pilate took Jesus and ordered him to be beaten. And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns, placed it on His head, and dressed Him in purple, and said: Hail, King of the Jews! and they struck Him on the cheeks. Pilate went out again and said to them: Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, so that you may know that I do not find any guilt in Him.

Then Jesus came out wearing a crown of thorns and a scarlet robe. And Pilate said to them: Behold, Man! When the high priests and ministers saw Him, they shouted: Crucify Him, crucify Him! Pilate says to them: Take Him and crucify Him; for I find no fault in Him. The Jews answered him: We have a law, and according to our law He must die, because He made Himself the Son of God. Pilate, hearing this word, became more afraid.

And again he entered the praetorium and said to Jesus: Where are you from? But Jesus did not give him an answer. Pilate says to Him: Do you not answer me? Don’t you know that I have the power to crucify You and the power to release You? Jesus answered: You would not have any power over Me if it had not been given to you from above; therefore there is greater sin on him who delivered Me to you.

From that time on, Pilate sought to release Him. The Jews shouted: if you let Him go, you are not a friend of Caesar; Anyone who makes himself a king is an opponent of Caesar. Pilate, having heard this word, brought Jesus out and sat down at the judgment seat, in a place called Liphostroton, and in Hebrew Gavvatha. Then it was the Friday before Easter, and it was six o’clock.

And Pilate said to the Jews: Behold, your King! But they shouted: take him, take him, crucify him! Pilate says to them: Shall I crucify your king? The high priests answered: We have no king except Caesar. Then finally he handed Him over to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led him away.”

A similar cruel farce took place in the same place under another procurator.

“Florus spent the night in the royal palace, and the next day he ordered a judge’s chair to be placed in front of the palace, on which he ascended... They captured many also calm citizens alive and dragged them to Florus, who ordered them first to be scourged and then crucified” (Jewish War, Second book, chapter 14).

These actions of Florus served as one of the reasons for the first uprising, and in September 66, Jewish rebels burned the palace.

“The next day (the 15th day of Elul) they attacked the castle of Antonia, stormed it after a two-day siege, killed the entire garrison, and set the citadel itself on fire. Then they surrounded the palace, where the royal troops had escaped, divided into four groups and tried to break through the wall. Those inside, due to the large number of attackers, did not dare to make a sortie; instead, they set up posts on the parapets and towers, shot at the attackers and killed a significant number of bandits under the wall. Neither day nor night the fighting did not subside. The rebels hoped that the lack of food supplies would force the garrison to surrender, and the besieged hoped that they would tire from excessive exertion.

Meanwhile, a certain Manaim arose, the son of Judas, nicknamed the Galilean, a remarkable sophist (teacher of the law), who, under the ruler Quirinius, reproached the Jews for the fact that, in addition to God, they also recognized the power of the Romans over themselves (II, 8, 1). This Manaim He went at the head of his followers to Masada, smashed Herod’s arsenal here, armed, in addition to his fellow countrymen, other robbers, and with this crowd of bodyguards he entered Jerusalem as a king, became the head of the uprising and took charge of the siege. The besiegers did not have siege weapons, and under the hail of arrows raining down from above there was no way to openly undermine the wall. As a result, they, starting from afar, dug a mine towards one of the towers, strengthened it with supports, waited for the latter and went outside. As soon as the foundation burned, the tower instantly collapsed.

But another wall, built inside against the outer wall, appeared before the eyes of the besiegers. The fact is that the besieged understood the enemy’s plan (probably because the tower, as soon as it was undermined, shook) and built another defense for themselves. At this unexpected sight, the besiegers, who were already celebrating their victory, were quite amazed. Nevertheless, the besieged sent to Manaim and the leaders of the uprising to ask for a free retreat; only the king's soldiers and the natives were granted this, and they actually retreated.

The Romans who remained in place were overcome by despair: they could not overcome the forces that were so significantly superior to them, and they considered asking for a peaceful agreement a disgrace, not to mention the fact that they could not believe the promise even if it was given. They therefore left their insufficiently protected apartments and fled to the royal castles: Hippicus, Phasael and Mariamne. The people of Manaim burst into the place that was abandoned by the soldiers, cut down everyone who had not yet managed to escape, and, seizing all the movable property, burned the palace itself. This happened on Tishrei 6. (The Jewish War, book two, chapter seventeen).”

Four years later, after the defeat of the Great Revolt, the Roman general Titus preserved the huge towers as a monument. His troops settled in the area of ​​the old palace.

“The army no longer had anyone to kill or anything to plunder. Bitterness no longer found an object for revenge, since everything was destroyed mercilessly. Then Titus ordered the entire city and temple to be razed to the ground; only the towers that towered above all the others, Phasael, Hippicus, Mariamne and the western part of the perimeter wall were to remain: the last - to form a camp for the abandoned garrison, and the first three - to serve as evidence for posterity how majestic and strongly fortified was the city that fell before the courage of the Romans" (The Jewish War, book seven, chapter one).

The palace remained the camp of the tenth legion Fretensis (Crusher) for over 200 years. The fortress - a symbol of the power of the Kingdom of Israel - was, like the entire city, subjected to significant destruction under Emperor Hadrian in 135. Only the lower part of Fazael's tower has survived to this day. However, the Romans considered it too difficult and unprofitable to raze the lower part of the citadel and its foundation to the ground: the fortress could still be useful for the defense of Aelia Capitolina.

Pilgrims of the first centuries of Christianity, thinking that the western hill was Mount Zion, mistook the fortress for the actual residence of King David. The remains of the largest tower became known as the Tower of David. In the 19th century this name was borne by the minaret in the south-eastern corner. It is also known that in the Byzantine era, hermit monks settled in the ruins of the fortress, its premises and tunnels.

