Jerusalem opens a Second Temple–era pilgrimage road
Pilgrimage Road in Jerusalem. Photo: KOBI HARATI/CITY OF DAVID
In Jerusalem, an ancient pilgrimage road linking the Pool of Siloam with the foot of the Temple Mount has been opened to the public after 13 years of archaeological work, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The site is a stepped street dating to the 1st century AD. In the Second Temple period, it served as the main thoroughfare for pilgrims heading to Jerusalem’s holy places during religious festivals. The street was paved with large stone slabs – and it survived so well because, after the Romans destroyed the city, it ended up buried under earth.
An ancient drainage channel was discovered beneath the road, believed to have been used by Jewish rebels during the Second Temple. According to the City of David, “cooking pots, oil lamps, hundreds of bronze coins from the Great Revolt, and even a sword belonging to a Roman legionnaire" were all uncovered in the channel.
According to the project’s organizers, the new visitor trail makes it possible to walk the very same path pilgrims used two thousand years ago – a vivid, tangible testimony to Jerusalem’s ancient history and its religious significance.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that an ancient wall linked to King Herod was discovered in Jerusalem.
Read also
Military recruitment officers detain UOC priest in Khmelnytskyi Eparchy
Archpriest Volodymyr Sereda, a father of five and parish rector in Korchivka, was reportedly taken to Teofipol and sent for a military medical examination.
Israeli authorities plan to entrust Al-Aqsa security to religious Jewish activists
Police have begun recruiting religious Jews and far-right activists as part of efforts to strengthen Israeli control over the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem.
Yelensky: Now churches oppose LGBT but will compromise for EU integration
Ukraine’s top official on religious affairs, Viktor Yelenskyi, said tensions over LGBT issues are inevitable, but churches may eventually compromise on LGBT-related issues as Ukraine advances toward EU membership.
Moldovan Church reports media attack on its primate
The Moldovan Orthodox Church said negative media coverage of Metropolitan Vladimir is the first stage of a broader campaign aimed at discrediting the Church and undermining its authority in society.
MPs accuse soldier of religious hostility over anti-migrant rally
A Ukrainian veteran said lawmakers’ complaint against him over an anti-migrant rally was an attempt to intimidate the military community and silence public criticism of sensitive social issues.
Poroshenko's party says the Word of God in UOC is “enemy bullet”
Members of European Solidarity claim that the Word of God in the hands of a patriot is a shield, while in the mouth of a “Moscow priest” it is an enemy bullet.