Israel, and in particular Jerusalem - places of pilgrimage for followers of various faiths. Much has been said about the shrines of these God-chosen lands, and we will dwell in more detail on the sacred mountains of these places.
Favor: the etymology of the word, the history of the mountain
The place of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a mountain in Israel. Favor (Tabor) is its second name. There are several versions of the origin of this oronym:
- Heb. הַר תָּבוֹר ("har Tabor") - Mount Tabor;
- gr. Όρος Θαβώρ;
- arab. جبل الطور ("jebel at-Tor") - Mount Tur.
"Tavor", "tour" - central place, navel. This name of the hill was not accidental - it stands at a distance from the chain of mountains, and also has a somewhat rounded shape.
Traditionally, religious scholars believe that the Transfiguration of the Lord happened here. However, some researchers prove that the miraculous action took place a little to the north - on Mount Hermon. Someone is inclined to assume that the true Mount of the Transfiguration was located at all in Upper Galilee. In the very gospelthere is no mention of Tabor.
Our ancestors cited this mountain as an example when they talked about something powerful and sublime, for example, about the Egyptian king. For the first time, the mention of this Lord's mountain can be read in the book of Joshua - it was considered a conditional border between the allotments of the lands of Israel.
Religious sights of Tabor
Favor is located in the Lower Galilee, in the east of the Izrel Plain, 11 km from the Sea of Galilee. The height of the mountain is 588 m. Its slopes are covered with olives, oaks, acacia, wild roses, oleander, hazel and jasmine.
On this mountain there is a monastery and the Catholic basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The buildings were erected on the site of the destroyed Church of the Transfiguration, built, according to legend, by St. Helena.
Oleon - the Mount of the Ascension of the Lord
The Mount of Olives is the highest in the vicinity of Jerusalem. It was here that Christ prayed nightly, talked with the disciples about the end of the world, and it was from here that He ascended to heaven, to the Kingdom of His Father. On the site of the Ascension, St. Helena built an amazing temple without a dome - so that believers, when praying, could raise their eyes to heaven, where their Savior is now. Now only ruins remain of the building - it was demolished by the Persians in 614.
The Mount of Olives (Geleon) is also called the Mount of Olives, since its slopes have been planted with olive trees since ancient times. It is located east of the Kidron Valley and from the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
It is also believed that David used to worship God here, andSolomon built temples for his wives. However, Christians most of all know this place from the lines "Who will ascend the mountain of the Lord …"
Holy places of Olives
The mountain has three peaks: on Scopus (northern) is the campus of the Hebrew University, on the central - the Lutheran Center. Augusta Victoria, on the south - the Russian Orthodox Ascension Monastery. It is decorated with the highest 60-meter bell tower in these places, called the "Russian Candle". Next to the Russian church also built nearby, a stone is enclosed, on which the Mother of God stood during the Ascension of her Son. Behind the temple is the chapel of John the Baptist, decorated with icons by Russian masters.
On the Mount of Olives you can find the octagonal chapel of the Ascension - inside it is a stone on which the foot of Jesus Christ was imprinted. At the place where angels appeared to the Galilean men during the Ascension of the Lord, a holy throne has been erected.
Zion - location and history
Mountain of the Lord is primarily called Zion, a hill in the southwest of Jerusalem. Its name comes from the Hebrew. צִיּוֹן ("Tzion"), which most likely means "fortification on a hill", "citadel". The height of the mountain is 765 meters. For the Jewish people, this elevation has a special meaning - Zion became for them a symbol of all Israel, to which the Jews sought to return from the time of the dispersion in 70, when the Jerusalem temple was destroyed.
In the Bible, Mount Zion is called "the holy mountain", "the dwellingGod's, "God's royal city". It is also a synonym for both the city of Jerusalem, and all of Judea and the Jewish people. Zion is God's Kingdom in the full breadth of this concept - both on earth and in heaven, and forever and ever. The mountain is considered the place of revelation of God, because from there He appears in all His Glory, and it is there that the redeemed of the Lord will come in their joy.
Sights in Zion
On the mountain you can admire the ancient Zion Gate (1540) Also here is buried O. Schindler, who saved 1200 Jewish people from the Nazis during World War II. Pilgrims tend to come here in order to get acquainted with the following shrines:
- Tomb of King David. The location of the burial place of the biblical ruler is still the cause of disputes among historians. However, Mount Zion is today the generally accepted location of the tomb - a draped sarcophagus in a hall with inscriptions: "King David lives and exists."
- The Upper Room of the Last Supper. In the same building with the tomb of David, you can see with your own eyes the place where the last supper of the Savior with his disciples took place. It was here that the first communion took place, it was here that the Holy Spirit appeared to the apostles and the virgin Mary.
- Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (lit. "rooster crow"). According to one version, it is believed that the church was erected on the site where Peter denied Christ, according to others - on the site of the palace of the insidious Caiaphas. Here is an observation deck from which Jerusalem is visible, the "RockSanta" and the ancient staircase to Kidron. Near the church you can find the entrance to the caves, where services were held back in the 5th century.
- Monastery of the Assumption. It is located on the site of the house of John the Theologian, where the Most Holy Theotokos died. The monastery is surprising in that both Muslim and Byzantine influences are felt in its architectural style. The stone on which the Holy Virgin died is kept in his church.
God's mountain - a place one way or another connected with the life of the Savior on earth. The most famous such hills near Jerusalem are Zion, Olivet and Tabor.