When the Crusaders took the city in July 1099, the Fatimid garrison of the fortress was allowed to leave with honor. In 1128, the fortress became the residence of the King of Jerusalem. The Crusaders, who built grandiose fortresses throughout the Holy Land, added walls and towers in the 12th century, practically restoring the former significance and grandeur of the citadel. From its walls, Saladin in October 1187 looked at the Christians leaving the defeated city.

In the next century, the citadel was rebuilt more than once and destroyed during battles with the crusaders. Malik en-Nazer Daud tried to destroy it again in 1239, who bore the title of Prince of Kerak (the most powerful fortress built in Palestine by the crusaders and later taken from them by the Arabs), who saw in it a “competitor” of his grandiose citadel. In 1310, Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad gave the central part of the fortress its present appearance. He preserved the outer crusader walls, but destroyed the wall of the old city, which divided the interior into two courtyards. In 1335, new restoration work was carried out. The fortress was also restored in 1540, under Sultan Suleiman the Great. He built a monumental entrance to the fortress and built a platform for cannons along the western wall.

Systematic excavations carried out on the territory of the citadel since 1934 have revealed the remains of buildings from the times of the kings of Judah, the Hasmonean and Herodian periods. Fragments of the medieval Dauda Mosque were also discovered, on the site of which, according to Muslim legends, King David himself prayed.

Let's take a look at the plan of the fortress. Hasmonean wall of the late 2nd century. BC. now it looks like a curved arc (14), whose thickness clearly indicates that this is a city wall. This impression is complemented by two towers (13 and 20). This is the first wall described by Josephus: “Of the three walls, the oldest was difficult to overcome due to the chasms that surrounded it and the hill on which it was built that towered above the latter; but its natural power was significantly exalted artificially, since David and Solomon, as well as the kings who followed them, tried to surpass each other in strengthening this stronghold. Starting in the north at the so-called Hypic Tower, it stretched to Xistus, then adjoined the Council building and ended at the western gallery of the temple. On the other side, towards the west, it, starting at the same point, went to a place called Betson and extended to the Essenian Gate, then returned south of the Siloam spring, bent again east, to Solomon's fish pond, from here it stretched to the so-called. Ofla and ended at the eastern gallery of the sanctuary" (Jewish War, Book Five, Chapter Four).

To the south it appears below the modern western wall. Buildings are attached to it from the inside; one of the ancient entrances is barely visible. When Herod the Great decided to build a palace here in the last quarter of the 1st century. BC, his main contribution to the construction was the huge tower (5) on the line of the early wall. The other two towers mentioned by Joseph must have been located further east. Herod also decided to raise the ground level of the wall so that the artificial platform would give the buildings a more impressive appearance. To this end, he laid out a grid of walls intersecting with the Hasmonean buildings at right angles (15) - their function was to firmly hold the new filling. As a precaution against lateral pressure, he extended the tower (13) outwards, thereby creating a larger bastion (12) and thickened the wall (14) between the two towers (12 and 5). It is curious that the large tower (20) was not expanded. Under Herod, it narrowed from its previous 18.5 to 14.5 m, but retained its location (21). This tower was rebuilt in the 1st century. The new tower (22) was oriented slightly differently and was built into the wall (14). Its northern and eastern walls belong to the 1st century, but the western wall was reconstructed in the Byzantine period. In her eastern room a thick layer of building material was discovered, mute evidence of the destruction caused by the attacks of Jewish rebels in September 66.

“The besiegers did not have siege weapons, and under the hail of arrows raining down from above there was no way to openly undermine the wall. As a result, they, starting from afar, dug a mine towards one of the towers, strengthened it with supports, set fire to these latter and went outside. As soon as the foundation burned, the tower instantly collapsed. But another wall, built inside against the outer wall, appeared before the eyes of the besiegers” (War of the Jews, book two, chapter seventeen).

At the beginning of the 4th century. (Byzantine period) a new wall (3) was built, north of Herod's tower (5). The Byzantines also strengthened the Hasmonean-Herodian wall (14), adding external parts to it (17), and restored the late Herodian tower (22), reconstructing its western wall. They also dug a cistern (18).

Today, the Fortress of David houses the museum of the city of Jerusalem; it has become one of the cultural centers of modern Israel. However, we should not forget that it was precisely before entering the citadel in December 1917 that General Edmond Allenby, who captured Jerusalem in the war with Turkey, announced civil and religious freedoms for the citizens. Thus, in the twentieth century, the Fortress of David acquired a new symbolic meaning.

TOMB OF DAVID

King David, revered as a great prophet in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, was buried within the boundaries of his city - the City of David, located to the east, on the Ophel hill. This is clearly stated in the Bible (1 Kings 2:10).

David's tomb on Mount Zion, like the mountain itself, is a spiritual symbol. The symbol is so important in both the Jewish and Christian traditions that this place, prayed for centuries, can rightly be considered a “reliable projection” of the authentic tomb of David, perhaps located somewhere nearby, but still, alas, not discovered.

On Mount Zion there was a kind of intersection of these traditions, or rather two traditions - Christian and Jewish.

Pilgrims of the first centuries of Christianity could have been inspired by the words of the Apostle Peter, which he spoke at a meeting in the Upper Room of Zion:

“Men and brethren! Let it be allowed to boldly tell you about the forefather David, that he died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” (Acts 2:29).

In those days, sacred texts were interpreted, as usual, literally, and “with us” could well be perceived as “with us here, in this very house.”

This is probably how the legend was born that the Tomb of David is located under the Upper Room of Zion.

In turn, Jews were attracted to this place by later traditions of the Jerusalem community, in particular, the story of Rabbi Abraham of Jerusalem, dating back to 1167 and recorded a little later by the Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela. The story tells that one day the wall of a Christian temple collapsed on Mount Zion and the patriarch ordered it to be restored, taking stones from the ancient wall of Zion. During the work, a cave was discovered, and there was a table on which lay a golden scepter and a golden crown. This, according to R. Abraham, and there was the tomb of David, on the left side of which were the tombs of King Solomon and other kings of Judah, and with them were chests with great treasures.

