This olive press is in the Capernaum, Jesus' home-base (Matt. 4:13), near the synagogue. The crushed olive pulp was placed in baskets (about four inches thick and two feet in diameter), which were then stacked several high. These baskets are barely visible in the distance under the wooden beam, through the slot in the press. A heavy stone slab was placed on the top basket (not visible in this picture). The beam, with one end in a hole in the wall above the press, was positioned on the stone over the olive baskets.

Great weights were suspended by ropes from the end of the beam, placing enormous pressure on the olive pulp. These weights may have been lifted by a shorter beam placed in the hole in the wall above, on the left. Over time, the pressure squeezed the juice out of the pulp. The juice ran out of the baskets and into a pit below, where it separated into water and oil. The water was drained off, and the oil was collected and placed in clay jars. These jars were often stored in a cool area in the cave near the press.

Olive oil had religious significance for the Israelites, both because it was connected with the fertility of the land (Deut. 8:6-9) and because it was used for "anointing" (Gen. 28:18). The small niche (opening) next to the press may have held an idol to whom the press and the oil were dedicated. God's people brought olives to the Temple on Shavuot (Pentecost) to indicate their recognition that Yahweh, not the pagan gods, provided the gift of fertility.

Olive oil can have religious significance for us as Christians too. A person who was anointed was a mashiach ("messiah" in English). This role was ultimately fulfilled by Jesus, God's Anointed. This imagery links Jesus to the olive tree and its rich fruit.

The word gethsemane is derived from two Hebrew words: gat, which means "a place for pressing oil (or wine)" and shemanim, which means "oils."

During Jesus' time, heavy stone slabs were lowered onto olives that had already been crushed in an olive crusher. Gradually, the slabs weight squeezed the olive oil out of the pulp, and the oil ran into a pit. There the oil was collected in clay jars.

The image of the Gethsemane on the slope of the Mount of Olives where Jesus went the night before his crucifixion provides a vivid picture of Jesus' suffering. The weight of the sins of the world pressed down upon him like a heavy slab of rock pressed down on olives in their baskets.

His sweat, "like drops of blood falling from to the ground" (Luke 22:44), flowed from him like olive oil as it was squeezed out and flowed into the pit of an olive press.

Olive Crusher

The olive crusher was the stone basin used to crush olives into pulp. A donkey pushed on a horizontal beam, which in turn rolled a millstone that crushed ripe olives (placed in a large, round basin) into a pulp.An olive crusher was often placed in a cave, where the moderate temperature improved the efficiency of the oil production.

This press was located in a building, not a cave. The pulp from the crusher was put in baskets and placed on the stone base under the large limestone pillar. Note the groove around the outside, which channeled the oil into the pit just to the left. The huge pillar was apparently lifted with a beam like the one on the press to the left, and placed on the olives, squeezing the oil from the fruit. This installation was also a familiar sight to Jesus and his disciples in Galilee, where they lived.

Jesus' visit to Gethsemane the night before his execution can be symbolized by olive presses like these. The great weight of his imminent crucifixion to pay for the sins of the world, his abandonment by his (sleeping) friends, and the knowledge that he would eventually be rejected by God, his Father, bore down on him. There in Gethsemane, this burden, which he was willing to bear, squeezed from him "sweat" like great drops of blood falling to the ground? (Luke 22:44). The burden, symbolized by the beam of the olive press, was the anointing death made necessary by our sin. We were the burden he bore, and his flowing blood was his "anointing" for us (2 Cor. 1:21).

Gezer stands to the east of Israel's coastal plain, a fertile stretch of land that lines the Mediterranean Sea. To the east are foothills, called the Shephelah, beyond which lie the Judean mountains and the Arabian Desert. Only fifteen miles away from Gezer, Jerusalem is nestled among the Judean hills.

Gezer was one of three great cities that guarded the Via Maris. The city stood at a strategic point where the major trade route jutted inland to avoid swampy areas along Israel's coast. Today, the Tel Gezer is one of the largest tells in Israel, a testimony to its significance in ancient times.

