Transcript [00:01] Welcome to the City of David. My name is [00:03] Josiah McGee and this video is part of a [00:05] two-part series on the history of the [00:07] City of David. This stunning [00:09] archaeological site near the old city of [00:11] Jerusalem. The two-part series is a [00:14] production of Passages, a nonprofit [00:16] dedicated to empowering a new generation [00:19] of young Christian leaders who love God, [00:22] stand with the Jewish people, and [00:23] support Israel. The city of David is [00:26] remarkable in many of its findings [00:27] because they prove that so many of the [00:29] stories in the Bible are actually true. [00:33] Unfortunately, sadly, the city of David [00:35] is also the source of much controversy. [00:38] Why is that? Often times, it is because [00:41] many people have a hard time accepting [00:43] the fact that the Jewish people have a [00:45] connection to the [music] land of Israel [00:47] and more specifically Jerusalem and that [00:50] that connection is [music] not a [00:51] fantasy. [00:53] In this two-part series, we're going to [00:55] address some of those issues and the [00:56] tensions, explaining the ancient story [01:00] of the City of David, but also its [01:01] modern significance and what [music] it [01:03] currently represents today. [01:05] We're honored to be hosted here at the [01:07] City of David by Zev Ornstein. Zev is [01:09] the director for international affairs [01:11] at the City of David Foundation here in [01:13] Jerusalem. Someone who's very passionate [01:15] about telling the story of ancient [01:17] Jerusalem to the world. I know that [01:19] you're going to enjoy very much hearing [01:21] what he has to say. This is part one of [01:24] our series. In this video, we're going [01:26] to hear the story of the ancient city of [01:28] David. [01:35] [music] [01:54] The first time King David comes to [01:55] Jerusalem [01:57] seems to be after one of the most [02:02] significant things that we know about [02:03] David, which is after he fights Goliath, [02:08] the famous battle. David [02:11] comes to the camp, the Ella Valley, and [02:14] he sees the giant Goliath taunting the [02:16] armies of Israel, and no one does [02:19] anything. And King David starts to ask [02:21] around, well, well, what what happens to [02:23] the person who was willing to go out and [02:25] and and challenge Goliath [02:28] and David answers the call and as we [02:31] know, the rest is history. And he cuts [02:34] off Goliath's head after he kills him [02:35] with the sling stone right between the [02:37] eyes. And then something interesting [02:39] happens. What does David do with [02:42] Goliath's head? And the Bible actually [02:44] tells us he takes that head and he comes [02:48] to Jerusalem [02:50] and he brings Goliath's head and [02:52] probably plants it on a spike outside [02:54] the walls of Jerusalem. And the question [02:56] is why? Why does David do that? And [03:00] perhaps [03:02] an answer is very simple. David [03:04] understood that one day Jerusalem was [03:07] meant to be his capital city. He [03:10] understood the significance of Mount [03:12] Mariah which would be the home of the [03:14] future temple that his son Solomon would [03:15] build. But he also understood that in [03:19] his time Jerusalem was a Jebusite [03:21] stronghold. The Jebusites, one of the [03:24] Canaanite peoples that had been living [03:26] in this area for centuries. No one had [03:28] been able to conquer the city surrounded [03:30] by massive walls that we've uncovered [03:32] here in the city of David. And David [03:35] comes to Jerusalem with Goliath's head. [03:38] And he says to the people in the city [03:40] without actually speaking any words, [03:43] "You're next. It might not be today. It [03:46] might not be tomorrow, but I'm coming. [03:49] And just like just like I took down the [03:51] giant Goliath, I'm going to take you [03:54] down as well. [04:01] Ultimately, God decides to anoint [04:04] someone other than Saul as the next king [04:07] of Israel. And he instructs the prophet [04:08] Samuel to go to Bethlehem to the home of [04:11] Jesse and to anoint David, king of [04:15] Israel. [04:16] After many years of trials, [04:18] tribulations, adversity, David [04:21] ultimately does become king. But not [04:23] king over Israel. He becomes king over [04:26] one tribe, his tribe, the tribe of [04:28] Judah, his capital city being in Hebron. [04:32] And after some time, the rest of the [04:34] tribes of Israel, the elders come to [04:36] David. After about six years or so of [04:39] David ruling in Hebron, in Judah, and [04:40] say, "David, why don't you be king over [04:43] all of us, not just king over Judah?" [04:46] And David says, "Well, sure. It's good [04:48] to be king. Why not?" And he understands [04:51] something. David understands that he [04:54] cannot be king over all of Israel and [04:56] yet leave his capital city inside his [04:58] own tribe inside Judah in Hebron because [05:02] all the other tribes are going to come [05:03] and say, "David, you're playing [05:04] favorites. You're sticking with the home [05:06] team. You represent all of us now." And [05:09] so David understands that a capital has [05:12] to represent the people. Now, David is [05:14] many things. David is a warrior. David [05:16] is a poet. He writes the Psalms. He's a [05:18] man after God's own heart. And he's also [05:21] a politician. And David understands his [05:24] capital cannot stay in Hebron. He needs [05:26] to find a capital that represents all [05:28] the tribes. He comes to Jerusalem. Why [05:31] Jerusalem? Because Jerusalem sits [05:33] directly between two tribes in neutral [05:35] territory. Sitting directly between the [05:37] tribes of Judah and Benjamin. So first [05:40] criteria, neutral capital, check. But [05:43] David is no fool. David understands if [05:45] he is going to stay in power, he needs [05:47] to have his tribe at his back literally. [05:51] And therefore, Jerusalem might be [05:52] neutral, but Jerusalem sits directly [05:55] next to David's home base, the tribe of [05:58] Judah. But David understands another [06:01] thing, which is the third criteria in [06:03] his selection of a capital, which is how [06:05] does the tribe of Benjamin feel? [06:07] Benjamin is where the first king of [06:09] Israel came from, King Saul. Now they're [06:11] on the outs. How does the tribe of [06:13] Benjamin feel? How can David make [06:15] Benjamin still feel like they are an [06:18] important part of the kingdom? And so [06:20] there's something brilliant. Yes, [06:21] Jerusalem is a neutral capital. Yes, it [06:24] sits directly next to David's tribe, [06:25] Judah. But it also sits right next to [06:28] another tribe, and that tribe is [06:29] Benjamin. What is David saying to [06:31] Benjamin? He's saying, "Yes, it's true [06:33] that Judah now has the kingship, but you [06:36] guys are still perhaps the next most [06:38] important tribe." And so the selection [06:40] of Jerusalem as the future capital of [06:42] David's kingdom, the future capital of [06:44] Israel, the eternal capital of Israel [06:48] for the Jewish people for 3,000 years [06:51] goes back to faith, understanding this [06:53] is the spot where the future temple is [06:55] going to be built on Mount Mariah just [06:57] above the city of David and also where [07:00] the water is, which you need to live in [07:02] a place. It's strategic. It has a high [07:03] ground and it was good politics. And all [07:06] those things came together in the [07:07] selection by David of Jerusalem as his [07:10] future capital. [07:17] David wants to make Jerusalem his [07:18] capital city. But he has a problem [07:21] because Jerusalem is occupied by the [07:23] Jebusites, one of the Canaanite peoples [07:26] who have been sitting on this hilltop [07:28] for centuries, surrounded by massive [07:30] walls and fortifications. And the [07:32] largest fortification, a sevenstory [07:35] structure literally sitting a top the [07:39] most important part of the city which [07:40] was the Guhon spring, the water source. [07:43] The walls and that fortress ensure that [07:46] the only people who would have access to [07:48] the water would be those coming from [07:50] inside the walls of the city. David [07:53] understands he has a problem. How can [07:55] David conquer the unconquerable? [07:58] And David, like he does with Goliath, [08:00] like he does his entire life, he has [08:04] faith in God, but he brings his [08:06] slingshot. He comes with a plan. How can [08:10] David conquer the unconquerable? Now, [08:12] here's