...and I thought yesterday was awesome!

Today was one of the most memorable days of my life! That's quite a statement (and even a bit melodramatic!), but it's true. As we entered the Temple Mount from the southwest, the heat and the sore back faded to nothingness as I gazed upon the expanse where the Jewish Temple once stood and where Jesus walked, taught His disciples, and healed people. What a moment! I just stood there with my mouth open, looking around me. It was incredible!

Other places visited today were the Upper Room, the Western Wall (a Bar Mitzvah was in progress), and the Davidson Center where a re-enactment of what it must have been like to be a Jew back in Jesus' day and come to Jerusalem for the first time for one of the festivals (e.g., Passover). We also visited the Wohl Museum where archaeological excavations have unearthed a huge complex of rooms that are identified as The Herodian Quarter just west of the Temple Mount. Scholars have suggested that this building could very well have been Caiaphas' house, where Jesus was taken after His arrest. It was quite impressive with mosaic tiles on the floors and frescos on the walls. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this building was part of that destruction. We were also privileged to stand at the Hulda Gates on the south end of the Temple Mount. This is where Jesus would have entered the Temple Mount. Excavations have discovered numerous ritual baths (mikva'ot) in front of this main entrance to the temple. Dr. Mullins commented that it seems likely that when 3,000 people were added to the early church on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41), these ritual baths would have been the place where they were baptized since no other venue in Jerusalem could have accommodated that many people.

I do need to mention that each day this week we have been in class for 3-4 hours, either in the morning and then out on our walking tours in the afternoon, or vice versa. Dr. Mullins has prepared us well for what we are experiencing in and around this most inspiring city!

Tomorrow we go on our first field study, ready to board the bus by 6:45 a.m.! Stay tuned for more exciting revelations!

Shalom and blessings,

Bev