The identical phrase "with drawn sword in his hand" “וְחַרְבּ֤וֹ שְׁלוּפָה֙ בְּיָד֔וֹ” is used on three occasions in the 24 books of Torah. How this relates each occurrence is unknown, but several hints in the adjacent texts color each instance. The common theme relates an angel that was dispatched to draw its sword in response to each event.
In Numbers 22:21 the verb used (וַתֵּ֤ט), veered Bilam's donkey off its path. In Joshua 5:13 the verb used ( וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ), inspired Joshua to approach the angel. In 1 Chronicles 21:16 the verb used (נְטוּיָ֖ה - source in Bilam's verb) directed the angel against Jerusalem, a potentially devastating outcome for residents of the ancient city.
In context; Bilam was commanded not to curse the Jewish people, but to speak only words placed in his mouth. The angel first spoke through the donkey to its owner Bilam before it addressed him directly. Joshua's angelic encounter carried instruction to destroy the walled city of Jericho. But, David fell into a state of repentance, never interacted directly with the angel and received its instruction to build an altar through the prophet Gad.
Bilam, the greatest shaman was hired to curse, but was redirected to bless Israel and hoped his fate would be like theirs; Joshua, the first to lead the Jewish people into their land was inspired to destroy Jericho, which would only be rebuilt after the final messianic revelation; David, Israel's king was directed, through the prophet to build an altar that tradition suggestsbecame the site of their future temple.
The verb directing Bilam's and David's encounter, compared to Joshua suggests something is to be learned from the differential grammar in context of each use. This brings us to the mission of each angel; Bilam's angel appeared to the donkey, Joshua's exhibited holy affinity, David's elicited fear.
Its troubling that Bilam and David's encounters are associated, let alone that both result in building and offering personal sacrifice on altars. Despite Bilam's commitment not to curse Israel, he built seven altars to misdirect and justify his mercenary pursuit. David was instructed to build and sacrifice on one altar to effect his atonement. But, he misdirected his altar to engage the fractured tribes, who were fearful of plague to regain their endorsement. Neither Bilam or David's instance rose to the qualitative distinction of the verb or context used for Joshua.
Commentators accept David's quick action because it temporarily unified the nation and his son constructed the first permanent temple. But one generation later, mercenary pursuit by his treasurer, son and grandson shattered the nations fragile unity. As a result the tribes of Israel, that Bilam was tempted to curse would not be fully reunified until Jericho will be rebuilt.
In 1917 Ottoman reign over their Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem was brought to an end by British forces. It was replaced by Mandatory Palestine, origin of the interim name before it became the modern State of Israel in 1948. The name “Palestine” was later resurrected by the Palestinian Liberation Organization after its establishment in 1964. Until 1917 very few people lived in Jerusalem, almost none lived at original Jerusalem (red dots in image). The regional population by the end of the 19th century was around 500,000, less than 10% were Jews. Some Ottoman Jews acted as agents on behalf of local Jewish alien residents intent on buying and owning land in Biblical Israel. The surviving Ottoman land registry documents landholdings in the names of these Ottoman Jewish agents.
Red dots outline City of David, original 3000 year old Jerusalem
One of 3 homes on the lower slopes of Mount Moriah, original Jerusalem belonged to Rahamim Nathan Meyuhas, a Jewish butcher whose family had found its way to Jerusalem from Spain in 1510. In preceding centuries the lower slope of Mount Moriah, original Jerusalem had become the broken pottery and waste dump of the Ottoman walled city to its north. By the time the Meyuhas family arrived the empty, flattened slope lay quiet and barren, but fertile.
The previous 1000 years, before the City of David (Red dots)
From archaeological discoveries: Around 4000 years ago people lived in the Kidron valley because it was level, thus convenient to carry water from the Gihon Spring. Forty vertical meters higher the top of lower Mount Moriah was unpopulated, only ancient tombs were found along the upper eastern edge. Toward the end of the Bronze Age (3300 years ago) a fortress was built over the cave that was once used to enter the bedrock and access water at the Gihon Spring source. The fortress appears to have been constructed to control the spring source, not the water flow because for hundreds of years after its construction water continued to flow into the valley.
Fortress of Zion by Ronnie Reich, lead archaeologist
Despite artistic renderings and popular sentiment archaeological findings do not support the existence of a city wall surrounding (red dots) the plateau of the lower section of Mount Moriah. A wall may have been unnecessary given the natural protection of the steep escarpment on the south, west and east sides of the mountain. It appears the fortress and its double walls, that extend west were constructed independently of a city wall.
Despite artistic imagination, steep escarpment reduced need for city walls
According to the Bible, during their first 300 years Israelite tribes had been unable to conquer the mountain. Then, around 2900 years ago, following the first seven years of King David's Hebron based reign his night-time guerilla army entered through the Gihon Spring water system to conquer the Fortress of Zion where they made camp and initially lived (2 Samuel 5:9).
The struggle to control the fortress is not recorded as a major conflict, but it provided King David the leverage he needed to control the entire mountain and subdue the local population. This illustrates that residents living on top of mountain were dependent on water carriers who carried water up the 40 meter vertical rise from the Gihon Spring source. Once King David took control he commanded authority over water carriers access to the spring and thus the entire populous.