An equally important role was probably played by the impressive legends described by the Jewish historian Josephus back in the first century AD and later attached to this place. This is how he wrote about the robbery of the tomb of David by King Herod the Great: “And then one night, with great precautions so that none of the citizens would know about it, he ordered the tomb to be opened and, accompanied by his most devoted friends, entered it. However, he didn’t find any money here, but he found a huge amount of gold jewelry and various jewelry. He took all this for himself.

Wanting to thoroughly familiarize himself with the contents of the crypts, he wanted to penetrate deeper into the tombs, to the very place where the bodies of David and Solomon rested. Here, however, two of his squires died, as they say, from the flames that flew out at them when they attempted to enter the crypt. In complete horror, Herod ran out of the crypt and then ordered the erection, as a sign of the propitiation of the Eternal, a monument of white stone at the entrance to the tomb.”

In the 4th century, a Christian church was built near David’s tomb, which was destroyed two hundred years later by the Persians. The marble cenotaph - an empty sarcophagus in memory of King David - with a lily, the symbol of the royal house of France, was installed under the Crusaders in the 12th century. In 1524, the El Daoud Mosque appeared on the site of the church, the dome and minaret of which have survived to this day.

It is worth noting that during Turkish rule, Muslims did not allow Christians and Jews to visit the room with the tomb of the prophet-king Daud, however, allowing them to pray on the floor above, where a copy of the sarcophagus was installed. Exceptions were made only for particularly important persons - in particular, for Moshe Montefiore, who visited the tomb in 1839. It is curious that in the devastating drought of 1855, the Muslims themselves asked the Jews to come to the tomb and beg their king for an end to the drought.

Today, David's tomb belongs to the Sephardic synagogue, and access to it is free for everyone. The cenotaph is covered with a veil on which cases of Torah scrolls are installed. These scrolls, symbolizing the 22 kingdoms of Israel, were brought from synagogues in Europe that were destroyed by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The words from the First Book of Samuel are embroidered on the coverlet: “David, king of Israel, lives and exists.”

JEWISH CEMETERY

TOMBS IN THE VALLEYS
TOMB (PILLAR) OF ABESSALOM
TOMB OF ZECHARIAH
TOMB OF THE PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER
TOMB OF JOSHAPHAT
TOMB OF THE SONS OF KHEZIR
TOMB OF THE KINGS
HEROD'S FAMILY TOMB

The Jewish cemetery, located on the slope of the Mount of Olives, is possibly the oldest "active" cemetery. It dates back to biblical times. It probably began to grow during the reign of King Solomon. Archaeologists have found here the remains of tombs carved into the rock on the surface, that is, of the “lightweight”, non-cave type, from the times of the Old Testament, as well as the Hellenistic and Herodian eras.

According to very stable and evoking a lively response even today traditions - Jewish, Christian and Muslim - it is in this “earthly place” that the resurrection of the dead will begin and the Last Judgment will take place. And it is not surprising that many wealthy Jews around the world dream of purchasing a plot here, albeit at an exorbitant price.

In fact, the northern section of the slope of the Mount of Olives, where the famous tomb monuments are located, can be considered part of the Jewish cemetery: the Tomb (Pillar) of Absalom, the Tomb of Jehoshaphat, the Tomb of Zechariah, the Tomb of the sons of Hezir, the Tomb of Pharaoh’s daughter.

TOMBS IN THE VALLEYS

The biblical prophets defined in different ways the place where God would judge the world. Joel believed that this would happen in the valley of Jehoshaphat: “I will gather all the nations and bring them into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and there I will execute judgment on them for My people and for My inheritance Israel, which they scattered among the nations and divided My land.” (3:2).

Zechariah was inclined to believe that the Last Judgment would take place on the Mount of Olives: “Then the Lord will come out and take up arms against these nations, as He took up arms on the day of battle. And His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; And the Mount of Olives will split in two from east to west into a very large valley, and half of the mountain will go to the north, and half of it to the south” (14:3-4).

Later, a solution was found that unites both points of view - the Kidron Valley is the Valley of Jehoshaphat. It was first recorded by a pilgrim from Bordeaux (333). Therefore, on the slopes of this valley there are numerous cemeteries. However, the first burials appeared in these places long before the writings of the prophets.

Some of the tombs have an unusual shape and have long aroused curiosity. Three of them are especially famous, popularly called the “Tomb of Absalom”, “Tomb of Zechariah”, and “Tomb of Pharaoh’s Daughter”.

TOMB (PILLAR) OF ABESSALOM

There are many legends about the ancient monument, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. A biblical story connects him with the name of King David’s son, the rebellious Absalom:

“Absalom, while still alive, took and erected a monument for himself in the royal valley; for he said, I have no son, that the memory of my name may be preserved. And he named the monument after himself. And it is called “the monument of Absalom” to this day” (2 Sam. 18:18).

However, this legend itself appeared quite late - it was first mentioned by Benjamin of Tudela in 1170, and the tombstone itself, which is a mixture of Greek and Egyptian architectural traditions, was erected, it is believed, at the end of the 1st century BC. It is not for nothing that in the local tradition it is called nothing less than the “Pharaoh’s Tiara”. The building was supposed to serve as a funerary monument for the eight-chamber catacombs.

For a long time there was a tradition of throwing stones at this tombstone as a sign of condemnation of Absalom. Over time, almost half of it was abandoned, and in 1925, the Eretz Israel Exploration Society, while cleaning the historical area, “liberated” the stoned monument.