The world powers of the day: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, depended on each other to supply goods through trade. And since the inhabitants of Gezer could control the Via Maris, they had influence over the world powers of the day. Gezer also guarded an east-west trade route that traveled from the Via Maris to Jericho.

People who see Gezer today may imagine it as a quiet, agricultural area. But because of its critical position at the intersection of two trade routes, the city bustled with commercial activity. People frequently fought for the city's control.

Joshua defeated it during the Israelites' entry into the Promised Land (Joshua 16:10), and Solomon later made it one of his chariot cities (1 Kings 9:15).

At Gezer, archaeologists have made some remarkable discoveries from the time of Israel's monarchy, including the gate built by Solomon. The tel is also known for the large standing stones that were found there. The stones were probably erected by pagans long before Israel entered Canaan to mark the site of a significant event.

Gezer in the Bible

The strategic city of Gezer was mentioned several times in the Old Testament:

- As the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, Joshua defeated the king of Gezer:

- Meanwhile, Horam king of Gezer had come up to help Lachish, but Joshua defeated him and his army-and no survivors were left. (Joshua 10:33).

- The early Israelites feared the Canaanite inhabitants of Gezer, so they allowed them to remain in the strategic city.

-They [the Israelites] did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor. (Joshua 16:10).

- Israel did not fully control Gezer until the time of King Solomon.

-Pharaoh king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. He had set it on fire. He killed its Canaanite inhabitants and then gave it as a wedding gift to his daughter, Solomon's wife. Solomon rebuilt Gezer. (1 Kings 9:16).

The Text includes stories, poems, and arguments about a variety of topics. But more than anything else, it's a story about God and his relationship with humans.

Biblical writers often used word pictures to describe God and his power in the world. And the people of ancient times worshiped him with awe and reverence at his dwelling place, the Temple.

To learn more about God as he was seen in biblical times, select a topic from the menu on the right.

Many parts of Israel are extremely rocky, especially in the wilderness. This geographical condition, combined with the Hebrews practice of using concrete images of the world around them to describe spiritual reality, led to the Jews frequent use of the word "rock" to describe God.

David Describes God as a Rock
When David was in the wilderness, he attributed his safety to God. He declared God to be his rock, fortress, refuge, and deliverer (2 Sam. 22:1-3).

In Psalm 18, David wrote these words: "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and deliverer" (Ps. 18:1-2). The word transliterated "fortress" here is actually a rendering of the Hebrew word that translates into masada in English. David's words compare God to the huge desert fortress of Masada, built atop an impressive rock in the Judean Wilderness.

David recognized the solid, unmovable, unshakeable characteristics of the Lord, and confidently placed his trust in him.

God Describes Himself Using This Imagery
God describes himself to the people of Israel through the words of the prophet Isaiah. He declares that there is no God, no other "Rock" besides Yahweh (Isa. 44:8).

The city of Arad

As far back as 3,000 BC, a large Canaanite city stood in the Negev, where the small town of Arad sits today. This city probably existed when Abraham and his family lived in Beersheba, a nearby desert region.

Arad was eventually destroyed, possibly by Joshua, and then rebuilt and fortified as part of Israel's southern flank. The Old Testament Jews of Arad worshiped at a temple built in their city; archaeological remains indicate that they were exclusively devoted to Yahweh.

During King Hezekiah's reign, the people of Arad were told to destroy their temple. In an effort to end pagan worship, Hezekiah ordered the destruction of all high places, except for Jerusalem's temple, regardless of whether they were built to honor God or Baal (2 Kings 18:22).

The devout worshipers at Arad did not want to tear their temple down or use if for everyday purposes. Instead, they covered it with earth. Discovered thousands of years later, the remains of this temple are a treasure for biblical archaeologists.

 

The Temple

Although smaller in size, Arad's temple was modeled after Jerusalem's temple. It had a people's court, priest's court, and an altar of the exact dimensions given in Exodus 27.

