Mt Zion Stands Most Beautiful
There are three areas of Jerusalem that have had the name “Mount Zion” at various points in history: The City of David, or Ophel, to the south, that in the time of Jesus was called the “lower city”; the Temple Mount itself to the north; and the highest point in the city itself, today called Mount Zion. The latter Josephus called the “Upper City,” where the wealthy lived along its slopes just where we are excavating. At the top and along the western side of the city was the location of Herod’s Palace and the Praetorium judgment seat of the Roman military governors (Mark 15:16).
One of the Psalms declares: “Beautiful in height, a rejoicing of all the earth, is Mount Zion” (Psalm 48:2). This might well be a reference to what is still called Mount Zion today, since of the seven hills that make up Jerusalem, this one has always been the highest. I think there is good evidence, presented by my beloved friend Bargil Pixner, who died in April, 2002, that Jesus ate his last supper with his intimate followers the night he was betrayed in a guest house on Mt Zion, the site of which is still visited by millions of Christian pilgrims each year as the Coenaculum or “Upper Room.” You can find a summary of his thesis in this regard, published in Biblical Archaeology Review, on the Century One Web site. Although I can not assent to Pixner’s entire “Essene Quarter” theory, I do indeed find the evidence he presents to be quite strong that Jesus did indeed eat his last meal in this section of the city. Since this is the most wealthy section of the city, one would assume a wealthy or influential follower made the space available to him on that fateful last night before Passover. Later, according to Acts, the synagogue of James, the brother of Jesus, established its headquarters in that very location. Indeed, the building with its courtyard, the outlines of which are still visible today, might well have become the house of James, his brothers, their families, and of course their beloved mother Mariam.
Our excavation is a tiny “toe hold” on the southern slope of the mountain. Last summer we reached the 2nd Temple levels in two areas but suspended our work there until we could take the rest of the areas down in chronological phase. From Broshi’s excavations in the 1970s, we can clearly see well preserved vaults and rooms from the 2nd Temple period, not just basement levels as were found in the Jewish Quarter excavations. These were apparently sealed over with fill resulting from the construction of the Nea Church in the 6th century C.E., fortuitously preserving them to an extraordinary degree.
Here are a few photos from today’s work at the site:
This is Mt Zion viewed toward the Northeast from my hotel
Here is an overview of the site with our initial working area under the plastic cover.
Here are three “squares” we have opened for our initial efforts with our team hard at work.
Eglon Lass working on the upper levels above the main site with a clear surface exposed that predates the Ottoman period and the building program of Suleiman (early 1500s).
Removing yesterday’s soil by crane.