what it does not say in the [08:13] Bible, and it did not say this by [08:14] Goliath. And it does not say it when [08:16] David conquers Jerusalem. There is no [08:18] verse in the Bible that says God said to [08:20] David, "Don't worry. I got your back. [08:22] Everything's going to be fine. I'm going [08:23] to produce miracles so that you could [08:25] defeat Goliath and you can conquer [08:26] Jerusalem. that I'm going to make the [08:28] walls of Jerusalem fall like I made the [08:29] walls of Jericho fall. That does not [08:31] appear in the Bible. David understands [08:34] that he is meant to conquer Jerusalem, [08:37] but God does not tell him how. And God [08:39] does not make any promises or assurances [08:41] to David that he will be successful. [08:43] David has to come up with a very real [08:45] world plan to do something that no one [08:48] had been able to do for hundreds of [08:50] years. And David understands [08:53] that the secret to the city is the [08:56] water. And he says very cryptically in 2 [08:59] Samuel chapter 5, he says, "Whoever [09:01] wants to strike at the Jebusites must [09:05] conquer the water channel." Must strike [09:06] at the water channel. David understands [09:09] that if you capture the water, you [09:11] capture the city. Now what happens next? [09:13] He says, "Whoever is able to [09:15] successfully accomplish this mission, [09:17] they will become my chief of staff." [09:20] The Bible tells us that Joab, son of [09:22] Zuya, together with a small group of [09:25] elite warriors, perhaps the original [09:27] special forces, Navy Seals, they find an [09:31] irrigation channel flowing outside from [09:34] the spring to irrigate the fields [09:36] outside the walls of the city of David. [09:38] Joab and his forces penetrate this [09:40] channel and go in the dark of night [09:45] through this channel coming out at the [09:46] base of the spring inside the fortress [09:49] taking the guards by surprise. And once [09:52] Joab and his men conquer the spring and [09:54] capture the fortress, they have the city [09:57] in their hands. The spring was at the [10:00] center of David's plans to conquer [10:02] Jerusalem. And here's the amazing thing. [10:04] The Bible is very vague on how exactly [10:06] David conquers the city. And for good [10:08] reason. Because who's going to live in [10:10] the city after David conquers it? David, [10:13] his men, his kingdom, and future [10:16] generations. [10:18] Why doesn't the Bible elaborate on how [10:20] David conquers Jerusalem? How David uses [10:22] a spring and the channels going from the [10:24] spring as part of that plan? Because [10:26] that was need to know basis, top secret [10:29] information. If you didn't know, you [10:31] probably didn't need to. And David was [10:33] not going to share that information [10:34] about the weak point of the city with [10:36] anyone else. [10:42] Now, fast forward almost 300 years from [10:45] David to the time of Hezekiah. [10:48] And in this time, a lot's happened since [10:50] David. Solomon takes over after David, [10:54] the wisest man of all. And yet, what [10:57] comes after Solomon is largely not [10:59] happy. The Bible tells us that Solomon's [11:02] son, Rahabam, was not as wise of his [11:04] wise as his father. And during his rule, [11:07] the kingdom splits to the kingdom of [11:09] Judah and the kingdom of Israel. The [11:12] kingdom of Israel comprising 10 of the [11:14] 12 tribes and was largely from its [11:17] beginning until its end, wicked and [11:20] distant from God. The kingdom of Judah [11:22] is made up largely of the tribes of [11:24] Judah and Benjamin. And what happens? [11:27] The Assyrian Empire begins to spread [11:30] across the region and exiles the kingdom [11:33] of Israel, never to be heard of again. [11:35] Hezekiah ruling in Jerusalem, he [11:38] realizes that Judah and Jerusalem are [11:41] next. And he begins making preparations [11:44] to protect Jerusalem from the impending [11:47] Assyrian invasion. And it says in the [11:49] Bible, why should the king of Assyria [11:51] come and find much water? Hezekiah [11:53] already understands that if the [11:55] Assyrians are able to conquer the water, [11:57] then Jerusalem will fall. If Jerusalem [12:00] falls, that will be the end of Jewish [12:02] history. If Jerusalem falls, not only [12:04] will be the end of Jewish history, but [12:06] this is 700 years before Jesus, before [12:09] the advent of Christianity, which means [12:11] if Jerusalem falls in the time of [12:13] Hezekiah, it's the end of Jewish [12:15] history. Christianity will never come [12:17] into existence. Western civilization as [12:19] we know it today, Israel, America will [12:23] not be the way that we know the world [12:26] today [12:27] if Jerusalem falls 2700 years ago to the [12:30] Assyrians in the time of King Hezekiah. [12:33] Now, you might say, well, wait a minute. [12:35] What's the big deal? There's this huge [12:36] fortress that is already protecting the [12:38] spring that was protecting the spring in [12:39] the times in the time of David. There [12:41] are huge walls. What's the big deal? Why [12:44] is it so hard to defend the city, defend [12:46] the water? And the answer is very [12:48] simple. The technology, the [12:50] fortifications that existed in the time [12:52] of David are no longer as impressive 300 [12:56] years later in the time of Hezekiah. [12:59] Imagine today going to battle with bows [13:01] and arrows when your enemies have F-35s [13:03] and tanks. Bows and arrows can can cause [13:06] some damage. Uh but you are going to be [13:08] facing a very uphill battle if that's [13:10] what you're relying on. And David in his [13:13] time understood what the defenses [13:15] represented. And Hezekiah in his time [13:17] understood that he couldn't rely on them [13:19] in the same way. And so he says, "I need [13:22] to engineer a tunnel, a 1750 foot long [13:26] tunnel that would take the water from [13:27] the Guhon spring to flow entirely [13:30] underground through a passage to come [13:32] out at the pool of Siloam. The same pool [13:35] of Siloam that has deep significance to [13:37] Jews and Christians. But this is a pool [13:40] of Saleom that was originally built by [13:42] Hezekiah some seven centuries before the [13:45] significance that many Christians [13:47] associate the site with today. And the [13:49] idea would be bring the water entirely [13:51] within the walls of the city so that it [13:53] would be beyond the reach of the [13:55] Assyrians. [14:01] Now that sounds very simple. Okay, just [14:04] engineer a tunnel. But 2,700 years ago, [14:07] it was not simple at all. No GPS, no [14:11] radar technology, two teams of diggers [14:13] who need to meet somehow in the middle. [14:17] How do you do that? And the truth is the [14:19] answer to this day is still very much [14:22] debated. There is no clarity on exactly [14:25] how those two teams of engineers were [14:27] able to meet in the middle without the [14:30] technologies that we take for granted [14:31] today. And yet somehow they did it. And [14:35] they have an inscription to mark the [14:37] occasion. And this inscription going [14:40] back some 2700 years was placed inside [14:44] Hezekiah's tunnel. And the inscription [14:47] captures the moment where the two teams [14:49] of diggers, they begin to hear each [14:50] other, each side coming with their [14:52] chisels, with their hammers, chiseling [14:54] through the stone. They begin to hear [14:56] each other. And then there's the [14:58] breakthrough moment and the moment of [15:01] joy, of euphoria, of wow, who would have [15:04] believed this was even possible where [15:05] they embrace each other in the middle of [15:07] the tunnel and the water flows through. [15:10] And that moment is captured for eternity [15:13] in what is known as the Salom [15:15] inscription. An inscription in ancient [15:17] Hebrew writing that captured that moment [15:20] in all of its emotion, in all of its [15:23] joy, in all of its just amazement. [15:28] And in the late 1800s, a young boy was [15:31] walking through this tunnel. It's [15:32] totally dark. And as he's walking [15:34] through this tunnel, he has his hand up [15:35] against the wall and he feels that [15:37] there's there's something just [15:38] different. And he ends up discovering [15:41] the Silom inscription which counts this [15:44] very moment. Now, where is the Silom [15:46] inscription today? Because this would [15:49] seemingly be one of the most priceless [15:51] artifacts of antiquity ever discovered [15:54] anywhere