Here is the Man: Ecce Homo and Mt. of Olives Churches

On a wickedly hot summer Monday, I explored some new faces of historical and archeological relevance in and around the Old City, with my Archaeology of Jerusalem class. We started by entering the Lion's Gate, interesting because in a few days Israel would be celebrating 42 years since their Defense Forces entered and conquered the Old City, reuniting from this gate (only Israel and Persia and conquered through this gate). We arrived at the Ecce Homo, a Harianic archway (three to be exact) located on the Via Delorosa. We then explored the original Roman street level, Bethesda pools nearby which dated back to Herod and were used with religious significance as sites of Roman Temples and Byzantine and Crusader Churches. Then we explored the Mt. of Olives, including a Church of Ascension with one of Jesus; footprints, at a site which is now a Mosque, Dominus Flevit, one of only two churches I know of that face west (the other is the Holy Sepulcher), and Gesthemene. In between Churches we enjoyed the lookout, the enormous Jewish cemetery, and the site of one of the Pope's addresses from the week before.

Church-hopping



That night, there was a special educators panel with my Jewish education class, and we got to hear from three individuals at three different points in their careers as educators. We discussed the future of Jewish education and and the problems it's facing right now. Also, one of the guests at the event turned out to be the lovable headmaster of my alma mater...