The people of Arad also built a Holy of Holies, which represented God's dwelling place in the temple of Jerusalem. Inside were two stone tablets symbolizing the Ten Commandments. These special objects reminded them of their covenant with God.

Worship followed a set pattern. A priest placed bread on a table and offered prayers of thanks to God for providing food. Another priest said prayers for the congregation at the altar of incense and poured incense over hot coals. Standing outside the priest's court, people watched the rising smoke and pictured their prayers ascending to heaven.

Sacrifices played a key role in temple worship. The priests killed an animal and sprinkled its blood at the base of the altar. On one special day of the year%u2014Yom Kippur%u2014the blood was sprinkled in the Holy of Holies.

Sacrifices were made each day around 9 AM and 3 PM. At the time of sacrifice, a shofar (ram's horn) was blown. The people around the city heard the sound and were reminded of God's promise to forgive.

 

The Bloodpath

Israel's sacrifice system was rooted in the covenant formed between God and Abram in Genesis 15. God told Abram that if he would be obedient, Abram would have land and descendants, and all nations would be blessed through him. Abram believed God, and so they sealed the agreement with a covenant ceremony.

When forming a covenant in ancient days, two parties gathered animals, cut each into two parts, and then placed them on the ground so their blood flowed into one stream. Each party walked through the blood, symbolizing that they would pay with their life if they broke the terms of the covenant.

God made his covenant with Abram in this familiar way. Abram created a bloodpath using a goat, heifer, ram, pigeon, and dove. God, in the form of a smoking firepot, walked through the path and affirmed his promises to Abram.

Abram was filled with "a thick and dreadful darkness" (v. 12). This Hebrew expression was used to describe someone who was scared to death. Abram knew that he could not live up to the terms of God's covenant: He could not live in perfect obedience and he would have to pay with his life when he broke the covenant.

But instead of making Abram walk the bloodpath, God, this time in the form of a blazing torch, walked through the path for him. Knowing Abram couldn't keep the covenant, God's actions effectively said, "If either you or I break this covenant, I will pay for it with my own blood."

For later Israelites, animal sacrifices were a visual reminder of God's covenant promise. Each time an animal was sacrificed, the people symbolically said, "God, I know I've sinned, but remember your covenant. Let this sacrifice be for me."

The Tablets

In ancient times, it was common for two parties to create a summary of their covenant together. Two copies were made and each party brought their copy to a sacred place.

The Ten Commandments provided a summary of God's covenant with Abraham. When the tablets were complete, God gave Moses both copies, saying in effect that his most sacred place would be the sacred place of his people.

The Israelites celebrated these commandments as a wonderful picture of God's love. They did not see the law as a burdensome list of do's and don'ts. Rather, it reminded them that their God cared enough to make a covenant with his people and live among them.

God later commanded Moses to build the ark of the covenant, where the Ten Commandments would be kept, and where God could dwell among his people. The ark was kept in Israel's most sacred place, the Holy of Holies. On the lid of the ark, between the wings of the cherubim carved there, God lived among his people.

The Sacrifice

Eventually, the ark of the covenant and the temple were destroyed. But God's faithfulness to the covenant did not waver. He once again chose to dwell among his people, this time in the form of a human person.

Jesus' crucifixion took place at the same time as the afternoon sacrifice. At the very moment the sound of the shofar filled Jerusalem, reminding the people that sacrifices had been made, the Messiah shouted, "It is finished!"

Jesus' life was over at that moment. But more importantly, the need for sacrifices was over. The people no longer needed to remind God of his promise: He had fulfilled the covenant and paid the bloodpath price with his own life.

In the moments after Jesus' death, the temple curtain tore apart. The Holy of Holies had suddenly and supernaturally been ripped open.

Through this event, and later during Pentecost, God showed his people that priests were no longer needed as mediators before God. From that moment on, he would not live in the Holy of Holies, but would dwell directly within his people.