Why did the Israelite tribes and King David feel so compelled to conquer this mountain hilltop? What motivated them during more than 300 years to come back to this mountain well before construction of the first temple? What was sacred to Jews on this rock? Click to find out more.
Presentation on Mount Moriah and City of David archaeology. Suggest starting this @3:10 to avoid the introductions and preamble. Hope you enjoy it. Runs for around 30 minutes before questions.
Jerusalem's' Gihon Spring emerges in an elevated cave approximately 4 meters above the Kidron Valley floor. Originally the cave would fill with gushing water, rising several meters until it reached the opening on the eastern side of the mountain.
Gihon Spring Cave - Looking East
Water flowed from the cave, falling to the east side of Mount Moriah, onto the lower valley floor, where it ran south-east along an eight kilometer downhill slope that dropped ~1000m to the Dead Sea.
Gihon Spring, Mount Moriah
Kidron River Route City of David, Jerusalem to Dead Sea
Archaeologists agree that during the Early to Middle Bronze Age a man-made opening, some 2 meters above the spring source was cut into the south-side bedrock, of the water filled cave, to redirect water through 'Channel I' and 'Channel II' until it exited onto agricultural terraces, on the east side along that route. (see map below)
Channel II also distributed water to Tunnel III and a deep-cut 'Round Chamber' that probably existed prior to the channel-tunnel constructions or was quarried around the same time. The 'Round Chamber' served as a well that dropped ~3m from the bedrock surface to access water provided, via Tunnel III, from the surface. For at least 1000 years water flowed through Tunnel III into the Round Chamber and further south, via Channel II exiting the east face through agricultural terraces to the valley floor bellow.
Prior to construction of the channel-tunnel system the Round Chamber may have existed as the shaft to an Early Bronze Age shaft-tomb into which Tunnel III was cut or was was constructed to improve access to the water. The steps, depicted on the map above (right or east of the Round Chamber) demonstrate that improved access to the water was their purpose. On completion, water would have been drawn from two primary points; 1) steps into the cave of the Gihon Spring; 2) steps to the Round Chamber well as well as points along the southern extension of Channel II, as water exited the bedrock further down the mountain.
During the Early-Middle Bronze Age the Rock-Cut-Rooms, adjacent to Area U (see map - west) served as a temple, the first organized worship on Mount Moriah. Archaeologists widely acknowledge the Rock-Cut-Rooms existed and were in use more than 3600 years ago. Eli Shukron, the archaeologist who made the discovery in 2009 attributes them to Biblical Malchi-Tzedek, the Righteous King who, according to the Bible practiced as the high priest at this location until he died around 3600 years ago.
Intriguingly most of the features of the Rock-Cut-Rooms resemble elements that were ultimately written into Biblical, Israelite and Jewish law some 300-500 years later. These laws governed and gave a design, based on ancient ritual, to the the portable Sanctuary built and used in the desert after the Israelites were exiled from Egypt.
Rock-Cut-Rooms, adjacent-east of Area U
A uniquely preserved feature of the Rock-Cut-Rooms is a standing stone, referenced in the Bible as a 'matzevah' that was later disallowed following the introduction of Biblical law (Deuteronomy16:21-22). Initially the Bible tells of a standing stone erected (Genesis 28:18) by the progenitor of the Israelite nation, Jacob. Most commentators attribute its location to Mount Moriah where ~200 years before Moses transcribed the Bible Jacob had returned (Genesis 35:14). Jacob had used the matzevah as an instrument of worship to declare his "House of God" covenant, but later the practice was specifically forbidden by the Bible law of Moses.
I am a proponent that the Rock-Cut-Rooms are the site Jacob erected his matzevah because chronological elements align facts with Jewish traditions and laws. Israel possesses no other archaeological sites that incorporate the qualifying features of the Rock-Cut-Room temple, according to well known Jewish temple law. These laws support the altars' raised platform, at the west of the room where priests would have faced west. In addition, the liquids channel (wine/water/blood), non-production oil press (single press only for purity) and bedrock-grain press. Further, in front of the altar platform there is a deep concave in the bedrock designed to insert a convex, rounded jug (as opposed to a self-standing jug) which was used to prevent sacrificial blood from congealing and ensure its purity.
Altar platform, liquids channel vessel holder
Bored through the bedrock edges, adjacent to the 'V' marked bedrock are a series of places to tie small animals, indicating use of primarily young animals for slaughter and sacrifice. Jewish law requires unblemished animals, which tend younger from at least 8 days old.
Bored low for small animal ties.
Finally the matzevah is the only erect object of the Rock-Cut-Rooms that has remarkably existed in-tact for 3500+ years.
Undoubtedly, thousands of sacrifices were offered over hundreds of years of worship at the temple of Rock-Cut-Rooms. Water was required to wash and process animals and their hides, as such water carriers would have transported it in vessels up the steep slope from the Round Chamber each day.