in the world. and certainly as [15:55] it relates to Jerusalem and our biblical [15:56] heritage. And the answer is it sits [15:59] today in the Istanbul Archaeology Museum [16:01] in Turkey. Often times not even on [16:03] display face down in the drawer. Now you [16:06] might say, well why don't they display [16:08] it? And the answer is also very simple. [16:10] Sadly today there are many who deny [16:13] Jerusalem's biblical heritage who deny [16:15] the Jewish connection and by extension [16:17] the Christian connection to Jerusalem. [16:19] The Silom inscription is perhaps one of [16:21] the clearest examples of an [16:23] archaeological dis discovery that shows [16:25] not simply as a matter of faith but as a [16:27] matter of fact that Jerusalem's biblical [16:30] heritage is true. That the connection of [16:32] the Jewish people to Jerusalem dating [16:34] back thousands of years is real. And by [16:37] extensioning the Christian connection to [16:39] Jerusalem built on that same heritage, [16:41] the same foundations of the Hebrew [16:43] Bible, it's real. It's verifiable. It's [16:45] documented. You could see it. You could [16:47] touch it. And that is sadly the very [16:49] thing that uh there are many who don't [16:52] want to display, who don't want to show. [16:54] The modern state of Israel has made many [16:56] efforts to acquire this inscription. Uh [16:59] kind of using a sports analogy, they've [17:01] offered many draft picks and and other [17:04] uh offers to try and induce uh the [17:06] Turkish government to make a trade [17:08] offering many antiquities that Israel [17:11] houses in its own museums and own [17:12] collections as a trade for this [17:14] inscription. Uh but to this day uh [17:17] Turkey has been adamant of not being [17:19] willing to return the Salem inscription [17:22] to Jerusalem to its rightful home [17:24] because of what that inscription [17:26] represents. Uh but thankfully the story [17:28] still lives on even without the [17:30] inscription through many other [17:32] archaeological discoveries that affirm [17:34] these same events not simply as a matter [17:36] of faith but as a matter of fact showing [17:38] that when you're standing here in the [17:40] city of David when you're in the place [17:42] where the Bible happened the words of [17:43] the Bible come to life [17:49] for many Jews and Christians. [17:53] If I were to ask you to close your eyes [17:55] and imagine biblical Jerusalem, [17:58] what would you see? And the answer would [18:02] include, I see the Western Wall. I see [18:05] the old city of Jerusalem, the church of [18:07] the holy supplr. All important places, [18:11] but none of those places are actually in [18:13] the Hebrew Bible. The Jerusalem of the [18:16] Hebrew Bible is not the old city of [18:18] Jerusalem as we know it today. The [18:20] original biblical city of Jerusalem, the [18:22] city of David, the place where the kings [18:24] of the Bible ruled and the prophets of [18:26] the Bible preached was originally [18:28] outside the walls of the old city, just [18:31] south of the temple mount, just south of [18:33] the Western Wall. Why over here? And [18:37] it's very simple, and this actually goes [18:39] back to 1867 when Queen Victoria of [18:42] England wants to discover the treasures [18:44] of the Bible. And so she sends a man by [18:46] the name of Captain Charles Warren to [18:48] the Holy Land to find those treasures. [18:50] And if you're going to search one place, [18:52] one city in the land of Israel to find [18:54] the treasures of the Bible, what city [18:56] will you go to? You go to Jerusalem. And [18:59] if you're going to search one place in [19:01] Jerusalem to find those treasures, where [19:03] will you go? You'll go to the biblical [19:05] Mount Mariah, the Temple Mount. And that [19:08] is what Charles Warren does. Sent by [19:10] Queen Victoria here. and he wants to [19:12] excavate the biblical Mount Mariah to [19:14] find those treasures. Perhaps the Ark of [19:16] the Covenant. But there's a problem [19:17] because in 1867, the Ottomans, the [19:20] Muslims are ruling here and they say, [19:21] "Charles, we're sure you're a great guy, [19:24] but you are not going to dig up the [19:25] Temple Mount." And to this day, there's [19:27] been virtually