The cone was once crowned with a stone statue of a hand, which is confirmed by ancient drawings and the Jewish name of the monument – ​​Yad Avshalom (“Hand of Absalom”). How it disappeared is not known, but a century and a half ago there was a legend that it was shot by none other than Napoleon when he found out what kind of monument it was. “The hand raised against the father-king must be cut off,” he allegedly said. The legend might have taken root if it had not been known for sure that Bonaparte did not appear in Jerusalem.

TOMB OF ZECHARIAH

Entirely hewn from rock, this tombstone resembles the nearby Pillar of Absalom in its lower part. Presumably, like the tomb of the sons of Hezir, it belongs to one of the ancient priestly families.

Jewish tradition claims that this is the tomb of the priest Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, killed by order of the wicked king Joash for reproaching him for his sins, right in the courtyard of the Temple, the house of the Lord (2 Chron. 24:21).

There is a tradition according to which this murder caused the death of the First Temple, since one crime included seven serious crimes at once: 1. murder of a priest, 2. murder of a prophet, 3. murder of a judge, 4. desecration of the Temple, 5. shedding of innocent blood , 6. committing a crime on Shabbat and 7. simultaneously on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement).

At the same time, the first mentions of this tomb as the grave of the priest Zechariah appear only in the 13th century.

In turn, some Christian scholars connect this tombstone with the burial place of another priest, Zechariah, Father John the Baptist, believing that this is what Jesus had in mind when he condemned the scribes and Pharisees:

“May all the righteous blood shed on earth come to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachi, whom you killed between the temple and the altar” (Matthew 23:35).

However, a Hebrew inscription on the architrave above the two Doric columns identifies the monument as belonging to the priestly family of Bnei Hezir. This tomb is earlier than the Tomb of Absalom; it dates back to the second half of the 2nd century. BC.

TOMB OF THE PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER

Another name for this monument is the Silouan monolith. The 19th-century French archaeologist de Solcy romantically identified this tomb with the temple erected by King Solomon for his Egyptian wife:

“Solomon became related to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter for himself and brought her into the city of David until he built his house and the house of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem” (1 Kings 3:1).

At first glance, the tomb looks the same as the other houses in the village of Silvan, but it does not have windows. An arch just below the tomb was added in the 19th century to make it easier to access. It was built in the 8th century. BC, cutting off the adjacent rock: a pyramid was placed on the stone cube, as in the “Tomb of Zechariah”. The pyramid was later severely damaged by quarrying in its immediate vicinity. Further damage to the monument was caused by the Byzantine hermit who settled there - in order to widen the entrance, he destroyed part of the wall with a Hebrew inscription (two letters are still visible).

TOMB OF JOSHAPHAT

Behind the Pillar of Absalom is a rock-cut cave with a beautiful portico. Tradition connects it with the burial place of the Jewish king Jehoshaphat, although the biblical text clearly states:

“And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David...” (1 Kings 22:50).

Historians date this monument, like the Pillar of Absalom, to the 2nd century. BC.

TOMB OF THE SONS OF KHEZIR

The cave to the right of Absalom's Pillar is decorated with two columns supporting a Doric architrave. Its affiliation is historically reliable.

An inscription in Hebrew was found on the architrave: “This is the grave of Eliezer, Hania, Joezer, Yehuda, Shimon, Johanan, the sons of Joseph ben Obed, Joseph and Eliezer the sons of Hania, priests from the house of Hezir.”

The ancient priestly family of Hezira is mentioned in the Bible: in the First Book of Chronicles and in the book of Nehemiah.

The columns and architrave date back to the Hasmonean period - the end of the 2nd - 1st centuries BC. e.

In local folk tradition, this tomb is called the “House of Lepers” and “House of the Free.” This is due to the legend that King Hoshea (769-740 BC) began hiding in a cave when he fell ill with leprosy. He freed himself from direct control of the kingdom by transferring power to his son Jotham. Finally, there is another local name for the cave – “Pharaoh’s Divan”, the origin of which is very vague.

In turn, the Armenian tradition connects this cave with the place of the first burial of the Apostle James, the brother of the Lord. Later, his head was reburied under the main altar of the cathedral church of St. James, and the body of the saint was transferred by his disciples to Spain, where it remains to this day in the cathedral of the city of Santiago de Compostela.

Another legend says that after the crucifixion of Jesus, the Apostle James hid in this cave for fear of the Romans and Jews, and here the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, as the Apostle Paul later mentioned:

“Then he appeared to James, and also to all the apostles...” (1 Corinthians 15:7)

TOMB OF THE KINGS

The most monumental ancient necropolis of Jerusalem is located 800 meters north of the Old City, on the Nablus Road, as is the Garden Tomb located nearby.

The first explorers of the 19th century gave this necropolis its name, hoping that they had discovered the tombs of the kings of Judah. They were misled by the majestic façade of the complex. It turned out, however, that this is the family necropolis of Helen, Queen Adiabene (northern Mesopotamia), who converted to Judaism. You can read about it in Josephus (Jewish Antiquities, book 20, chapter 2).

“She arrived in Jerusalem during the great famine (between 46-48) and immediately began distributing food to the poor. Deciding to stay in the city, the queen built herself a palace in the Lower City, where she lived for 20 years. Somewhere in 64-65. her son Izat died, and she hurried to her homeland. She did not survive him for long, and soon died of old age and longing for her son. Monobaz sent the remains of her and her brother to Jerusalem, where he ordered to bury them in those three pyramids that Helen erected at a distance of three stages from the city” (Antiquities, book 20, chapter 4).

The Greek historian and geographer Pausanias (2nd century AD) recognized the tomb of Helen of Adiabene as second in luxury and grandeur after the tomb of the legendary king Mausolus, which was included in the seven wonders of the world.

A nine-meter wide staircase led to an open courtyard, where there were several ritual basins for ablution. The 28-meter-high façade was crowned with three pyramids. The architrave was supported by two columns, fragments of which were found during excavations.