The Rock-Cut-Rooms had previously been buried, under natural fall from the slope, some 500 years before King David arrived to unite his tribal kingdom and live on Mount Moriah. The rooms had been buried sometime between 3600 and 2900 years ago, almost certainly King David did not know of their existence. Some 1000 years later, builders were the first to rediscover them, 2600 years ago, during the construction of defensive walls along the eastern slope. Archaeologists acknowledge that the fragile matzevah was purposely preserved, in soft sand, most likely by King Hezekiah's wall constructors before they completed the wall over the Rock-Cut-Rooms. In 2009 archaeologist Eli Shukron re-discovered it within the fill of Ancient Jerusalem's thick eastern wall in a well protected, 2600 year preserved state.
Matzevah, anointing pillar or standing stone
After the Five Books of the Bible (Old Testament) came the Book of Judges, the Books of Samuel, Books of Kings, Prophets and later books, but there is no mention or hint of the rock-cut Temple complex. One of the greatest Biblical commentators, Rabbi Moses Maimonides was once asked why the Bible did not mention Jerusalem; he wrote that Israel's enemies would have been emboldened to destroy it forever. Perhaps the rock-cut temple's burial was natural or an attempt to conceal its existence forever and Jerusalem's 2600 years old walls its' ultimate defense against its destruction. Either way, now that the rock-cut temple is in Israel's safe hands we must ask whether the matzevah is that on which Jacob accepted his nations name Israel (Genesis 35:10) and therefore declare it Israel's greatest and holiest archaeological treasure.
Multiple theories attempt to explain the complex findings at the Gihon Spring on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah's City of David, the original Jerusalem. Ortal Chalaf, previous lead archaeologist recently wrote about the Iron Age discoveries he excavated. As interesting as that is, this article starts at least 2000 years prior. Controversy abounds about events on the bedrock especially over the first constructions, so I thought it may be useful to learn about this.
Caves on the eastern slope, immediately above the valley floor at the Gihon Spring (@634m above sea level) offered a glimpse into the first paleolithic through calcholithic residents on the mountain. In 2008 an opening to the cave was found, concealed by a fortified passage filled with rocks containing middle Bronze Age debris. Was the fill part of the original construction or was it dumped at a later stage?
Adjacent to and north of the first cave, above Warrens Shaft another opening to a second cave. Along the north-south running eastern face the bedrock falls 2-3 meters supporting these large cave entrances. The sheer drop of the geophysical eastern face may have been the direct result of the cavernous spaces that once formed behind the rock face. However slightly further south the rock face seems to have been cut or quarried.
Eli Shukron stands at the cave entrance (@645m) in the fortified passage between wall 109 (left) and 108
Lower and upper floor (@640m) and Warrens Shaft (lower right) that leads down to the floor below (@635m)
The original residents of these caves were elevated @645m and had limitless access to water from the Gihon Spring. However, growing a population in the caves was restricted by their small size. Further up the hill important people were entombed during the early bronze age and sophisticated artifacts were found in the burial caves @685m. The archaeology of all these caves and the first man-made structures does not suggest a large urban center, rather a small enclave and leaders with a degree of regional importance.
Sophisticated Early Bronze pottery from burial caves
Toward the end of the early Bronze Age the population on and around the mountain began to expand and the archaeology changed. The first break-away's may have lived on the lower valley floor around the Gihon Spring, but most of the growth was supported in caves and rudimentary building constructions, further south along the water line that followed the natural downhill slope of the Kidron valley. In any event there is little evidence of significant population expansion until the Middle Bronze Age from which time the archaeology begins to differentiate.
Ronnie Reich on the upper floor (@645m) of the entrance to the cave that was blocked above Warrens Shaft
The fortified passage, built between walls 108-109 may have originally been filled, as it was when discovered with Middle Bronze age debris that blocked the cave entrance to support a walkway to a temple complex built of rock-cut-rooms. Alternatively fill was dumped into the passage at a later date in which case the purpose of walls 108-109 was to shield entrance into the cave and Warrens Shaft System. The rock-wall that blocked entrance to the second cave, immediately above Warrens Shaft was built to block entry to the Warrens Shaft System, but not necessarily constructed simultaneous with walls 108 and 109.
Gray color denotes structures in or below bedrock
Whether the fortified passage was filled or open, between walls 108-109 the rock-cut-rooms, adjacent to and below Area U (see map above) along passage XIX or via XVIII were the obvious destination. But, why such a massive building scale for the small local population? The temple complex built on the bedrock of the rock-cut-rooms is a significant structure and may answer this question.
Rock-cut-room temple complex
Unlike other cult sites in Israel the features of the rock-cut-rooms are very “Jewish”. By its design, priests would have to face the west, facing toward the altar platform, their backs to the sun while offering sacrifices. The altar platform terminates on the southeast corner (highly specific to Jewish mystical tradition) into a liquids channel, adjacent to a matzevah, oil press, grain press, animal pen and restraints. It's not so unusual that a Middle Bronze Age temple, one that preceded the Jewish nation under Moses could have Jewish characteristics. Religious scholars acknowledge documented practices included in the Bible that predated Moses, including the use of a matzevah, which was specifically disqualified by Moses toward the end of the Late Bronze Age.
