Outside the Old City Walls
A short walk down the Via Dolorosa and out through the Lion Gate leads to a shrine to Mary (Tomb of Mary) and the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives.
Again it is more about imagination and faith than substance.
Mary did not become significant until it was first asserted that Jesus was the son of God by means of Immaculate Conception, decades after his death, and presumably her death, so it is unlikely that anyone took note of where she was actually buried. But Eastern Christians have elected this spot as her tomb. Western Christians on the other hand have long asserted that she was Assumed into heaven in bodily form, possibly before she died.
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Tomb of Mary
These arcane theological issues became more important to believers during the Reformation when the 'Cult of Mary' came to differentiate Protestants from Catholics.
The location of the Garden of Gethsemane is similarly controversial and no less arbitrary. The presently publicised one is the most favoured of four possible locations, having been a place of pilgrimage for at least a thousand years. Several olive trees in the garden are very old and some once naïvely believed that they date back to the Saviour's time. This is plausible as olive trees can be very old. The oldest known living olive trees are on Crete and are believed to be 2000 to 3000 years old.
Carbon dating and genetic analysis of those at Gethsemane reveals that they were planted a little after the Norman Conquest of England, around 1092 CE, and the oldest ones are all cuttings from a single parent plant. It seems obvious that they were panted when the garden was laid out in its present form, around the time of the Crusades.
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Gethsemane - Basilica and Garden - with old trees
Perhaps least controversially located is the Mount of Olives itself. Its location is as certain as the location of the city of Jerusalem, if not some holy sites within or without. The Mount has Jewish graves and burial chambers dating back over three thousand years and is referred to in numerous ancient writings. It was a significant strategic factor in the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. It is now covered in tens of thousands of Jewish graves and even features a multi-storey graveyard. We were told that many Jews want to be buried here as this will be the place of final judgement but I'm dubious that all Jews believe this.
When the area was under Jordanian administration a large number of Jewish graves were destroyed by new roadwork and the building of an Hotel at the top. Palestinian troublemakers allegedly continue to take out their frustrations by desecrating Jewish graves on the Mount.
The road to the top is quite steep and as we walked up the hill we were accosted several times by men in cars offering to give us a lift to the top. We supposed it to be some kind of scam but in any case we wanted the exercise. The view from the top is quite spectacular.
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The view from the Mount of Olives
At the top you can visit the garden in which Jesus is said to have taught his disciples The Lord's Prayer.
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The Lord's Prayer is said to have been taught here - now it is preserved in many languages
Nearby is the point at which Jesus ascended to heaven, leaving his footprint in a rock.
Jesus' Footprint
I found it necessary to suspend disbelief, particularly as there is a much more convincing footprint in a stone in the ancient footpath not far from the Holy Sepulchre. After seeing this I suggested to the nearby Arab shopkeeper selling religious paraphernalia, like rosary beads, icons, menorah and so on that he was missing a potential marketing opportunity - he looked at me quizzically.