no archaeological [19:28] activity on the Temple Mount due to [19:30] religious sensitivities and political [19:32] sensitivities. So now, Charles Warren [19:34] realizes he has a problem. He can't go [19:36] home to the Queen empty-handed. So he [19:38] says, "If I can't dig on the Temple [19:39] Mount, I will do the next best thing, [19:41] which is to dig near it." He comes down [19:43] the slopes of Mount Mariah of the Temple [19:45] Mount, walking through the Kedron Valley [19:47] just below where we're standing right [19:48] now. And as he's walking through this [19:51] ancient valley, he comes across a [19:53] spring, the Guhon spring, flowing from [19:56] today going back thousands and thousands [19:58] of years. And Charles Warren sees that [20:00] this spring is flowing through an [20:01] ancient man-made tunnel. And he's [20:04] curious, where does this tunnel lead? He [20:07] doesn't realize it, but he begins to [20:08] walk through a tunnel engineered some [20:10] 2700 years ago by the biblical King [20:12] Hezekiah, direct descendant of King [20:15] David. But he doesn't know any of that. [20:17] All he knows is old tunnel, man-made, [20:19] really cool. Where does it go? He begins [20:22] to walk through this tunnel. It's [20:23] totally dark. He's carrying a torch. The [20:24] flame of his torch begins to flicker [20:26] wildly. He looks above his head. He sees [20:28] there's a shaft going up into the [20:29] mountain. And he's curious, where does [20:31] this shaft lead? He climbs up the shaft [20:33] and he finds himself in a network of [20:35] underground tunnels and fortifications [20:37] with antiquities, fancy word for old [20:39] stuff, dating back thousands of years. [20:42] And he comes up with a theory. He says, [20:43] "Everyone believes that the original [20:45] biblical city of Jerusalem, the city of [20:47] David, the place where Jerusalem began, [20:49] everyone believes it's the old city of [20:50] Jerusalem." Charles Warren says, "I [20:52] believe everyone's wrong. I believe that [20:55] the original biblical city of Jerusalem, [20:57] the city of David, the place where [20:58] Jerusalem began, is not located inside [21:00] the walls of the old city, but outside [21:02] the walls of the old city. The question [21:04] is why? What makes Charles Warren so [21:07] certain? [21:08] And the answer for Charles Warren was [21:10] very simple. Water. The water is here in [21:13] the city of David, the Guehon spring at [21:16] the very base of the city of David. And [21:18] he says, if the water's here, this is [21:21] where the city must have been. This is [21:22] where the original Jerusalem must have [21:24] been. But when he announced this theory [21:26] to the world, everyone at that time 150 [21:28] years ago thought that he was crazy. [21:30] Why? Because at that time the city of [21:33] David was a barren 11acre ridge. They [21:35] said it has to be the old city of [21:37] Jerusalem. There's nothing here. Charles [21:39] Warren said, "I'm I'm telling you this [21:40] is the spot." And over the next 150 [21:43] years, the city of David will become one [21:45] of the most archaeologically excavated [21:47] sites in the world, the most excavated [21:49] site in this country. And today everyone [21:51] knows that Charles Warren was in fact [21:53] correct. That the city of David is in [21:56] fact biblical Jerusalem. So you'll say, [21:58] "Well, wait a minute. Well then what is [22:00] the old city?" And I'll give you a [22:01] one-word answer. What is the old city of [22:03] Jerusalem? In a word, Uptown. It's [22:07] uptown Jerusalem. If the original core [22:09] of Jerusalem, the city of David, where [22:12] people like David, Solomon, prophets [22:13] like Isaiah and Jeremiah, this is where [22:15] they were hanging out. The old city is [22:17] the expansion which happened a little [22:19] bit during the time of King Hezekiah but [22:22] ultimately found its full expression [22:24] during the time of King Herod some 2,000 [22:26] years ago a thousand years after David [22:36] 2004 at the very southern end of the [22:39] city of David there's a road and beneath [22:41] that road there was a sewage pipe and in [22:44] 2004 that sewage pipe burst, ruptured, [22:47] and now there's a big mess. So, the [22:49] municipality of Jerusalem