A significant event that prompted construction of the rock-cut-room temple complex may explain why it was developed as well as the minimal archaeology on the mountain and areas surrounding the Gihon Spring. The temple complex must have originally been motivated by a spiritual heritage, an event or legendary figure that led to construction especially of the significant Middle Bronze Age walls 108-109. This expanding religious site, as the centerpiece of Mount Moriah during the Early and Middle Bronze Ages may be better explained by a small, priestly or religious residency and their archaeological remnant of this extended period.
On the mountain , the cultural heritage of ancient descendants who predated the Jewish nation would also support the actions of King David, as described in the Bible. After 7 years as king in Hebron, David felt sufficiently compelled to raid the Gihon Spring, enter Zion and move his kingdom to Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah. We are told the raid was via a "tzinor", a narrow pipe likely to have been Warrens Shaft. At that time the Warrens Shaft System was the main tunnel route for water transport into the city. Once David controlled that route, residents and their leaders were beholden to him. By the time David settled, well into the Iron Age religious worship at the rock-cut-temple may have already been abandoned, bedrock buried by debris and no remaining sign of his ancestral origins on the mountain. The rock-cut-rooms were next seen during the reign of King Hezekiah several hundred years later and are presently the subject of intense excavation by the Israel Antiquity Authority.
The origins of Christianity and Judaism differ significantly, including by a clergy who faced east to herald the sun or west to obviate it. Orientation in church architecture is toward the altar, the main interior interest is positioned towards the east, the main entrance to the west end. But, Jerusalem's temple architecture was opposite, it opposed the sun rising and biblical history is replete (2 Kings 23:1-25) with sun worshipers who challenged its main point of interest, its Holy Inner Sanctuary positioned toward the west.
A recent ~2600 year old City of David, Jerusalem discovery relates the last period in which the horses of the sun gods were destroyed by King Josiah (see video).
Whats the big deal you may ask? Respect or disrespect - not as much about the direction priestly practitioners face, rather the direction their rear ends face! That insult laid waste untold millions of lives over thousands of years and provides a fascinating insight to the origins of Jerusalem's temple culture and subsequent rise of organized religion.
The discovery of rock-cut-rooms on the east facing, lower slope of Jerusalem's Mount Moriah, in proximity to the Gihon Spring may be Jerusalem's original temple, so called Temple Zero.
West end features including raised platform for altar
The notable direction of Temple Zero is by the placement of its most important features including matzevah, or standing stone and raised platform, the remnant of its altar toward the west. Priests offering and attending to sacrifices on this altar would have faced west and wine or water poured onto the altar would have run in the liquids channel toward the pit on the east. Facing west obviated glorification of the sun, especially obvious during sunrise worship.
West to the matzevah
West to the altars' raised platform
Jewish religious practice does not permit the use of any medium or physical depiction as a conduit or substitute to a unified, omnipotent and directly approachable God. This premise dates back prior to the biblical record through establishment of monotheism. The practice transferred from Adam to Noah, to his son Shem known as Malchi-Tzedek (the Righteous King) and finally his descendant Abraham was the first to effect and teach the religious philosophy that was distinguished from the duality of paganism.
The bible prohibited post-Egyptian Israelite's from using a matzevah to covenant with God. Abraham's grandson Jacob was the last to erect such a stone at Beit El (Bethel) before the prohibition. Approximately 650 years after Jacob (Israel) was exiled to Egypt before King David returned the nation's central administration to Mount Moriah.
Practically the steep eastern slope is crowd unfriendly. The bedrock to the west rises (as seen by the retainer wall constructed for these excavations) and to the east falls away rapidly (as seen in the people walking up the steep ascent). Yet, by its very layout worship at this site did not pay homage to the sun. So, what was its purpose in context to the site of Solomon's first temple through the Herodian second temple further north on Mount Moriah?
East to the Kidron Valley
From the great work of Israel Antiquities Archaeologist, Ortal Chalaf (standing @2 - middle image above) and Joe Uziel, we are fortunate to glimpse the ten times this space was built, destroyed and rebuilt over hundreds of years from the eighth century BCE to the end of the Iron Age (image @3). This evidences the tension between eagerness of and opposition to occupants that once heralded this sacred place. The biblical record at the end of the Iron Age reveals the fickle character of Jewish Kings who permitted or shunned idol worship in this period and the evidence at this location may directly reflect the Royal attitudes.
Remarkably, the matzevah has withstood the tests of at least 2800 years, from the earliest layer of construction and destruction above the bedrock. Almost certainly Temple Zeros' rock-cut-rooms precede the first layer built on the bedrock of the image @3, but was it in existence when King David arrived in the 10th century, ~200 years earlier? Most archaeologists agree that part of the fortified passage made up by Wall 109 (left) and Wall 108 (right) (see below) rises to intersect the bedrock ridge of the rock-cut-rooms and it dates to the middle bronze age.
