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JESUS' CITY IS GONE.
Above, rubble from the upper city, which in Jesus' time loy
otop the hill in the background, now fills the Tyropoeon Volley ot the west of the dig.
Left, the Temple Mount from the south. Arrows show the extensive size of what many
hove colled the "Big Dig," because of the extensive oreo of the excavations. Over
the lost three yeors mojor work has proceeded through oreas A, B ond
C.
Mark says. ' 'For rhe Pharisees, and all
che Jews, do nor ear unlcss rhey wash
their hands, observing che tradirion of
rhc elders ... and chere are many
other craditions which they observe,
che washing of cups and pocs and ves–
seis of bronze" (Mark 7:3-4, RSV).
Going chrough rhese souchern
Double Gares or che Triple Gares
(called rhe Huldah Gares by la ter
Jews) , one would have found himself
inside rhe southern eclge of che Courr
of the Gentiles.
le
was here chat Jesus
drove out rhe money changers. Inside
were many commercial shops associ–
ated wirh rhe Temple sacrifices. A
pcrson coulcl have boughr animals or
birds for sacrifice, or he could have
changed his monev in order ro p:w
the yearly Temple.: cax of half a shekel.
Jesus chrew out rhose money
changers and Temple merchanrs for a
lirrle recognized rcason rhar lives in
rhe arrifaccs of thc dig. The 'money
changers were rhere ro prevent
Roman or other pagan coins wirh ef–
figics (pictures of mcn or animals) on
rhem from being taken into rhe holy
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