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Olives |
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Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, facing
p. 98. |
The Mount of Olives,
From Mount Zion
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Immediately beyond the Kedron Valley, "before" or to the east of Jerusalem, is
the Mount of Olives . . . a long ridge of graceful outline, swelling out ever
and again into rounded knolls which command striking views of the city and the
surrounding country. On one of these knolls, opposite Mount Moriah, and two
hundred and twenty feet above the Temple Platform, are the Mosque and Church of
the Ascension; on another, towards the north, a small ruin marks the spot where,
according to tradition, the men of Galilee stood "gazing up into heaven" (Acts i.
11); and still farther northward is Scopus, the brow of the hill whence Titus
and his legions looked down upon the doomed city . . . .The ride from Scopus
along the crest of Olivet to the Church of the Ascension is one of the greatest
interest and beauty: on one side there are ever-changing views of the deep
depression of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea; on the other, every step
brings more prominently to view some spot, or it may be some building, which no
thoughtful man can look upon without at least a passing emotion. (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp. 3-4.) |
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Mount of Olives from Zion's Gate |
Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 225. |
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The traveller, on approaching from the
west, is grievously disappointed at the first
view . . . .He naturally looks for the Mount
of Olives, which, above all other hills, has
fixed itself in his mind; and perhaps, in
reply to an eager question, the guide points
to a gray, wavy line beyond the city, and
scarcely overtopping the buildings. Though a
mile distant, the air is so transparent and
the colouring so uniform that it seems close
at hand. Then, besides, it has no striking
features,-in fact, it may be said to have no
features at all. Yet this is Olivet, one of
the grandest centres of sacred and historic
associations. Photographs in an Eastern
climate show those artistic defects somewhat
too clearly, and consequently they are
generally flat and uninteresting. I have seen
many sketches, but, as a rule, the imagination
of the artist has exaggerated both the
apparent distance and the elevations, and thus
truth is sacrificed to effect. (Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, pp. 15-16.) |
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Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 127. |
Mount of Olives |
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Let us, from our point of view on the hills of
Jerusalem, look eastward and see the Mount of
Olives, always conspicuous from every part of
the environs of Jerusalem. There are three
ways of ascending the Mount of Olives. At the
bottom of the picture to the left we see the
main road coming down from the St. Stephen's
Gate, behind us, into the heart of the valley.
Immediately before us, with its dark and
tapering trees, is the Garden of Gethsemane.
To the left a road goes up the Mount of
Olives. This is thought by some to be the way
that David passed when fleeing from his rebel
son Absalom. Then we see the middle road,
which, in the picture, turns to the southeast
and ascends the mount to the left of the new
Greek church with its towers of swelling
domes. This road passes to Bethany, over the
summit of the hill. Another road, passing this
side of the Garden of Gethsemane, at the
bottom of the picture, is the carriage road
which leads to Bethany. (Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 127.) |
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Mosque and Church of the Ascension, Mount
of Olives |
Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 90. |
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The top of the Mount of Olives is the
traditional scene of the Ascension, and a
church was built over it in the fourth
century, by Helena, the mother of Constantine.
That building has long since disappeared, and
the reputed site is now occupied by a humble
chapel which stands in the court of a mosque!
Crowds of pilgrims visit it, and have done so
for many centuries. The guardian shows them
the print of one of the Saviour's feet in the
rock, and tells them that both footprints were
there until the Mohammedans stole one of them.
Bishop Ellicott and others think the
traditional may be the true site of the
Ascension; but I cannot see how the words "as
far as to Bethany" can be made to signify, to
the top of Olivet, which is not half-way to
that village. (Source: Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p. 107.) |
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See
Garden of
Gethsemane,
Temple Mount,
Old
City Gates, or
Church of the Holy
Sepulcher |
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