Wall 109 and 108 and rock-cut-quarry block passage to Temple Zero (top center)
The fortified passage was a major construction, involving imported, regional labor forces an event that is not recorded in the bible. Despite Joe Uziel carbon dating the north east tower corner, the complex is not considered to be a part of King David's early Iron Age activities. Reference to a pre-Solomon temple is also not mentioned in the 24 books of the bible, therefore a search for Temple Zero dating clarity should be directed to the Bronze Age.
Temple Zero's altar faced the sun, its priests were before the altar, with their backs to the sun. This opposed most, if not all idolatrous practitioners who otherwise would place their deities or human gods in the place of the altar facing the sun and priests before their deity, with their backs to the sun. Alternatively as with Christianity, priests were after (behind) the altar facing east toward the sun.
Is this the reason Temple Zero was relegated to a rock-cut-quarry (or pool) that blocked ascent from the east and a fortified passage that blocked access from the north-west? It did not celebrate deities or human gods and had no place for priests to practice after the altar, for idol worshiping occupants of ancient Jerusalem it had little use.
The holy center of Jerusalem opposed sun worshipers (Temple Zero bottom left)
In the time before King David whether buried or blocked, even detractors of Temple Zero preserved its sanctity and the matzevah stands as a testament. Perhaps it was concealed so that its spiritual attractiveness to Israelite worshipers of a monotheistic God would be diminished or forgotten and with it their desire to return to The Mountain.
Seldom do senior archaeologists disagree over a hundred years let alone a thousand! A four roomed Bronze Age 'Temple Zero' complex, was discovered and named by Eli Shukron, but his boss, Ronnie Reich openly contradicted him by publishing a video in which he claimed the complex to be a creation of the Iron Age.
Orientation
Lower down the eastern slope under boulders on the bedrock, adjacent to the Gihon Spring was a missing layer of important evidence. Precisely two full missing strata, eight and nine - that can represent up to 1000 years! How did the evidence trapped under a boulder miss out from strata 10 through strata 7? After all it was trapped under the same rock, but nothing from strata eight and nine. How did this missing evidence phenomena occur?
Sunken Round Chamber (closest) and present day platform suspended in quarry
One answer comes directly from Ronnie Reich who separately explained that a wooden platform was once suspended across the rock-cut-pool or quarry (south of the Gihon Spring) much like the platform on which people are sitting in the image above, only fully extended. The indentation for this platform can still be seen cut into the stone above the heads of the people who are standing. (also see rendering below)
Depicted, ancient wooden platform suspended above bedrock
Evidence trapped under the rock
If the ancient suspended platform was maintained in place for the entire period spanning strata eight and nine, evidence from that era would have been prevented from falling to the bedrock. Once the platform was built, during strata 10 it would have locked in strata 10 evidence on the bedrock and no later evidence could fall on top of it. In simple terms strata 10 is around late bronze age - ~3400 years ago, strata 7 late iron age, ~2600 years ago.
From this evidence we can conclude activity existed from the late bronze age. This critical dating is conclusive for the citadel complex built from boulders that most likely originated on the adjacent double wall north of the quarry. Further, it clarifies that water channeled from the Gihon Spring into the deep round chamber (feature of the quarry) was drawn from and processed on the platform for distribution to the people living +50 meters higher up on the mountain plateau. All this has been confirmed by Ronnie Reich.
Gihon Spring Citadel complex Quarry (south), double wall (west) and guard tower (east) by Ronnie Reich
Since digging the quarry post-dated the deposit of strata 10 evidence, two possibilities emerge: 1) Either the designer hoped the quarry would dam up with water from the Gihon Spring, but never did because it's a geophysical impossibility since the spring is only 1 meter above the base of the Round Chamber, or: 2) The Citadel, double wall and quarry cavity, were the objective of the massive construction effort, if so why? Its important to recognize that the quarry cavity forever changed the previous natural bedrock slope. Further if the the smaller diameter, round chamber were originally cut into the natural slope the much larger quarried cavity lowered natural access to the round chamber. This required the construction of a wooden platform to conveniently access and process water for distribution.
Perhaps the best clue to the construction objective is not in the quarry or the new water route through the double wall, but at the highest westerly point, at the termination of the double wall at the top of the 35m vertical rise, in a place now known as the Parker Tunnel.
Double Wall Termination
Parker Tunnel
Parker's "cyclopean" clearance
To highlight the steep rise on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, each color in the image below represents a 5 meter rise above sea level. Ronny Reich's Citadel complex is overlaid on the topography to give you an idea of the impassable access to and from the Parker Tunnel. The highest point, the termination of the double wall abuts the bedrock at an ancient wall section that blocked access to the Parker Tunnel, @670m.
Parker's excavation notes recorded that he removed one of the giant"cyclopean" boulders to improve access, but he failed to discover the complete Temple Zero complex immediately to the south. When Eli Shukron found it in 2011, it strengthened evidence that termination of the double wall, its construction, the quarry cavity and citadel watchtower served a dual purpose: 1) to cut the eastern slope of the mountain and prevent access to the southern end of the Parker Tunnel and the Temple Zero location @670m and 2) to protect the transport of water through the underground passage, now known as Warren's Shaft System.