God's Dwelling Place Today

One broadcast of the nightly news gives a sobering look at our world. All around us, people are hurting. Some hide it with bright smiles and great accomplishments. Others bury the pain in sinful rebellion.

Whether they admit it or not, they all need God.

Christians today have good news for such a spiritually needy world: God isn't a far off power waiting for us to mess up so that he can punish us. He's the God who walked the bloodpath for us, a God who keeps his promises, even when it costs his life.

Our amazing God has decided to live within us. And the way he reveals himself to our hurting world today is through his believers. Amidst our hectic schedules and never-ending activities, we should consider each day as an opportunity to show God's presence to a watching world.

What do people see when they watch you? Does your life make God's loving presence known to the world?

The people of Jesus' day believed that God alone could rescue them from the evil of the sea.

From the beginning, God had power over the formless, watery chaos. He brought order to the chaos, gathering the seas together to form dry land. He saw what he had made and said it was good (Gen. 1:2, 1:6-10; Ps. 24:1-2).

God used water to punish sinful people. Sinful people were removed from the earth during the great flood. He also used it to kill Pharaoh's soldiers as they pursued the Israelites (Gen. 7; Ex. 14:23-28).

God also used water to save his people. God helped the Israelites as they fled Egypt by turning part of the Red Sea into a pathway so they could cross to the other side, and by drowning Pharaoh's soldiers.

In despair, David writes in Psalm 69, "Save me O God, for the waters have come up to my neck" (Ps. 69:1-3). This is just one example of how many early writers of the Scriptures used water to describe difficulties and despair, or the way in which God brought miraculous deliverance when people called on him for help.

God's Truth The Word of God is true, and we can confidently share the gospel message with anyone. But God's truth is also powerful and it will make an impact, at times it will turn people's hearts toward God and at other times it will bring us into conflict with people who deny God's truth

Who Was Baal?

Baal was the primary god of the Canaanite fertility cults. He was often depicted as a man with the head and horns of a bull, who carried a lightening bolt symbolizing destruction and fertility.

Baal supposedly won his dominance by defeating other deities such as the god of the sea and the god of storms. The Canaanites believed that his victory over death was repeated each year when he returned from the underworld and brought rain to renew the earth's fertility.

Because Hebrew culture believed the sea was evil and destructive, Baal's promise to prevent storms and control the sea, as well as his apparent ability to produce plentiful harvests, made him attractive to the Israelites.

The Fertility Goddess Asherah
In various forms and with varying names, Asherah was honored as the primary fertility goddess (Judg. 3:7). The Bible does not actually describe her, but archaeologists have discovered figurines representing her.

Asherah, Baal's mistress, was portrayed as a nude female, sometimes pregnant, with exaggerated breasts that she held out as a symbol of her fertility. The Bible indicates that she was worshiped near trees and poles, called Asherah poles.

Worship Practices of the Canaanites
The Canaanite religions can generally be categorized as fertility cults. They sometimes sought to appease their gods through sacrifices, and they also practiced sexual perversions as a part of their worship of Baal and Asherah.

Baal worshipers tried to satisfy him by offering sacrifices, usually sheep and bulls. During times of crisis, however, Baal's followers sacrificed their children "usually the firstborn of the community" in order to gain personal prosperity (Isa. 57:5-7).

Believing that the sexual union of Baal and Asherah produced fertility, pagan worshippers engaged in immoral sex to entice the gods to join together and ensure good harvests. God's incredible gift of sexuality within the context of marriage was perverted by the sexual acts between priests and Baal worshipers (1 Kings 14:24; 22:46; Hosea 4:10-14).

After finding carvings of Philistine soldiers in the temple of Ramses lll in Egypt, archaeologists discovered that the soldiers:

- wore feathered helmets secured under their chins by leather straps. Headbands, probably of metal, held the feathers in place.

- wore breastplates and short skirts that had wide hems and tassels.

- were clean-shaven and quite tall.

- sometimes carried small, round shields and straight swords.