The entrance to the tombs was closed with a huge round stone, which was moved using a secret mechanism based on a water piston system.

The interior, hochim, had niches where the dead were placed. Although the robbers took all the valuables from the tomb, they did not find Helen's sarcophagus. During the excavations, a stone sarcophagus was discovered, on which an inscription was found - “Queen Saddan” (the Aramaic name of the queen), indicating the affiliation of the necropolis. Now the sarcophagus is in the Louvre. The builders, fearing unrest (the First Uprising was already ready to break out), placed it not in the main chamber, but in one of the lower ones.

HEROD'S FAMILY TOMB

The necropolis is located a little west of Mount Zion.

King Herod the Great built for himself a grand fortress-tomb - Herodion - near Bethlehem. The Jerusalem tombs in the Hinnoma Valley were “granted” by him to his executed wife Mariamne and other family members who became victims of his paranoid fears.

The existence of Herod's family tomb in Jerusalem is attested by Josephus: here in 5 BC. The king's younger brother was buried. “Although Herod loved his brother until the end of his days, rumor still attributed this death to him: they said that he poisoned him with poison. Herod ordered his body to be transferred to Jerusalem, ordered the deepest mourning for all the people and gave him a brilliant funeral” (The Jewish War, book 1, chapter 29).

It is known that it was located in the western part of the city, since when describing the construction of the Roman bypass wall in 70, Josephus points it out as a landmark: “then the wall rose towards the tomb of the high priest Ananus and, hugging the mountain on which he had once camped Pompey turned to the north, past the village of Erebinton, then embraced the monument of Herod and adjoined again to the east, to the camp of Titus, where it began” (The Jewish War, book 5, chapter 12)

During the excavations, the base of the pyramid, a flight of stairs, a courtyard area, an entrance closed with a round stone and, finally, an interior room with three looted stone sarcophagi were discovered. The robbers reached the tomb before the archaeologists, which explains the small volume of what was found.

The sarcophagi remained in the tomb until World War II, when the British decided to use the tomb as an air raid shelter and moved them to the monastery of Constantine.

SYNAGOGUES OF OLD JERUSALEM

SEPHARDIC SYNAGOGUES

Among the synagogues of the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem, some have special significance in Jewish History.

The Ramban Synagogue is named in memory of the outstanding scientist of the Middle Ages - Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, or Ramban for short (1194-1270). Talmudist, Kabbalist, philosopher, poet and doctor, Ramban enjoyed fame and respect throughout Spain. After his victory in a public debate about faith, the Dominican Order, which headed the Holy Inquisition in 1232, accused Ramban of blasphemy against Christianity. The king, who knew the sage and his views well, was able to protect him from reprisals, but the rabbi had to leave Spain.

In 1267 he arrived in Jerusalem. There were many empty houses in the city and district, and Ramban chose one of them to build a synagogue. Now on display in the synagogue is a copy of a letter written by the Ramban in 1267. He describes the terrible conditions of city life and the fact that out of a population of 2,000 people in Jerusalem, only two Jews lived, poor dyers. Finally, the letter tells how Ramban converted the ruins into a synagogue. The Torah scrolls were brought from Nablus.

The new synagogue attracted more Jews to Jerusalem. Here was the center of community life, and Jewish pilgrims who came to Jerusalem immediately received shelter and help. It is assumed that this house stood on Mount Zion, since the Jewish community moved to the territory of the Jewish quarter, within the city walls, only at the beginning of the 15th century. Then a new synagogue was built, which became the “successor” of the first Ramban synagogue. Soon, however, it had to be closed and another place of prayer looked for, since, according to legend, a mosque with a minaret appeared nearby. It was built on the site of his house by a certain Jew who converted to Islam.

In 1474, the synagogue collapsed after a heavy rainfall. Disputes that arose over the ownership of the building ended in its complete destruction. After the intervention of Sultan Kayit Bey, the Jews were allowed to rebuild the synagogue again. Construction was completed in 1523. According to some evidence, it was the only synagogue in Jerusalem at that time. In 1586, the Turkish authorities banned prayers from being held there, although they left the building in the ownership of the Jewish community. For almost four hundred years it was used for various purposes - either as a trading store or as a cheese factory. It was only after the Six-Day War of 1967 that the synagogue was reopened in the building, which over the centuries became one of the symbols of the return of the Jewish people to Zion.

The Hurva Synagogue attracts the attention of tourists with its majestic arch. The story of its creation is as follows. In 1700, Rabbi Judah Hasid arrived in Jerusalem from Poland with a group of 200 Ashkenazi Jews. The Jewish community of the city at that time already numbered 1,200 people, mainly Sephardim. Hasidim led by R. Judas wanted to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Moshiach and bring the hour of redemption closer. Over the course of several years, another fifteen hundred Jews arrived from Poland. Immediately after arriving, it was decided to buy land and build a synagogue. The community was not rich, and money for this purpose had to be borrowed from wealthy Arabs. It was expected that funds would come from Europe for further establishment in Eretz Israel. However, hopes eventually melted away, p. Judas died, and in 1721 angry creditors confiscated the site and destroyed the synagogue. Since then this place has been called “Hurva”, which means “Ruin”.

In the 19th century, the community of Lithuanian Jews managed to write off old debts through negotiations and acquire the plot. In 1836, Ibrahim Pasha returned Khurva to the Ashkenazis. In 1856, construction began on a large quadrangular synagogue with a central dome, 25 meters high, which was named Beit Yaakov in honor of Edmond de Rothschild's father, since his son, a famous philanthropist, partially paid for the construction. In 1864 the building was completed; it was at that time the largest synagogue in the city.

