Day Two

Well, here we are at Day Two. We were up early again this morning and back in the Old City, this time to finish walking along the Via Dolorosa and then to explore the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We made our way through the stations and got to the Holy Sepulchre around 9 am, and there were already quite a few people there. Here is the entrance into the church:

The site of the church had been in ancient times a stone quarry, but one section of the quarry was left untouched after a crack was discovered in the stone. Later some of the niches where stone had been excavated were dug further and used for tombs. When compared with the gospel accounts of Jesus's death (ie, it took place on a rocky outcropping that looked like a skull and there were tombs nearby), the Holy Sepulchre makes a pretty strong case for itself. Just inside the entrance and to the right, the church is built around the disused rock that is believed to be the site of the crucifixion; it can be seen in some places through protective glass. Also right inside the entrance is a stone slab commemorating the anointing of Jesus after his death. Here is the mosaic that is directly behind the Stone of Unction:

Here is an example of the church integrating the rock; this is the Greek Chapel, which exposes the rock beneath. Pilgrims are able to touch the rock through a small hole underneath the altar and just in front of the icon:

Here is the tomb monument. There was a huge line waiting to get in to the monument:
And just when we thought we had seen everything, what do you think emerges around the corner from the tomb monument? Did anyone guess a tractor? That's right: mere steps away from the tomb of Jesus this guy was backing his tractor into this niche. I thought it was pretty awesome and made Emily take a picture of it. There just aren't enough tractors in holy sites these days!
The afternoon we spent at the Israel Museum, most of which is unfortunately closed for renovations. Fortunately, we still got to see the permanent exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, where they also had on display the Aleppo Codex, which is a famous manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. Another highlight of the museum was this outdoor model of the city of Jerusalem during the time of King Herod the Great. It was great to walk around with the audio tour guide explaining different parts of the ancient city. Fortunately, I resisted the urge to show off my Godzilla impression.

And last but not least, Emily could not believe I have neglected to mention the other fine establishment across the street from the Albright, The Yummy Corner:

This should not be confused with the Yummy Restaurant, which is located behind the Albright. Both are indeed yummy.

Emily: Though I have not yet sampled any cuisine from the Yummy Restaurant, I can attest to the yumminess of the goods from the Yummy Corner.

A few other quick observations about our day today and Jerusalem in general, after 2 days of being in the city:

* Walking the Via Dolorosa was such a moving experience. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was also moving, but it was not at all what I expected. The church itself is very segmented - several different orders are responsible for the operation of the church, and you definitely get the idea that there is some territoriality going on. It was also strange to see people smiling and posing for pictures in front of the Stone of Unction or the Tomb of Jesus...something about it just seemed odd to me. It was amazing to see the old quarry stones (and to actually touch them!) and to at least have a sense of what the site was like at the time of Jesus. The tractor thing was so bizarre...I don't even know what to say about it!

* I was able to meet some of Andrew's friends at the Pontifical Biblical Institute this evening at Mass, which was great. It is a wonderful community, and I'm so glad that Andrew discovered it!

* I am ruined for life by the pita bread here. It is incredible.

* The weather here is really beautiful - warm and sunny during the day, and cool in the evenings. After Mass and dinner, we took a long walk to the German Colony and back. I was struck by how strange it was that we were walking down a street eating ice cream bars, with cars and buses whizzing by blasting techno music - and just across the street are the walls enclosing an ancient holy city. It is the wildest experience to have the ancient and the modern juxtaposed like that.

Tomorrow - Galilee!