On our first full day in Jerusalem we walked the 15 minutes or so from our hotel to the Jaffa Gate, one of several entrances to the Old City. Old Jerusalem (walled in the Middle Ages – at least in this form) is divided into several Quarters and we entered at the edge of the Christian and Armenian Quarters. It was the Christian Quarter where we would spend most of our time today, although we did wander a little into the Muslim area – where a young man told us “this was for Muslims only” (I am not convinced that was entirely correct) but he did re-direct us to the route we really wanted!
Our main focus today was in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is built over the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The present-day church is administered by several Christian churches and secular organizations in a complicated arrangement that has lasted for centuries. While the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches have a permanent presence here, Anglican and Protestant Churches do not, and some regard the Garden Tomb (just outside the city walls) as the site of the crucifixion and resurrection.
The Unction Stone
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher
After 2000 years of history, wars and different occupying forces it seems to me that a precise positioning might be open to debate, but I find that of little real consequence. Here we were, entering a church dating from the fourth century, albeit essentially re-built to its present form at the time of the Crusades, that may stand on the Biblical Golgotha (Calvary), and may enclose the Unction Slab (where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial), as well as the actual tomb in which He lay for three days before the Resurrection.
So this site may not be exact. It may be a few miles away or somewhere else entirely. Nevertheless, this particular site caused early Christians to build a church which has brought countless people of all faiths here, just as we were today. The events of the time and their place in History are a matter of both record and Faith and it is the latter that is pre-eminent for most who visit here. If this church (beautiful in its own right but – almost to be expected- overshadowed by the chapels, altars and annexes pertaining to the Death and Resurrection of Christ) can represent a point of focus for Believers, then that should be sufficient. If, as so many clearly believe, Calvary is here and not “somewhere in the vicinity”, then that must surely add to its Center of The World claim under the dome of the Crusader Church. For my part, I knew that I had to visit every corner of this world-famous site and see the final Stations of The Cross, the altar over the stone where the Cross was erected, the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea and, of course, the sepulcher itself. In this latter I was thwarted today by the long lines but……. another day, perhaps.
We were, however, able to lay our hands on the Unction Stone. This particular slab dates only from 1810 and even the tradition is attested only to the Crusader era so, once again, absolute points of reference and physical details may have been amended with the passing of time. For the prostrate faithful who touched and wiped the stone with handkerchiefs or briefly laid candles or other mementos on the tablet in reverence, the connection to the Savior was clearly manifest regardless of global coordinates.
The Bust of Mary at Station XII
The altar above the hole in which the Cross was placed
The Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
So, the site of the Crucifixion and Resurrection is not “a green hill far away, without a city wall” anymore and that image has been complemented in our minds by a completely different – but equally deeply etched – picture of closely spaced sites under one roof. If these sites are indeed in the correct geographical locations, the proximity of Cross and Tomb (about 100 feet) is perhaps one of the more surprising revelations of the visit for me.
Following our two hours in the Church we had coffee at a street café and then started down the Via Dolorosa to visit (in reverse order) the Stations of the Cross outside today’s church. Each Station is marked by the appropriate number on the wall of the nearest building and several also have small chapels. The walk of less than half a mile follows an almost straight line through today’s narrow (less than 10 feet?) streets lined with shops and businesses. Again, the picture of an open, steep, perhaps grassy or stony path of 2000 years ago (my image) has been replaced by this paved route crowded by buildings such that the sun rarely reaches the pavement. It is today (and probably has been for a very long time) one of the major arteries of the Old City and is reminiscent of so many Middle Eastern souks or market areas.
Station II
Station VI
Station V
Some of the Stations have inscriptions, others an appropriate New Testament reference, but for the most part specific descriptions must come from an ability to navigate the Gospels and, indeed, the Old Testament – or carry a good guide book! Stations I and II, at the end of our walk, are widely regarded as the Praetorium referred to in the Gospels and are on the site of the Antonia fortress where Jesus was condemned by Pontius Pilate, scourged and given His cross.
This marked the end of our journey for today, although we still had to walk back up the Via Dolorosa (again nowhere near as steep as my prior image), past the Church and out of the Old City via the Jaffa Gate. The city walls, dating from the early 16th Century when Jerusalem was part of the Ottoman Empire, are still intact and parts of the ramparts are available for a short walking tour – but our legs told us that experience would have to wait for another day!