In “The Book of the Jewish Quarter” by Aaron Bier, the interior of the Khurva is described as follows: “It was an almost square room measuring 16 x 14 m... On the eastern wall there was a huge metal arch built by a Jewish craftsman from Poland. It was decorated with wooden panels with images of flowers and birds. The arch itself consisted of two levels, with a heavy curtain hanging on it. In the middle of the hall there was a pedestal lined with marble tiles.” In 1948, during the War of Independence, the synagogue was again destroyed by Muslims, which solidified its local name - "The Ruin". In 2007, work began on restoring the building.

In 1948, the famous four-story Hasidic synagogue Tiferet Israel (Glory of Israel), which gave the street its name, was also blown up by the Arabs. The building was erected in the middle of the 19th century with the money of the Ruzhin tzaddik (spiritual mentor of Hasidic Jews) Israel Friedman. At that time, the Jewish community of Jerusalem was led by Nisan Bek, who contributed greatly to the construction, so in the local tradition the synagogue is better known by his name. The building had a square shape in plan and was crowned with a twenty-meter-high dome. The flat roof was surrounded by a balustrade. By the beginning of the 21st century, only the façade with fragments of frescoes, fragments of walls and a mikvah (ritual ablution pool) had survived from Tiferet Israel.

Sephardic synagogues

The complex of four synagogues - Eliyahu, Ben Zakkaya, Middle and Istanbul - occupies an area of ​​​​about 800 m2. They were the center of the Sephardic community, which began to build them after the expulsion from Spain at the end of the 15th century.

The synagogue of Yohanan ben Zakkai was built first - in 1606-10, when the Sephardic community was the largest in Jerusalem. Ben Zakkai is one of the codifiers of the Mishnah, a student of Hillel, the head of the court of the Sanhedrin, who recreated the center of Jewish learning in Yavne after the destruction of Jerusalem. According to legend, in order to escape from besieged Jerusalem, he pretended to be dead, and the disciples carried him out as if for burial. Desperate disciples asked him how to live after the destruction of the Temple. To which Yochanan Ben Zakkai, who did not share the ideas of the Zealots, replied that due to the impossibility of making sacrifices on the Temple Mount, the Jews still had the opportunity of redemption, which no one could take away from them - the mercy of the Lord.

On the eastern wall of the synagogue you can see a beautiful fresco by Jean David depicting Heavenly Jerusalem. Two sacred objects are placed on a glass shelf in the window: a shofar (an ancient wind musical instrument made from a ram's horn) and a vessel of oil. According to Jewish tradition, Mashiach, having come to Israel, will announce the beginning of the Messianic era with the sound of this shofar and will be anointed as king with this oil.

Around 1625, a meeting hall and a study room were added to the Ben Zakkai synagogue. Around 1702, these premises were converted into another synagogue, called Eliyahu in honor of the prophet Elijah. There is a beautiful but unreliable legend associated with this name. In 1588, after the ban on gatherings in the Ramban synagogue, the Jews found another place where they built a new house of worship. The community was very small, and when it gathered for prayer on Yom Kippur, it was found that one man was missing for the quorum, the minyan. Suddenly another Jew appeared, in whom they recognized the prophet Elijah (Eliyahu a-Navi) himself. He held a prayer with the community and disappeared again.

There is a small room at the back of the synagogue. There is an ancient chair in it, on which, according to legend, the prophet sat down upon entering the synagogue. The chair is considered a place of honor where the prophet will sit again when he returns. It should be noted that similar throne chairs are available in other Sephardic synagogues in case of the visit of the prophet Elijah.

In the middle of the 18th century, the courtyard on the north-eastern side of the Ben Zakkai synagogue was turned into a synagogue, later called the Middle Synagogue.

The Istanbul Synagogue was built in 1764 by Jews who came from Asia Minor. At one time, members of the Ashkenazi community prayed here after the expulsion from the Ashkenazi court, as well as, before the construction of their own synagogue, Jews from Morocco. The valuables of this synagogue are the Aron HaKodesh (a special cabinet where Torah scrolls are kept) from Ancona and a wooden pulpit with four columns, considered a masterpiece of Jewish culture in 17th-century Italy.

All four synagogues were united in 1835 into one common building, called Yochanan Ben Zakkai. One of its premises houses a small museum of the history of the Jewish Quarter and its synagogues.

The Holy City is Jerusalem, where the Temple was located. The Temple Mount, on which the Temple stood, is considered the holiest place in Judaism. Other holy places of Judaism are the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, where the biblical forefathers are buried, Bethlehem (Beit Lehem) - the city on the way to which the foremother Rachel is buried, Nablus (Shechem), where Joseph is buried, Safed, in which the mystical teaching of Kabbalah developed and Tiberias, where the Sanhedrin met for a long time.

Status of Judaism in Israel

Among the Jewish population of Israel (5.3 million), about 25% are fully observant supporters of Orthodox Judaism (of which about half are supporters of the Lithuanian direction and Hasidism, the other half are supporters of religious Zionism), another about 35% are partially observant, but also consider themselves supporters of Orthodox Judaism. Supporters of conservative and reformist trends are less than 1%. In the State of Israel, religion is not state (that is, obligatory for citizens), but it is not separated from the state. There are issues (marriage, divorce, death, conversion to Judaism) that are the exclusive responsibility of religious institutions. There are also other issues that can be considered by the Beit Din (religious court) by mutual agreement of the parties. In any case, an appeal to the Supreme Court is possible. Some Israeli laws are based on Halakha.

Relationships with other religions

Judaism and paganism

The general attitude of Judaism towards pagan religions is illustrated by prayer Aleynu Leshabe ah(the modern text was written by the Babylonian Talmudist Rav Aba Arika, 3rd century), which concludes the prayers of all services of the Jewish daily circle:

It is our responsibility to glorify the Lord of the whole world, to proclaim the greatness of the Creator of the universe. For he did not make us like the nations of the world, he did not allow us to be like the tribes of the earth. He gave us not their inheritance, and not the same fate as all their hordes. For they worship emptiness and futility, and pray to deities that do not save<…>.