Perhaps the most well-known Philistine soldier was Goliath, the giant who was killed by David. The biblical account of David and Goliath provides a number of details about the giant and his military gear. Goliath:

- was a hardened warrior.

- was more than nine feet tall.

- wore a coat of bronze scale armor weighing 125 pounds. (The coat of scales was designed to protect its wearer without restricting movement.)

- carried a spear that had a fifteen-pound point.

- came from the Philistine city of Gath.

- wore a bronze javelin on his back.

- wore a bronze helmet.

- defied the God of Israel, and paid for it with his life.

- symbolized evil. (Some scholars point to the ways in which the number six was used to describe him as a symbol of Goliath's evil.)

Every major Hellenistic city had an educational institution called a gymnasium, in which citizens of the Greek/Roman community were taught the wisdom of Hellenism. Religious Jews during Biblical times believed the gymnasium to be an abomination because education there was based on the view that humans are the ultimate source of truth, many activities were done naked, and students had to make certain pagan religious commitments in order to participate.

Several passages in Paul's writings imply that he was aware of gymnasiums: 1 Timothy 4:8 includes the expression "physical training" that is based on the Greek word for gymnasium;1 Corinthians 9:24-27 mentions competitions such as boxing and running; and Galatians 2:2; 5:7 and Philippians 2:16 mention running. In Galatians 3:24, Paul also used the Greek word paidagogos, which referred to the slave attendant who accompanied students from wealthy families to school in order to tutor them in the lessons they received from the teacher in the gymnasium.

Many Westerners think of the "green pastures" mentioned in Psalm 23 as tall, lush grasslands like those in North America. But such pastures don't exist in Israel.

The regions in Israel where shepherds live are predominantly wilderness areas. They have two seasons: the rainy season from November through March (when even the desert becomes green), and the dry season from April through October when the landscape is brown.

Even during the rainy season, the wilderness grasses remain short. Blades of grass grow in the shade of rocks, where moisture is trapped. At first glance, the "green pastures" of Israel look like a barren, rocky wasteland. But each day, a few blades of grass grow and there is enough to nourish the flocks for another day.

The Works of a Master Builder

Herod the Great's visionary building programs, ingenious development of trade with other countries, and advancement of his nation's interests were remarkable. He used his magnificent building projects to strengthen his relationship with Rome and establish himself as the greatest king the Jews ever had.

Jerusalem

Herod rebuilt the temple out of marble and gold. The building was taller than a fifteen-story building, and its foundation included limestone blocks weighing more than five hundred tons. On the western hill of the city, he built a spectacular complex that contained reception halls, apartments, fountains, gardens, baths, and a fortress for his personal guards. He also built a Greek theater and hippodrome, paved the streets, and installed sewers.

Masada

On top of a plateau in the Judea Wilderness, this fortress was one of the wonders of the ancient world. A spectacular palace suspended from one end of the plateau, luxurious hot and cold baths, mosaic floors, swimming pools, huge storehouses, and cisterns holding millions of gallons of water helped to make this dry, wilderness settlement bearable for its occupants.

Jericho

This palace was built on both sides of a wadi (a dry, deep riverbed), connected by a bridge. One wing contained a huge, marble-floored hall where Herod received guests. Next to it were peristyle gardens, dining halls, and a complete Roman bath. Across the wadi, another large building housed baths, a swimming pool, and gardens.

Caesarea

Needing contact with the Roman world for its military support and trade opportunities, Herod build Caesarea into one of the most amazing seaports of the ancient world. Founded in 22 BC, the city housed a large theater, amphitheater, hippodrome, a massive temple to Augustus, and an elaborate palace by the sea.

The city's real glory, however, lay in its forty-acre, man-made harbor. A lighthouse guided ships into the harbor that brought Roman legions, marble, granite, and the Hellenistic culture of the region. From that harbor, ships also carried spices, olive oil, grain, and eventually the gospel to the far reaches of the world.