has to send in [22:51] construction crews to repair that sewage [22:53] pipe. But Jerusalem is not just another [22:56] municipality. And the city of David, the [22:58] place where the kings of the Bible ruled [23:00] and the prophets of the Bible preached, [23:02] is not just another part of Jerusalem. [23:04] And here, when a sewage pipe bursts, you [23:06] don't only send in construction crews, [23:08] you also send in archaeologists. And the [23:11] archaeologists are supervising. The [23:13] construction crews, the bulldozers, dump [23:14] trucks are doing their work. And the [23:17] archaeologists begin to hear something [23:18] does not sound right. Scraping, [23:20] scratching. They clear everyone out. And [23:23] it turns out in repairing the sewage [23:25] pipe, the construction crews had [23:27] inadvertently discovered a series of [23:29] ancient stone steps 2,000 years old. And [23:33] the archaeologist said there's only one [23:35] other place in Jerusalem that have steps [23:37] that look just like these. the southern [23:39] steps, the steps leading up to the [23:41] temple mount to Mount Mariah, perhaps [23:44] the main entry point up into the temple [23:47] 2,000 years ago with deep significance [23:50] to Jews and Christians alike. And the [23:52] archaeologist said, "Okay, we know where [23:54] those southern steps are and what their [23:55] significance was. What is the [23:58] significance of the steps that we found [23:59] down here at the bottom of the city of [24:01] David?" And they realized they had found [24:03] the steps leading down to the ancient [24:06] pool of Silon. Now, what is the pool of [24:09] Siloam? The Bible tells us that there's [24:12] three times during the year when all of [24:14] Israel has to go on pilgrimage. We're [24:16] talking about Passover, Pentecost, or [24:18] the festival of weeks, and tabernacles, [24:21] the three pilgrimage festivals. Now, [24:23] what does one need to do before they can [24:25] go up to the temple? They have to wash, [24:27] cleanse, bathe, go to a mikvah, a ritual [24:30] bath. The pool of Silom represented the [24:33] largest ritual bath in Jerusalem, likely [24:36] in all of Israel and perhaps even in the [24:38] entire world. Now, why so big? The [24:41] historian Josephus tells us that say on [24:43] Passover 2,000 years ago, he estimated [24:47] that there would have been nearly 2.7 [24:50] million people going on pilgrimage up to [24:53] the temple on the temple mount. Now, all [24:56] those people, they have to cleanse [24:57] themselves somewhere. The pool of Siloam [25:00] was the largest ritual bath in this area [25:02] in all of Jerusalem. That is where the [25:04] masses would cleanse themselves before [25:07] making their pilgrimage up to the temple [25:09] on the temple mount. You wanted to be on [25:11] the early side of getting into that [25:13] pool. [25:19] After the archaeologists discover the [25:21] steps leading down to the pool of Silon, [25:24] they have a question. We know where the [25:26] pool of Silon is. We know where the [25:29] temple stood on the temple mount [25:30] separated by a half a mile. How did the [25:33] millions of pilgrims get from the pool [25:36] all the way up to the temple? And so the [25:39] archaeologists widen the excavation [25:42] and they made a discovery that has been [25:45] called the most significant [25:46] archaeological find of the last 100 [25:50] years. And that is the pilgrimage road. [25:54] a 2,000-y old road that would have led [25:57] from the pool all the way up to the [26:01] footsteps of the Temple Mount. What I [26:03] call the biblical superighway. [26:06] This was the main road taking millions [26:09] of pilgrims on pilgrimage up to the [26:11] temple. Now, 2,000 years ago, the [26:14] pilgrimage road is outside under the [26:17] sky, not under these metallic arches. [26:19] So, why are we underground right now? [26:21] And the answer is very simple. Normally [26:24] archaeology happens top down, but in the [26:27] city of David, in this part of [26:28] Jerusalem, that's not always possible [26:31] because you have homes, people living [26:32] above our heads. And so, how again do [26:35] you balance preserving the modern and [26:38] uncovering the ancient? [26:40] And what we have here is literally [26:44] groundbreaking