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BEHOLD THESE
STONES
J
ERUSALEM
is probably rhe mosr
imporcanr archaeological site
availablc ro che scienrilic histo–
rian. Few sires anywhere are likcly ro
rival for che Jure of discovery che ex–
rensive rhrce-year-old excavacions near
che Souchern and rhe Wesrern Wall
of che Temple Mount.
Undcr che direcrion of Professor
Benjamín Mazar, former Presidenc of
Hebrew Uni versiry. rhe "dig" along
rhe walls of rhe Temple Mounr
is
re–
vealing
w
hisrorians more abour Jeru–
salem 's pase - especially che ti me of
Herod and of Jesus - rhan anv orher
record exccpr Josephus' accounr and
che Bible icself. There is an air of an–
riquicy in every shovelful.
To che Israelis, che dig is bringing
ro lighr, aftcr nineteen cencuries. rhe
rime of Herod che Greac (somerimes
called che period of che Second
Temple). For nearly 1,900 years, chere
were only ··empty cenruries" afrer che
Romans desrroyed rhe Jewish scace in
STONES ANO COLUMNS
buried for
centuries now lie exposed on the site of
one of archaeology's most importont
digs of oll time- ot the Temple Mount
woll in Jerusalem.
PlAIN TRUTH December 1972
by
Ernest
l.
Mortin ond John E. Portune
Photography by
John E. Portune
A.D. 70 and shoved che gianr srones
down from che cop of Jerusalem's
Temple Mount.
Many Israelis emorionallv associare
chemselves wirh che Herodian Com–
monwealrh when rhe Second Temple
was built. The inrcrvening nineceen
cenruries, though cerrainly recognized
as having passed, are viewed narion–
ally and polirically as a hiarus - a
rime which never existcd. The 1948
emergence of the srare of Israel is al–
mosr looked upon as a continuation
of chac ancient Commonwealth. Any
scienrific evidence rhac makes rhar
rime more real represencs ro Israelis
an anchorage for che concinued exis–
rence of rheir ncw narion.
To Cbristians. che rime of King
Herod is imporcant becausc ir was che
rime of Jesus and che aposrles. The
Tyropoeon valley on che wesr of che
dig has been lilled so rboroughJy rhar
che Lowcr or Herodian Ciry sourh
and wesr of che Temple Mounc dis–
appeared encirely. In rhe digging -
as far down as 70 feer - archae–
ologisrs and studenrs have been un–
covering rhe ciry of Jesus' time and
are sifting through che alluvium of
chis Upper Ciry.
In che hands of Ambassador Col–
lege srudencs, rhe New Tesramenr is
each day bccoming more and more a
rcaliry.
The BibJe Lives in Srone
Along rhe Sourhcrn WaJJ, for ex–
ample, diggers have uncovered a series
of beaurifully arranged sceps, over
lOO
feer long. leading up ro che Double
Gares inro che Temple enclosure (che
major enrrancc ro che Sourbern Wall
of thc ancienr Temple). These sceps,
uncovered in rhe summer session of
1971. have probablv nor been walked
on since che days of rhe aposrles.
Standing rhcre. realizing rhar you are
one of che firsr m rerrace rheir foor–
sreps. words almosr fail you. Thc
r ew Tesramenr, along wirh Jewish
hisrory, seems ro come alive bcnearh
vour fecr.
A few yards ro che righr of rhese
sreps, ncar che Triple Gace of rhe
Sourhern Wall, are many ritual barhs.
Thev rcmind onc of rhe ew Testa–
mene accounrs of how meciculous che
Jews were abour ceremonial clean–
liness and purificarion in rhe time of
Chrisr.
In rhe New Tescamenr accounc,
19