The Buildings Today

Today, all that remains of Herod's building projects are massive ruins. Herod lived only to honor himself, and his efforts have literally crumbled to the ground. But there was another builder in Herod's day.

Jesus' work continues to grow because he built for the glory of God. Like David, Elijah, and Hezekiah, Jesus lived so that the world may know that Yahweh is truly God. What Jesus built, and what his followers continue to build upon, will last forever.

The remains of a great arena (or hippodrome-meaning "horse track") are emerging from the sand dunes of the Mediterranean shore. The stone seats show the beginning of the curve of the southern end of the stadium. The Mediterranean Sea has eaten away the other side of the arena. In several places, walls were built by later civilizations who no longer used the arena.Since no results have as yet been published of these excavations, it is not clear who built this arena. Herod built a stadium in Caesarea, but it may not have been this one. The magnitude and style of this arena, however, do reflect those he constructed at places like Jericho and Jerusalem.

Herod brought the "games" into the Jewish culture as part of his attempt to Hellenize his kingdom. The events included Olympic contests of running, wrestling, and throwing the javelin. Chariot races were quite popular, as were gladiatorial contests involving men and animals.

The games were often dedicated to pagan gods. The religious Jewish community found these arenas and their contests at odds with their belief in God, but the arenas were present in most large, Hellenistic cities. They certainly had an influence on the local population, religious or not. Paul's use of athletic imagery (1 Cor. 9:24-27; 1 Tim. 4:7) indicates his ability to communicate in the language and pictures that were familiar to his audience. As in our society, it would have been difficult to participate in activities like the games without accepting the pagan cultural values they encouraged.

Herod the Great had tremendous wealth and influence in his day. He controlled major trade routes and constructed buildings and cities that showcased his power. Despite the glory he enjoyed in life, the buildings Herod built for himself now lie in ruins. His legacy became a shambles too and he is remembered today as a hard-hearted and violent man.

The Herod family had many encounters with Jesus and his message, however no one in this family believed.

Herod the Great learned about Jesus birth from the wise men, and responded by trying to kill the infant Jesus (Matt. 2:1-16). In an effort to do this, Herod killed all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years of age and younger.

Antipas, Herod the Great's son, heard about Jesus and listened to John the Baptist's teachings. He met Jesus but sent him to Pilate (Mark 6:14-20; Luke 23:8-12).

Emperor Claudius gave Herod the Great's entire kingdom to Agrippa I, Herod's grandson. Agrippa I arrested Christians, had James put to death, imprisoned Peter, and died when he allowed people to treat him like a god (Acts 12:21-23).

Herod had little respect for God and even considered himself equal with him; he refused to give God the glory and honored only himself. These values influenced his family as well as his culture as a whole. Herod taught them to pursue paths of defiance against God, and produced many generations of hardened hearts.

 

Herod built the fortress-palace of Masada on a huge rock plateau overlooking the Dead Sea in the barren, remote, Judea Wilderness.

Protection
The top of the plateau, being more than twenty acres in size and nearly 1,300 feet above sea level, provided great protection. Around the top of the mountain, Herod's workmen constructed a wall nearly twenty feet high and twelve feet wide. Atop the wall, he built thirty-seven lookout towers.

On the east and west, strong gates were constructed where the paths entered the fortress. Herod also built cisterns and storehouses for everything needed in the even of a siege.

The Northern Palace
The upper terrace featured lavish living quarters with mosaic floors, frescoed walls, and a semicircular balcony that offered spectacular views. The round, middle terrace had two concentric rows of columns that created a beautiful balcony for relaxation.

The lower terrace, surrounded by low walls and columns with a roof in between, provided an open court inside a colonnade. A bathroom on its eastern side had hot, warm, and cold baths as well as mosaic floors. The great retaining walls that supported this level remain testimony to the genius of Herod's engineers.

The Western Palace
The western palace at Masada was Herod's official royal residence. Occupying more that 37,000 square feet, this building included royal apartments, bathrooms, a cold-water pool, and a large reception hall with magnificently decorated mosaic pavement.

