Mt of Olives • Separated from the Eastern Hill (the Temple Mount and the City of David) by the Kidron Valley, the Mt. of Olives has always been an important feature in Jerusalem's landscape. • From the 3rd millennium B.C. until the present, this 2900-foot hill has served as one of the main burial grounds for the city. • Old Testament References The hill is first referred in the Bible when King David flees the city (2 Samuel 15: 30). King Solomon erected altars on the hill dedicated to false alien gods. They were later destroyed by King Josiah who "filled it with bones" to prevent future worships. Prophet Zechariah talks about the day of Judgment, with Mount of Olives its epicenter of God's fiery fight against the enemies of Jerusalem. • New Testament References: Pater Noster, the place where according to tradition Jesus taught his disciples the Lords prayer; the tear-shaped church of Dominus Flevit ("the Lord wept") where Jesus wept over the future destruction of the city; Gethsemane (Gat Shemanim) where Jesus was betrayed and arrested.
Garden of Gethsemane • Adjacent to the Church of All Nations is an ancient olive garden. Olive trees do not have rings and so their age can not be precisely determined, but scholars estimate their age to anywhere between one and two thousand years old. • It is unlikely that these trees were here in the time of Christ because of the report that the Romans cut down all the trees in the area in their siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. • The word "Gethsemane" means "oil-press place." suggesting a grove with a cold press for processing olive oil. Oil is a symbol both of the spirit and of understanding. In order to bring forth the liquid (oil) from the olive, an oil press causes great pressure on it. Jesus is the olive root according to Romans 11:16, supporting every olive branch and therefore every olive in the tree. Did he experience pressure in that place? The tremendous pressure upon him can be seen to bring forth liquid in Luke 22.
Church of All Nations • officially named the Basilica of the Agony, is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem next to the Garden of Gethsemane. • The Catholic church enshrines a section of stone in the Garden of Gethsemane that is believed to be where Jesus prayed on the night of his arrest (Matthew 26:36). • The Basilica of the Agony was built from 1919 to 1924 using funds from 12 different countries, which gave it its common name, Church of All Nations. • The domed roof, thick pillars, and floor mosaic give the church a Byzantine appearance. The architect of the building was Antonio Barluzzi, who also designed the nearby Dominus Flevit Church. In order to effect an atmosphere of anguish, the ceiling of the church was lowered by means of twelve domes strewn with stars on a blue background, olive branches adorning the corners. the light in the church was made softer by means of semi-opaque windows, and a portion of the original rock was left in its original form. The church was built over the Rock of Agony, according to tradition the rock next to which Jesus prayed to God that the "cup be taken from me." The rock is surrounded by a balustrade of iron cast as a crown of thorns. On the front is a pair of birds next to a cup, and on either side, a pair of doves stretch out their necks for martyrdom. • The symbols of each country that contributed to the church are incorporated into the inlaid gold ceilings of each of 12 cupolas. The 12 cupolas rest on six monolithic pillars. The front of the church features a colorful façade supported by a row of pillars. The mosaic above the entrance depicts Christ as the link between God and humanity. • The Church of All Nations is run by the Franciscans, but an open altar in the garden is used by the Anglican community on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday). • The Church of All Nations lies on the foundations of two earlier churches: a 12th-century Crusader chapel abandoned in 1345 and a 4th-century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by an earthquake in 746.
Dominus Flevit (meaning "The Lord Wept") is a beautiful teardrop Fransciscan chapel which was only built in 1955 over the site of a Byzantine construction (some mosaics of which still remain) on the upper western slope of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. ○ It commemorates the occasion of Jesus looking at the city of Jerusalem and, when realizing that it was going to destroy itself by violence, weeping bitterly. ○ In the grounds are the remains of the Byzantine church, as well as part of the first century necropolis that surrounded the city. The view is extraordinary. ○ Bible trivia buffs know that the shortest verse in the Bible is John 11:35, when "Jesus wept" over the death of Lazarus. But Dominus Flevit, which means "the cry of the Lord," commemorates a different occasion on which Jesus was moved to tears. ○ According to Luke 19:41, "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it" because "the days will come upon you when your enemies will... dash you to the ground." (Christians believe this was fulfilled in 70 CE, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.) Dominus Flevit Church is believed to mark the place where Jesus' mourning over Jerusalem occurred. ○ The current Dominus Flevit Church was commissioned by the Franciscans, who still run the site, and designed by Italian architect Anton Barluzzin. Constructed in 1954, the church is in the shape of a tear drop to symbolize the Lord's tears. ○
The western window in Dominus Flevit provides a beautiful view of the Temple Mount.
○ During the construction of the modern church, an ancient Jewish tomb dating to as early as the first century BC was discovered beneath. The tomb and several ossuaries (bone boxes) can be seen by visitors.
Harry's Thoughts from the Mt. of Olives: allowed to meet in a private area of Gethsemane Palm Sunday Route Busy Days... Messiah on a donkey Jesus cleans the leaven from the temple (2nd time) Cursing the fig tree Weeping over Jerusalem Preparing the "Upper Room" … we need our own personal "sacred space and time" HE doesn't need our insight but HE loves to reason with us... • Habit of Prayer… difficult in Jerusalem, this was a favorite spot… HE knew it was necessary… others knew they could count on HIM being there… • Demonstration of Architectural Theology (150 years ago great books came from pastors… now they come from professors.) □ Pulpits not lifted up but the Alters in Sacred Cathedrals □ Reformation lifted the WORD above the ordinances