Residents of Mount Moriah could not have completed this massive construction project without significant help. They relied on allies, imported workers, but what compelled their alliance. Blocking access to Temple Zero may sound a bit far-fetched, but not if you were living their at that time. The new, much enlarged Israel were rising up out of Egypt, nations living on land that was sacred to Jacob knew that Israel would return. If Temple Zero were exposed Israel would have been more compelled to conquer the mountain, like a red flag to a bull. Perhaps the occupants who built this construct knew that when Israel returned they would surely seek it out so they blocked and obfuscated access to Temple Zero!
The evidence trapped under the rock and the quarry proves the quarry construction from the Bronze through the Iron Age. It dates the entire complex on the eastern slope of the Gihon Spring, including Temple Zero to the period around 3400 years ago, around the time Israel rose up out of Egypt and not to the Strata 7 Iron Age.
Once a small, quiet, undisturbed hill among many, the rock that constitutes Mount Moriah lies in a north-south direction. In a recent presentation I tried to compress more than 10 years of experiences in archaeological excavations and spiritual pursuit to capture a better understanding. Why this rock, and what compelled King David, in the seventh year of his reign to leave his base in Hevron to establish a kingdom from this Mountain?
The presentation, which is available in the video link below, lacks one additional point that I wanted to emphasize: In his book, In Ismael's House Martin Gilbert told of the men who entered Jerusalem with Calif Omar in 638 CE, one of whom was a Jewish convert to Islam, Ka'b al-Ahbar [whose Hebrew name was Akiva]. Some 600 years after the Herodian Temple destruction, at Omar's request, Ka'b pointed out the rock where the Jewish Temple had been built by Solomon and after some misgivings, identified the holiest spot where the shrine to Calif Omar was built. That shrine today known as the Dome of The Rock, the Golden Dome occupies a prominent location on the Temple Mount selected by a Jewish convert. That particular location on the Temple Mount has no special designation in Jewish law, only in Jewish tradition.
Between 1923 and 1925 archaeologists MacAlister and Duncan, for the Palestine Exploration Fund and The Daily Telegraph excavated on the Mount of Ophel, Mount Moriah, Jerusalem: Their extensive report included an aerial photo of the area they called the Jebusite City, now known as the City of David. That image (below) was marked by them to illustrates the location of the Fields 5 (north of),7 and 9 they excavated. To the east, the Gihon Spring in Valley of the Kidron, which they referred to as the Virgins Fountain they wrote: "In fact we have come to the conclusion that there are no Jebusite cisterns at all in the city, but that the Jebusite city was dependent entirely on the Virgins Fountain ([the Gihon Spring] and possibly other springs since dried up) for their water supply."
1925 R.A.F. reconnaissance photo over City of David.
Of their bedrock discoveries in Fields 5,7 and 9 which rise to between @680-700 meters above sea level they wrote: "We thought, when they were first uncovered that they were cisterns and in the original draft of this report we described them as such. We have now definitely abandoned this theory. There is no trace of a water line on the walls. There is no cup-hollows such as usually exists in the bottom of rock-cut cisterns to catch the last dregs of the water. We now hold that these carefully hewn chambers were tombs of a very early date, presumably belonging to notables of the Jebusite city." Pottery discovered and reported from the grave caves in these Fields dated back well before Biblical Jebusites to neolithic and early bronze ages.
How did life, development and water use evolve from the "very early date" these "notables" were buried on the mountain ridge? We have ample evidence of the embedded bedrock implements that were used for processing food or worship, the cave dwellings carved into rock, quarried bedrock structures and foundations that supported stone houses and walls. However, we must find the main route and the way water was transported from the Gihon Spring or we will not understand how 1000-2000 people began to live on the ridge of the mountain.
Bedrock of eastern slope in context Parker, Reich and Eli Shukron expeditions
Occupation was initially clustered close to or at the level of the Gihon Spring. Moving heavy water from the spring up mountain slope would have required substantial effort. The steep grade of the eastern slope rises 50 vertical meters from the Gihon Spring @634m to Field 9 starting @680m above sea level and within a walking distance of 100 meters from the Kidron Valley floor. Enterprising solutions must have been required to service populations once settlement moved above 650 meters. (Sea level heights are indicated in the image above.) To resolve this problem a King, attributed to the Emorites, Jebusites or one of the seven Canaanite tribes, during the period circa 1800-1700 B.C.E ordered work to expand an east sloping, natural underground tunnel that once ran from around @660m toward the Gihon Spring and Kidron Valley below.
In the video below Ronny Reich explains this underground tunnel now known as a water system or the Warrens Shaft System. There are several important points to note: 1. The iron steps, on which Ronny stands marks the termination of the tunnel and no evidence of steps, at that point has ever been found. Ropes may have hoisted water up the vertical shaft where the iron steps are now built. 2. Ronny indicates the system was used by common people to obtain their daily water, I dispute that, it was used by professional water carriers only. 3. The tunnel route evolved in three stages initially via the natural cave entry-exit to or from the water source immediately north of the double wall fortress and after it was constructed, between the double walls. The final route was more direct through an entry to the tunnel system immediately south of the double walls. These indications support a royal, efficient enterprise that controlled water from the Gihon Spring that had been channeled into the Round Chamber for 'bottling' and distribution.