The Ruins
The ruins of Herod's constructions of Masada underscore his devotion to himself. Providing for his own safety, satisfying his need for the finest luxuries, and establishing a name for himself were his obsessions. His presence provides an important dimension of the setting in which God placed Jesus. Could anyone believe Jesus was Messiah, Son of the Most High, when he appeared so ordinary compared to Herod?

Only recently have these scattered remains been identified as Herod's palace. In the center was a freshwater pool now largely filled with silt and stones from the building itself. In the center is the podium believed to be the base for a large statue, probably of the emperor. The pool was 115 feet long, 60 feet wide, and eight feet deep. A freshwater pool out in the saltwater of the Mediterranean Sea was typical of Herod's projects, many of which seemed like attempts to defy nature. Around the outside of the pool were the colonnaded buildings of the palace. Little remains of them except the marks on the seal rock seen to the right of the pool. The stone remains on the left date to a later period. In the distance, the curved western end of the palace is visible. Originally, it probably had a marble floor and a curved row of columns. People would have been on that marble "deck," enjoying the waves of the sea breaking against the palace. In the foreground, the colored sandbags cover a mosaic floor that was probably in the large dining room of the palace. The remains give some identification of the glory of Herod's construction. That the palace is in ruins highlights the fact that his work did not last because he built only for himself. Paul, who was imprisoned in this palace (Acts 23:35), spoke of a greater King for whom he was building. The kingdom of his King is still being built and will stand forever.

The Construction of the Temple

Made of marble and gold, Herod's temple was taller than a fifteen-story building. Built on the exact location of Solomon's temple and the temple Nehemiah constructed, it could accommodate hundreds of thousands of pilgrims at one time and was twice as large as the largest temple enclosure in Rome.

A thousand priests trained as masons by Herod worked on the temple, as did ten thousand highly skilled laborers using ten thousand wagons. Some limestone blocks of the supporting platform weighed more than five hundred tons.

The Eastern Wall
The Eastern wall followed the original line dating from Solomon's days. The main feature in the wall, the Eastern Gate, was the original eastern entrance to the Temple Mount.

At one point, the walls of the temple rose more than 225 feet above the bottom of the Kidron Valley.

The South Wall
This wall was more than 900 feet long and more than 150 feet high. Pilgrims entered the temple primarily through this entrance "the Double Gates" after climbing the Southern Stairs, a broad staircase more than 200 feet wide.

The Western Wall
A common gathering place during Jesus' time, this wall featured various architectural wonders and gates.

For example, Robinson's Arch, one of the largest masonry arches (75 feet tall, more than 45 feet across) in the ancient world, supported a massive staircase that ran from the Tyropean Valley and the Lower City to the Royal Stoa (the place of buying and selling, the location of the temple treasury, and the Sanhedrin?s meeting place).

Massive ashlars, hand-shaped stones brought from the quarry nearly a mile away, were featured near the Western Wall as well. One 45-foot-long stone weighs nearly 600 tons. (See Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5).

The North Wall
The Antonia fortress was located here. Built by Herod the Great, this fortress guarded the northern side of Jerusalem and held Roman troops during Jesus? time who watched the temple activities.

Paul was probably brought to the Antonia after his arrest and defended himself on the stairs that apparently led to the fortress (Acts 21:27-40; 22:22-25).

The temple platform's extension to the west required enormous retaining walls on the south and west. Some of the rocks used in the wall weighed more than five hundred tons each. The finished platform was divided into courts, which became increasingly more sacred the closer they were to the temple building itself.

Viewed from the north from more than five miles away, the volcano-shaped mountaintop created by Herod dominates the skyline. The powerful appearance of this fortress is even more amazing when you consider that there was a circular palace coming out of the inside of the "cone" and rising more than 45 feet above it. Furthermore, the eastern defensive tower rose an additional 50 feet.

