Sacred Biblical Mountains - Part Two

Continued...

Mount Zion: Mountain of the Holy Temple

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call." ~ Joel 2:32

While not exactly classified as a "mountain", Mount Zion is a very steep hill that once housed the First and Second Jewish Temples and is located just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The term "Mount Zion" has been used to describe the "City of David", the "Temple Mount", and the "Western Hill". In a broader sense, the term has also been used for the entire "Land of Israel".

According to the Book of Samuel, this sacred mountain was the site of the Jebusite fortress, which was conquered by King David. It would later be renamed the "City of David" and referred to as the "stronghold of Zion".  

During the time of Simon the Hasmonean (2nd century B.C.), the current temple mount was not the highest mountain. The original Temple site was desecrated by the Greeks during the time of the Maccabees. Simon the Hasmonean decided to remove Mount Zion and he leveled the land and threw it into the Tyropoeon and Kidron Valleys. He filled up the valley with the earth and wanted to join the upper city with the Temple. The name Mt. Zion was then transferred to the western hill and soon thereafter the city expanded to the west. 

The historian, Josephus, from the tribe of Levi, was alive during the destruction of the Herod's Temple in 70 A.D. and gave a firsthand account of its demise in Wars of the Jews. It is probable that Josephus served in the Temple and was allowed access to the high court records of the Second Temple as the historian gave precise details about its location, as well as the size and proportions of the temple. Per Josephus, Mount Zion was located between David's Citadel and the Tyropoeon Valley. This explains why the original mountain cannot be seen today. What you see now is not what Josephus was talking about.  

A few survivors of Masada wrote about the destruction of Jerusalem and stated the temple and the city were completely destroyed. They claim the only thing left standing was Antonia Fortress, which was not considered a part of Jerusalem at that time because it was outside of the city. Today, a minority of scholars and theologians believe the Western Wall was actually a part of the fortress, not part of the original Temple Mount.

Modern scholars have found the name "Zion" was not used in ordinary writing, but instead was used in correlation with religious prophecy and in poetic context (such as the Psalms). Regardless of the term's meaning and the actual location of Mount Zion, the name holds a great deal of spiritual significance.  

"Now on the north side of the Temple was built a citadel (Fort Antonia), whose walls were square and strong and of extraordinary firmness. The kings of the Hasmonaean dynasty, who were also high priests before the time of Herod, called it the Tower. It [Fort Antonia] dominated the Temple." ~ Flavius Josephus, Historian

Mount of Olives: The Mountain of David, Solomon and Jesus

"And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." ~ Zechariah 14:4

Unlike the other sacred biblical mountains mentioned, the Mount of Olives location is not in dispute. It is located among three peaks of a mountain ridge which runs east of the Old City across the Kidron Valley and is situated in the middle. The mount was named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. Mount Scopus is to the north and the Mount of Corruption lies on the south side.   

Mount of Olives, first mentioned in connection with David's flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30), is frequently referenced in the New Testament.  According to the Bible, Jesus spent time on the mount with his Disciples, teaching and prophesying. The Bible records Jesus visiting the Mount of Olives three times in the last week of His earthly life, and each time something of significance happened (Luke 19:29–30; 37; 41-44).  

An apocalyptic prophesy foretold by Zechariah (14:4) states Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives [during the End Times] and the mountain will split in two - one half shifting north; one half shifting south. In one of Ezekiel's visions, the ancient prophet witnessed the glory of the Lord depart from Jerusalem and come to rest "above the mountain east of it." (Ezekiel 11:23)  

The Masoretic Text records people will flee through the newly formed valley to a place called Azal. Pertaining to geographic and linguistic evidence, Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau, a 19th century linguist and archeologist in Palenstine, theorized the valley directly adjacent to this landslide is Azal.  

According to Jewish historian, Flavis Josephus, the valley in the area of the King's Gardens was blocked up by landslide rubble during Uzziah's earthquake. Israeli geologist, D. Wachs, identified the remnant of a large landslide on the Mount of Olives directly adjacent to this area.  Today, the valley is known as Wady Yasul in Arabic and Nahal Etzel in Hebrew.  

Roman soldiers from the 10th Legion camped on the mount during the Seige of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot was first held on the Mount of Olives in ancient times. It became a traditional place for lamenting the Second Temple's destruction even unto our modern times. Immediately following Jesus' ascension, two angels appeared on the Mount of Olives and told the Disciples. "this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11).

One last interesting fact about the mount: for over 3,000 years, the Mount of Olives has been used as a Jewish cemetery and holds approximately 150,000+ graves today. Over the generations, the Jews have led an effort to prevent the desecration of graves on the mount.

"Christians tend to associate the Mount of Olives with the Messiah's suffering, Jews tend to associate it with the Messiah's glory. When we dig deeper, we see both, together." ~ Mark Barnes, from the article, "Mount of Olives: The Suffering and the Glory of the Messiah" (2019)

************************************************************ 

These sacred mountains of many faiths and religions [around the world] continue to be revered by a large percentage of mankind and have been extensively researched by both ancient and modern scholars, as well as the theologians.