The conflict between Judaism and the beliefs of the Hellenic world found expression in the War of the Maccabees.

Judaism and Christianity

In general, Judaism treats Christianity as its “derivative” - that is, as a “daughter religion” designed to bring the basic elements of Judaism to the peoples of the world:

«<…>and everything that happened with Yeshua Ganotsri and with the prophet of the Ishmaelites, who came after him, was preparing the way for King Moshiach, preparing for the whole world to begin to serve the Almighty, as it is said: “ Then I will put clear words in the mouths of all nations, and people will be drawn to call upon the name of the Lord and will serve Him all together."(Zeph.3:9). How did [those two contribute to this]? Thanks to them, the whole world was filled with the news of the Moshiach, the Torah and the commandments. And these messages reached the distant islands, and among many peoples with uncircumcised hearts they began to talk about the Messiah and the commandments of the Torah. Some of these people say that these commandments were true, but in our time they have lost their force, because they were given only for a time. Others say that the commandments should be understood figuratively, and not literally, and Moshiach has already come and explained their secret meaning. But when the true Mashiach comes and succeeds and achieves greatness, they will all immediately understand that their fathers taught them false things and that their prophets and ancestors misled them. »

- Rambam.Mishne Torah , Laws about kings, ch. 11:4

There is no consensus in the authoritative rabbinic literature whether Christianity, with its Trinitarian and Christological dogma developed in the 4th century, is considered idolatry (paganism) or an acceptable (for non-Jews) form of monotheism, known in the Tosefta as shituf(the term implies the worship of the true God along with "additional" ones). Although in modern Israel they are inclined to the first option.

Christianity historically arose in the religious context of Judaism: Jesus himself (Hebrew: יֵשׁוּעַ‎) and his immediate followers (apostles) were Jews by birth and upbringing; many Jews perceived them as one of the many Jewish sects. Thus, according to the 24th chapter of the Book of Acts, at the trial of the Apostle Paul, Paul himself declares himself as a Pharisee, and at the same time he is named on behalf of the high priest and the Jewish elders “ representative of the Nazirite heresy"(Acts 24:5).

From a Jewish perspective, the identity of Jesus of Nazareth has no religious significance, and recognition of his messianic status (and therefore the use of the title "Christ" in relation to him) is unacceptable. There is no reference in Jewish religious texts of the era to a person who can be reliably identified with Jesus.

Judaism and Islam

The interaction between Islam and Judaism began in the 7th century with the emergence and spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. Islam and Judaism are Abrahamic religions, stemming from a common ancient tradition dating back to Abraham. Therefore, there are many common aspects between these religions. Muhammad claimed that the faith he proclaimed was nothing other than the purest religion of Abraham, which was later corrupted by both Jews and Christians.

Jews recognize Islam, in contrast to Christianity, as a consistent monotheism. A Jew is even allowed to pray in a mosque. In the Middle Ages, Islamic theology and Islamic culture had a fairly strong influence on Judaism.

Traditionally, Jews living in Muslim countries were allowed to practice their religion and manage their own internal affairs. They were free to choose their place of residence and profession. Rarely have Jews lived in such freedom. The period from 712 to 1066 has been called the golden age of Jewish culture in Islamic Andalusia (Spain). Lev Polyakov writes that Jews in Muslim countries enjoyed great privileges, their communities flourished. There were no laws or social barriers preventing them from conducting commercial activities. Many Jews migrated to areas conquered by the Muslims and formed their own communities there. The Ottoman Empire became a refuge for Jews who were expelled from Spain by the Catholic Church. Today's Islam positions Judaism as a hostile religion (associating it with Zionism), which is dictated by purely political motives - the confrontation between Israel and the Arab-Muslim world.

Jerusalem is not just an ancient Middle Eastern settlement with a rich history, not just the capital of the state of Israel, which is glorified in songs, stories and legends. This city has received a special status for a very long time. Here is the same piece of rock, the center of the universe, from which God began the Creation of the world: having separated land and water, the Lord had to rest his foot on a solid area in order to continue his deeds; the Foundation Stone served as such a support. And Jerusalem is considered the center of the earth, because its “navel” is located right here, in. Finally, this one of the oldest cities on the planet is defined by three revealed religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity as a sacred place. In fact, the shrines of Jerusalem are revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians all over the world. In this article we will talk about some of the sacred objects.

Relics of Judaism

The holiest place is undoubtedly for adherents of Jewish traditions: Jewish sages are convinced that the presence of God is still fully manifested on earth only here.

Mountain Home

The main place of veneration is among the Jews, which rises behind the fortress walls within the Old City. The Jews call the entire mountain, every centimeter of its territory, sacred. On this Mountain:

The First Temple stood for four centuries;

Daily services with sacrifices were conducted;

Men from all the tribes of Israel came here for the holidays;

After the return of the Jews from captivity in Babylonia, the magnificent Second Temple was erected on Moria, which also served for 4 centuries.

The Third Temple, the Jewish prophets believe, will also appear on the Temple Mount.

Western Wall

One of the most interesting cities and the largest historical monument is in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem Kotel Maaravi - the remnant of a Herodian fortification built to expand the Temple Mount, preserved after the destruction of the Second Temple at the hands of the Roman soldiers of Emperor Titus Flavius.

For Jews, it has remained the greatest shrine to this day, at which they mourn the destruction of both Temples, ask for the fulfillment of desires, pray for the unseen, and some simply stand silently, absorbing the aura of antiquity. Anyone can approach the A-Kotel, whether during the day or at night, on any day of the year; they do not require money for entry, you just need to follow certain rules:

Men should wear special caps (kippahs);

Women's shoulders and knees must be covered;

The place for men to pray is on the left, and women can address God from the right side of the area;

Appearing at the Wall with pets is strictly prohibited;

You are not allowed to use mobile phones, take photographs or smoke at the Wall on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays.