Nearby, the modern-day city of Bethlehem sprawls on the Judean hills. It is clearly shadowed by Herod's magnificent creation. It is ironic that the king represented by the awesome fortress was insignificant in comparison with the King in the manger of Bethlehem barely three miles away.

The hills in the foreground give way to the barren wilderness mountains where the Herodion stood. This helps to explain the fact that both the shepherd (such as David and the shepherds of Jesus' birth) and the farmer (such as Boaz and Ruth) were found in Bethlehem. The shepherd normally pastured sheep along the edges of the wilderness, coming to the fertile farmland after the crops were harvested.

Exactly where the shepherds were on Christmas is unknown, but it is certain that they could see the Herodion. Did they find it strange to pass such a palace to find a king in a manger? If so, it was God's way of asking them to trust his word rather than how the situation appeared to them. That is always the call of God to the believer: "Accept my truth and serve me as I ask, even if it doesn't seem the better way.

The Domitian Gate:
Hierapolis, known for its healing hot springs, was about six miles from Laodicea. What is left of the entrance to the city?a gate complex of two gigantic towers and three arches that opened onto a paved street about a mile and a half long stands as a testimony to the city's former majesty. What is most important is not the gate's size or architecture, however, but what it represented.

Like most city gates of the ancient world, the gates of the Hierapolis expressed the people's devotion to their deities or rulers. For Hierapolis, that god was the Roman emperor Domitian-one of the first emperors to declare himself to be divine. Thus anyone who entered the Domitian Gate was in a sense acknowledging that Domitian was god their provider and protector whom they would honor and obey above all others.

Obviously, the early believers who lived in the Hierapolis had to choose to serve and worship Caesar (in this case, Domitian) or to serve and worship the God of Israel. According to ancient church tradition, an early missionary named Philip, who most likely was Philip the disciple of Jesus, refused to recognize the authority of Domitian. Philip and his children stood fast in their declaration that Jesus alone is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, and they paid the ultimate price. High on a hill overlooking Hierapolis are the remains of a small building known as the Martyrium of Philip.

The Apollo Temple and Plutonium:
Hierapolis was also the site of the Apollo Temple and Plutonium, where the god of music, prophecy, and light was worshiped. Inside the temple, a grand fountain called Nymphia was a constant reminder to the people that Apollo was supposed to be their source of life. Next to the temple was a mysterious hole in the ground known as the Plutonium, the Devil's Hole, or the Gates of Hades. It was believed to be an entrance to the underworld where Pluto (Latin) or Hades (Greek) lived. Poisonous gases emanated from the hole and instantly killed any animals that wandered in. But the priests of Apollo, who apparently held their breath or had some other means of breathing fresh air, amazed the people by going into the hole and coming out again unharmed'seeming to have power over death.

The Theater:
Another prominent feature of Hierapolis was its theater, which communicated through its architecture as well as its activities the people's devotion to their gods and goddesses. One can still see the images of gods and goddesses depicted in the ornately carved stones.

The Baths:
By far the most impressive feature of Hierapolis was its hot springs. The baths of the Hierapolis were among the largest in all of Asia Minor, allowing hundreds of people to bathe at the same time. People from distant regions came to soak in warm baths and seek healing for arthritis, skin diseases, and even abdominal problems.

God allowed his people to employ cultural practices and ideas if they had no pagan content and were used only in God's service. Because the people of the ancient Near East honored their gods by worshiping them on high places, God allowed his people to build altars to him "and him alone" on high places. He also communicated with his people on high places.

But God detested the high places of the Canaanites and instructed the people of Israel to destroy their idols, break down pagan altars, cut down their Asherah poles, and demolish all the pagan high places. God did not want his people tempted by the fertility cults. And he did not want them to blend the worship of false gods with the worship of Yahweh, the one true God.

The Israelites did not follow God commands concerning high places. They sinned against the Lord by building high places in all their towns, worshiping other gods, and conforming to pagan practices. As a result, God allowed his people to be taken captive by their neighbors, the Assyrians and Babylonians.