In a previous article I detailed how the Warrens Shaft System had transformed the sanctity of the ancient bedrock on the lower eastern slope, specifically how it cut the four room worship complex from growing populations on the northern mountain ridge. The water enterprise of the Jeubusites, its capture and continued use by King David, its transformation to industrial zone and food market for the city, by the kings that followed forever changed the ancient character of the eastern slope.
Refugees who fled the Assyrian army that had attacked the northern tribes of Israel arrived in Jerusalem only to swell its already burgeoning population. In the months following resettlement, their different religious practices immediately became abhorrent to the resident priests in Jerusalem's temple. King Hezekiah acted to remove idolatry, centralize worship and focus the attention of his subjects on the task at hand, to strengthen the city. Hezekiah sent Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and Shebnah and Joah to appease Sennacherib's generals, they obtained only temporary reprieve. He sent lavish gifts to Sennacherib, the Assyrian King hoping to stave off an attack, but it soon became apparent the Assyrian army would advance on Jerusalem.
During the reprieve Hezekiah was attributed with 6 decrees, the first three were considered good; (1) he concealed the book of healing because people, instead of praying to God relied on concoctions; (2) he broke in pieces the brazen serpent of Moses; and (3) he dragged his father's remains, instead of giving them an honorable burial. The second three, which were not good: (1) he re-directed the water of Gihon into the city; (2) he cut the gold from the doors of the Temple for a gift to Sennacherib; and (3) he moved Passover celebrations to the second month to meet the demands of northern refugees. Around this time Hezekiah fell gravely ill (Isaiah 38:6).
The king's stress was palpable, but we cannot imagine how that was exacerbated when workers, commissioned to strengthen the walls of the city and build watch towers stumbled across a discovery that shocked the king to his core (2 Chronicles 32:5). On the eastern slope of Mount Moriah @657m (above sea level), directly above the path, @634m of the water tunnel being constructed workers cleared rubble and stumbled upon the ancient, permanent temple of Beit-El carved out of the buried bedrock. As the king grappled with the discovery, its potential impact to centralized worship and its contradiction with Solomon's temple he went into a state of shock, infection took over the boils on his body and he began to die. He lamented, prayed and ordered the ancient temple to be sealed between a false wall that was filled with soft sand. Then the prophet Isaiah announced a miracle, the king was granted a 15 year life extension, following which the Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem collapsed.
"C" marked on map below - standing on bedrock
Hezekiah's wall behind matzevah
Hezekiah's wall behind Jebusite
wall (built on bedrock)
Tower marked "A" on the map was ~4m above bedrock, in the South corner (see middle image below)
Until Hezekiah, the general area of Beit-El in Jerusalem had been forgotten. Biblical reference was first made more than 1000 years earlier during the time of Abraham and again by Jacob, then nothing until Joshua. By the time King David arrived it's association with Jerusalem had mostly been forgotten. Commentators of the bible vary in their opinions, most refer to the later city of Bethel that was built by Jeroboam north of Jerusalem, but for some reason they are compelled to refer it back to Jerusalem. Some 67 years after Hezekiah, his great, great grandson King Josiah ordered The High Priest Hilkiyahu to remove idolatry from the temple and destroy it in the plains of the Kidron Valley. Hilkiyahu promptly carried out the mission and carried the smashed pieces to Beit-El (2 Kings 23:4) adjacent to the Kidron Valley where it's thought he deposited them in a pit behind Wall NB or Wall 3, discovered by archaeologist Kathryn Kenyon (see images below). This is the last time Beit-El of Jerusalem was accurately mentioned in Biblical texts.
Spring citadel - double wall
The ancient temple of Beit-El remained buried, untouched until it was re-discovered by Eli Shukron for the Israel Antiquities Authority in 2011. 2 Kings 23:4 is a proof text that resolves the mystery of Beit-El's original Shalem, Jebusite City, City of David, Jerusalem location. With this it establishes a new basis for archaeologists looking for its counterpart city Ai, which was to its east.
From the excavation report by MacAlister and Duncan - Excavations on the Hill of Ophel, Jerusalem 1923-1925: "We thought, when they were first uncovered that they were cisterns and in the original draft of this report we described them as such. We have now definitely abandoned this theory. There is no trace of a water line on the walls. There is no cup-hollows such as usually exists in the bottom of rock-cut cisterns to catch the last dregs of the water. We now hold that these carefully hewn chambers were tombs of a very early date, presumably belonging to notable of the Jebusite city. In fact we have come to the conclusion that there are no Jebusite cisterns at all in the city, but that the Jebusite city was dependent entirely on the Virgins Fountain (and possibly other springs since dried up) for their water supply."
The statement above related to burial sites in Field 5, but also 7 and 9 of the excavation, which is the upper east facing elevation along the north-south ridge of Mount Moriah (west of and between the modern Area G and E). It is testimony to the use of at least some of these areas as cultic worship sites established around sacred burial caves in the early and mid Bronze Age periods.
Presenting my tomb theory to members of the Israel Antiquity Authority
The vigil seen at sacred grave sites in Israel today may resemble an early form of the tradition that continues by devotees who recite psalms and other prayers at the place the spirit of the deceased returns.
