It's September and I'm back at work so it must be time to start blogging again. And what better way to reflect on my Sabbatical than with a few pictures?
Here's one:
I was very excited to take this picture because, years ago on my first visit to Jerusalem, it was somewhere that made a big impact on me yet it rarely appears prominently in brochures and books. It is in a chapel beneath Dormition Abbey on the Hill of Zion.
Amid the typical mosaics of many of the chapels this ivory and ebony chapel stands out. It was a gift to the Abbey from the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and it shows the wonderful simplicity of the Christian story that can be reduced to 6 pictures! This is useful in Africa I'm sure, but stunning in the ecclesiastical, political and religious quagmire that is Jerusalem.
The Church, or Abbey, is singular testimony to the complications of Jerusalem. Whilst (on the day I visited) it is a peaceful hilltop spot with a very nice cafe and bookshop the history is quite different. Built in the 20th century it became the front-line when in 1948 the State of Israel was formed but not including the walled old city which is next to this church. Jordanian troops patrolled the old city walls and Israeli troops took potshots at them (and vice versa) from the large tower of this church. It was basically a frontier command post.
Nor has peace arrived for this church today. Being adjacent to the Jewish Quarter has made it a target for graffiti and worse by Jewish extremists. In a fascinating commentary on Jesus himself, although this building is pretty much entirely about Mary (dormition = fell asleep = allegedly where Mary died) the abuse in the graffiti has always been aimed at Jesus.
Not so much has changed in 2000 years.
Amid the typical mosaics of many of the chapels this ivory and ebony chapel stands out. It was a gift to the Abbey from the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and it shows the wonderful simplicity of the Christian story that can be reduced to 6 pictures! This is useful in Africa I'm sure, but stunning in the ecclesiastical, political and religious quagmire that is Jerusalem.
The Church, or Abbey, is singular testimony to the complications of Jerusalem. Whilst (on the day I visited) it is a peaceful hilltop spot with a very nice cafe and bookshop the history is quite different. Built in the 20th century it became the front-line when in 1948 the State of Israel was formed but not including the walled old city which is next to this church. Jordanian troops patrolled the old city walls and Israeli troops took potshots at them (and vice versa) from the large tower of this church. It was basically a frontier command post.
Nor has peace arrived for this church today. Being adjacent to the Jewish Quarter has made it a target for graffiti and worse by Jewish extremists. In a fascinating commentary on Jesus himself, although this building is pretty much entirely about Mary (dormition = fell asleep = allegedly where Mary died) the abuse in the graffiti has always been aimed at Jesus.
Not so much has changed in 2000 years.
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