Prayers, sometimes sobs, sometimes animation and fun - are constantly heard at the Western Wall, regardless of the time; today this place resembles a giant open-air synagogue. Ever since the rule of the Ottoman Empire, when in the 16th century its ruler Suleiman the Magnificent allowed Jews to pray here, the Western Wall became for Jews the object of pilgrimage trips to Jerusalem, where, according to a long-standing tradition, three times a year, on holidays, they were supposed to visit the Temple.

Islamic shrines

After Medina and Mecca, Jerusalem ranks third among Muslims in terms of holiness. In this city, according to supporters of Islam, live 40 righteous people, who with their piety save the world from disease, misfortune and hunger. Mount Moriah in Arabic is called the “Noble Sanctuary”; Islam associates it with the night ascension of Muhammad to the Divine Throne, when on a magical creature burak (a horse with a human head) the prophet was transported first from Mecca to the Jerusalem Temple Mount, and then the heavens above the place where The Temple stood before, they parted, opening the way to the Almighty.

In Jerusalem, the holy places of the three monotheistic religions are in close contact, demanding mutual respect. For example, sacred Islamic relics are still located on the Temple Mount.

Dome over the Rock

This Muslim sanctuary (Kubbat al-Sakhra) was built from 687 to 691 by order of Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad caliph, over a rocky ledge (the Cornerstone, considered the starting point of the universe long before the birth of Islam), from which, according to 17- oh sura of the Koran, the prophet Muhammad, who then received the covenants of the Muslim religion from God, made his journey at night to Allah.

These days, the Mosque of the Rock in Jerusalem is not a functioning masjid; it is an Islamic architectural monument, the golden dome of which has a diameter of 20 meters and is visible from any area of ​​the Old City. The Dome of the Rock contains 3 hairs from Muhammad's beard and the imprint of his foot. Only Muslims have the right to enter Qubbat al-Sakhra. But tourists, after passing through the Maghreb Gate, can visit the Temple Mount itself during designated summer and winter hours.

Al Aqsa Mosque

From a small house of worship founded by Caliph Umar (or Omar the First) in the 7th century (636), this mosque in Jerusalem has grown into the 3rd Islamic shrine in the world, into a huge structure that can accommodate approximately 5,000 worshipers at a time during worship.

Every time, saying the words of prayer, Muslims turn their faces in a certain direction (qiblah). Now this qibla is Mecca, but previously it was the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

In the center of the building rises a dome, the outer part of which is covered with lead plates, and the inside of the hemisphere is decorated with amazing mosaics. The walls of the mosque are also decorated with mosaics in the upper half, while the lower half is covered with white marble. Magnificent arches, stone pillars and marble columns fill the 7 galleries of the mosque, which is otherwise called “the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem” in memory of Caliph Omar.

Shrines of Christianity

Every year the Holy City receives thousands of secular visitors, and the pilgrimage to Jerusalem of supporters of various religious movements has long ago become an important ritual trip.

For Christians, Jerusalem is also considered the main sacred place, because here Jesus Christ died and rose again, on whose teachings and life the world religion - Christianity - is based. During the era of Byzantine rule (4th - 7th centuries), many cathedrals were built in the Holy City and its surroundings.

Mount of Olives (Mount of Olives)

This hill extends along the Kidron Valley, along its eastern side, and has three distinct peaks. Many holy places for Christians are located on the slopes of the Mount of Olives: the Basilica of the Agony of the Lord, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Russian Church of Mary Magdalene, the Orthodox Church of the Ascension and others. It is the Mount of Olives that is considered in the Christian tradition to be the place where Jesus delivered the Olivet Sermon, his last prayer before his arrest (in the Garden of Gethsemane), the place where Judas found him to betray him, and the point from which Christ ascended.

Tomb of the Virgin Mary

According to legend, at the foot of the western slope of the Mount of Olives, in Gethsemane, the Holy Virgin Mary was buried by the apostles. The church-grotto of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was erected above the tomb. The cruciform temple is located underground, with 48 steps of stone stairs leading down from the entrance. In a small (approximately 2x2 meters) chapel (edicule) there is a coffin with the remains of the Virgin Mary.

It is believed that the mother of Jesus, having lived to the age of 72, died in the City of David and was buried in the family tomb, where her parents, Joachim and Anna, and her husband Joseph the Betrothed were buried.

Church of the Resurrection

The founder of this shrine, in accordance with the records of Christian chroniclers, is the mother of Emperor Constantine the First, Helen Equal to the Apostles, who became famous for her works aimed at spreading the Christian religion.

To this day, the annual miraculous descent of the Holy Light, symbolizing the resurrection of Christ, takes place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The mystery of the appearance of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem takes place on the eve of the Orthodox holiday of Easter, on Saturday, called Great Saturday.

Most believers have no doubt about the supernatural nature of the Holy Fire, the first written mention of which dates back to the 9th century. The Miraculous Light, indeed, has miraculous properties, for example, it does not burn the skin in the first minutes after its descent. The ceremony of praying, waiting, receiving and distributing the Holy Fire in the temple in Jerusalem has been recorded on video more than once, but neither films, nor photographs, nor stories can convey the reverent feeling of repentance and delight that this magic evokes in the souls of the huge number of those present in the church of people.

From ancient times to this day, believers strive to venerate holy places, touch relics, get closer to life-giving divine energy, and be cleansed of sins. Nowadays, with a group of like-minded people or on your own, you can make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Prices for Holy Land tours usually do not include border taxes, health insurance, additional visits, say, or other cultural sites and airfare. This must be taken into account when choosing a trip and paying for the trip.