Prayer vigil at Joseph's tomb
As I have previously written, shaft tombs were common in the region during the early through middle Bronze Age. Arguably Jerusalem's most ancient and important tomb may have existed for 1000 years or more before it was hacked when an Iron Age quarry cut the north-south passage on the lower eastern slope of the mountain. The path between two significant Bronze Age features, the upper floor blocked cave and the lower floor cave house (Parker), that exists either side of the quarry may have been purposely separated in order to prevent ("stop or cancel" - see video) the continuous traditions of occupation and organized worship.
Plan of Gihon excavations
The Rock-cut pool disconnected bidirectional north-south access
Along the rim of the quarry the slope of the bedrock's south face can be seen below. It is now known that water could not be contained in the quarry because the low degree geophysical slope from the Gihon spring, north of the quarry could never build sufficient hydraulic pressure to raise water into any section of it.
Cut quarry often confused as - upper Gihon Pool
The remnant round chamber (as it is known today) is contained in the bedrock of the rock-cut quarry visible below. It may once have been a much taller shaft connecting the burial chamber at the base to the surface (as illustrated top left of image).
Remnant of shaft to round chamber in rock-cut quarry
The confirmed discovery of early and mid-bronze burial sites, in vicinity on the eastern slopes of Mount Moriah, as it descends toward the Kidron Valley and Gihon spring offer strong support for the theory that the round chamber in the rock-cut quarry once was a shaft-tomb leading to a sacred burial chamber. Eventually, at its base the abandoned burial chamber was connected to the Gihon Spring source through a series of cut channels.
On the adjacent, north face of the quarry the partly collapsed massive bronze age double wall rises from the east, near the Kidron Valley up the steep bedrock slope to the west. At the top (west), the double wall once connected with the city wall built at the time of King Hezekiah to further and completely block passage from north to south. around 100 years ago Montague Parker cleared sections of the wall to provide passage through a tunnel as seen in the next two images.
Double Wall looking east - quarry to the immediate south.
Top of wall was dismantled by Parker - looking north
(Kevin's gate can be seen in background left).
Before it was dismantled by Parker, the top of the double wall abutted the city wall, which in conjunction with the quarry entirely blocked the north to south passage across the lower section of the east face above the Gihon Spring. In addition to sacred graves, we need to understand the time periods and long-standing motivations to undertake this massive construction.
Drawing (looking to the west) from Ronnie Reich's book
demonstrates how the double wall, above the
Fortress of Zion and quarry blocked passage.
Parker dismantled the top section of the double wall, that abutted the city wall to obtain access room 3 and 4, (image below) but he never made it to the adjacent rooms 2 and 1, they were discovered in 2011 by Eli Shukron.
Temple Zero complex facing east near the Gihon Spring
If these four rooms comprised a Bronze Age temple, the quarry, double walls and city wall may have been specifically constructed to prevent successive populations from practicing sacred rites in the four rooms. Herein may lie the long-standing negative motivation to construct such significant barriers that surround this important four room feature and prevent its use.
As MacAlister and Duncan suggested in their detailed report the story of the Lame and the Blind at the Fortress of Zion may further explain such long-standing motivations. The fortress refers to the stone construction immediately south of the Gihon Spring, extending west up the steep east face of Mount Moriah.
All city walls depicted in this image
have not been located in archaeology
This Jebusite fortress is referred to in 2 Samuel 5:7-8 and 1 Chronicles 11:5. King David's troops entered, captured and lived in the fortress until they eventually took control of the broader areas and the surrounding populations on the mountain. According to the Biblical accounts, surprisingly the Jebusite King was never forced to vacate Mount Moriah. During King David's 40 year reign at the same location the Jebusite Kings other property rights were upheld.
According to tradition the Lame and the Blind refers to the pacts between Abraham, Isaac and the descendants of Philistine progenitor Avimelech, as inherited by Jacob. These pacts permitted the Jebusites rights to occupy land in this region. King David allegedly broke the 500+ year "Lame and Blind" pact when his troops conquered the fortress and renamed it and the mountain the City of David.
The fortress and walls preceded Iron Age King David, by at least several hundred years. Therefore, the Bronze Age burial sites in the immediate vicinity may have motivated the Fortress, quarry and double wall obfuscation of the Temple Zero complex as a reminder to Israel of their paternal "Lame and Blind" pact with Jebusites. In this context "Lame" refers to Jacob who was lamed during his tussle with his "angel of death" brother Esau while en route back to the matzevah he erected 20 years earlier in the place he named Beit El, on Mount Moriah, the night he experience his famous "Jacob's Ladder" dream. Unlike room 3 of Temple Zero, which was purposefully constructed to retain the bedrock platform in its northwest corner, room 2 was empty until, post construction the perfectly preserved matzevah was located on its bedrock.
The Israel Antiquities Authority have agreed to investigate using geophysical probes and other methods that may reveal how or if it is affixed to bedrock. Regardless, its preservation in rooms that were sealed when discovered in 2011 is nonetheless remarkable.
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