A Description of some Parts of ancient Jerusalem.
This chapter will contain some descriptions of places given by
Sister Emmerich on various occasions. They will be followed by a
description of the tomb and garden of Joseph of Arimathea, that so we
may have no need to interrupt the account of the burial of our Lord.
The first gate which stood on the eastern side of Jerusalem, to the
south of the south-east angle of the Temple, was the one leading to the
suburb of Ophel. The gate of the sheep was to the north of the
north-east angle of the Temple. Between these two gates there was a
third, leading to some streets situated to the east of the Temple, and
inhabited for the most part by stonemasons and other workmen. The
houses in these streets were supported by the foundations of the
Temple; and almost all belonged to Nicodemus, who had caused them to be
built, and who employed nearly all the workmen living there. Nicodemus
had not long before built a beautiful gate as an entrance to these
streets, called the Gate of Moriah. It was but just finished, and
through it Jesus had entered the town on Palm Sunday. Thus he entered
by the new gate of Nicodemus, through which no one had yet passed, and
was buried in the new monument of Joseph of Arimathea, in which no one
had yet been laid. This gate was afterwards walled up, and there was a
tradition that the Christians were once again to enter the town through
it. Even in the present day, a walled-up gate, called by the Turks the
Golden Gate, stands on this spot.
The road leading to the west from the gate of the sheep passed
almost exactly between the north-western side of Mount Sion and
Calvary. From this gate to Golgotha the distance was about two miles
and a quarter; and from Pilate's palace to Golgotha about two miles. The
fortress Antonia was situated to the north-west of the mountain of the
Temple, on a detached rock. A person going towards the west, on leaving
Pilate's palace, would have had this fortress to his left. On one of its
walls there was a platform commanding the forum, and from which Pilate
was accustomed to make proclamations to the people: he did this, for
instance, when he promulgated new laws. When our Divine Lord was
carrying his Cross, in the interior of the town, Mount Calvary was
frequently on his right hand. This road, which partly ran in a
south-westerly direction, led to a gate made in an inner wall of the
town, towards Sion. Beyond this wall, to the left, there was a sort of
suburb, containing more gardens than houses; and towards the outer wall
of the city stood some magnificent sepulchres with stone entrances. On
this side was a house belonging to Lazarus, with beautiful gardens,
extending towards that part where the outer western wall of Jerusalem
turned to the south. I believe that a little private door, made in the
city wall, and through which Jesus and his disciples often passed by
permission of Lazarus, led to these gardens. The gate standing at the
north-western angle of the town led to Bethsur, which was situated more
towards the north than Emmaus and Joppa. The western part of Jerusalem
was lower than any other: the land on which it was built first sloped
in the direction of the surrounding wall, and then rose again when
close to it; and on this declivity there stood gardens and vineyards,
behind which wound a wide road, with paths leading to the walls and
towers. On the other side, without the wall, the land descended towards
the valley, so that the walls surrounding the lower part of the town
looked as if built on a raised terrace. There are gardens and vineyards
even in the present day on the outer hill. When Jesus arrived at the
end of the Way of the Cross, he had on his left hand that part of the
town where there were so many gardens; and it was from thence that
Simon of Cyrene was coming when he met the procession. The gate by
which Jesus left the town was not entirely facing the west, but rather
the south-west. The city wall on the left-hand side, after passing
through the gate, ran somewhat in a southerly direction, then turned
towards the west, and then again to the south, round Mount Sion. On
this side there stood a large tower, like a fortress. The gate by which
Jesus left the town was at no great distance from another gate more
towards the south, leading down to the valley, and where a road,
turning to the left in the direction of Bethlehem, commenced. The road
turned to the north towards Mount Calvary shortly after that gate by
which Jesus left Jerusalem when bearing his Cross. Mount Calvary was
very steep on its eastern side, facing the town, and a gradual descent
on the western; and on this side, from which the road to Emmaus was to
be seen, there was a field, in which I saw Luke gather several plants
when he and Cleophas were going to Emmaus, and met Jesus on the way.
Near the walls, to the east and south of Calvary, there were also
gardens, sepulchres, and vineyards. The Cross was buried on the
north-east side, at the foot of Mount Calvary.
The garden of Joseph of Arimathea was situated near the gate of
Bethlehem, at about a seven minutes' walk from Calvary: it was a very
fine garden, with tall trees, banks, and thickets in it, which gave
much shade, and was situated on a rising ground extending to the walls
of the city.14 A person coming from the northern side of the valley,
and entering the garden, had on his left hand a slight ascent extending
as far as the city wall; and on his right, at the end of the garden, a
detached rock, where the cave of the sepulchre was situated. The grotto
in which it was made looked to the east; and on the south-western and
north-western sides of the same rock were two other smaller sepulchres,
which were also new, and with depressed fronts. A pathway, beginning on
the western side of this rock, ran all round it. The ground in front of
the sepulchre was higher than that of the entrance, and a person
wishing to enter the cavern had to descend several steps. The cave was
sufficiently large for four men to be able to stand close up to the
wall on either side without impeding the movements of the bearers of
the body. Opposite the door was a cavity in the rock, in which the tomb
was made; it was about two feet above the level of the ground, and
fastened to the rock by one side only, like an altar: two persons could
stand, one at the head and one at the foot; and there was a place also
for a third in front, even if the door of the cavity was closed. This
door was made of some metal, perhaps of brass, and had two folding
doors. These doors could be closed by a stone being rolled against
them; and the stone used for this purpose was kept outside the cavern.
Immediately after our Lord was placed in the sepulchre it was rolled in
front of the door. It was very large, and could not be removed without
the united effort of several men. Opposite the entrance of the cavern
there stood a stone bench, and by mounting on this a person could climb
on to the rock, which was covered with grass, and from whence the city
walls, the highest parts of Mount Sion, and some towers could be seen,
as well as the gate of Bethlehem and the fountain of Gihon. The rock
inside was of a white colour, intersected with red and blue veins.