technology. The [26:47] engineering here was invented [26:49] specifically for this purpose, for this [26:52] excavation. [26:53] support the modern, uncover the ancient. [26:56] And so archaeologists, they understand [26:58] there must be some way that connects [27:00] from the pool up to the Temple Mount. [27:01] They discover the first steps of the [27:03] pilgrimage road. And today, that same [27:05] road leads all the way up to the Temple [27:09] Mount. What I believe is the most [27:10] significant half mile anywhere on the [27:12] planet. Now, when you open your Bible [27:15] and you read the Psalms, there are 15 [27:17] chapters from 120 to 134 that all begin [27:21] with the same words, a song of ascend. [27:27] Now, if you're in the United States [27:28] somewhere and you read your Bible, you [27:30] say, "Oh, well, it must be referring to [27:31] a spiritual ascent. You're going to [27:33] Jerusalem. You're going to the temple. [27:34] Both very holy places." [27:37] But the question is, when were people [27:38] singing those songs of ascent? And we [27:42] know the answer. In Bible times, people [27:45] would sing those songs of ascent as [27:46] they're making their way up to the [27:49] temple. They're walking along the [27:51] pilgrimage road, making that halfmile [27:53] journey, singing the songs of ascent. It [27:56] is not just a spiritual description of [27:58] the pilgrimage. It is actually a [28:00] physical description of the pilgrimage [28:03] going back thousands of years. It's [28:05] another example of when you're in the [28:07] place where the Bible happened, the [28:08] words of the Bible come to life. Why is [28:10] it called the song of ascent? Because [28:12] you are literally physically ascending [28:15] the halfmile journey up to the temple on [28:18] the temple mount. Coming up from the [28:20] pool of Siloam, walking along the [28:22] flagstones of the pilgrimage road coming [28:25] out at the temple mount. [28:32] Now we have the pilgrimage road. And [28:35] along the pilgrimage road, [28:36] archaeologists find something [28:37] incredible. a one-of-a-kind discovery [28:40] found nowhere else in Jerusalem, but so [28:41] far only found here in the City of David [28:43] along the pilgrimage road. They find a [28:46] podium. [28:48] And the question is, well, what what's [28:49] what purpose did this podium serve? [28:52] And imagine someone 2,000 years ago has [28:55] a message they want to share, to preach, [28:58] a spiritual message, an ethical message, [29:00] a political message. They would get up, [29:02] they would get up on this podium, up on [29:05] this soap box, and they would preach. [29:07] they would speak and if they were [29:09] interesting, people would stop and [29:11] listen. And a question I'm asked all the [29:14] time, [29:16] what are the chances that Jesus would [29:19] have walked along this road along the [29:21] pilgrimage road? [29:23] And I don't want to tell you stories. So [29:26] conservatively, the likelihood that he [29:28] would have walked along this road is [29:32] 100%. Now you might say, well, how do [29:34] you know? And the answer is really very [29:37] simple. Jesus was Jewish. He would have [29:40] gone with all the Jews to cleanse at the [29:42] pool of Siloam. He would have then come [29:43] up from the southern end of the city of [29:45] David up from the pool along the [29:46] pilgrimage road making his way up to the [29:49] temple on the temple mount. The pool of [29:51] Silom that archaeologists are excavating [29:53] as we speak is the same pool from 2,000 [29:55] years ago. The pilgrimage road is the [29:56] same pilgrimage road, same city of [29:58] David, same temple mount. Not simply a [30:00] matter of faith, but a matter of fact. [30:03] You could see it, you could touch it, [30:04] you could walk on it [30:07] in perhaps the most significant half [30:10] mile on the planet. I don't believe [30:12] there's another half mile anywhere in [30:13] the world that means more to more people [30:15] than the half mile running from the pool [30:18] of Siloam up along the pilgrimage road [30:20] through the city of David up to the [30:22] Temple Mount. And now for the first time [30:24] in 2,000 years, you are able to come and [30:28] visit and walk those stones, walk that [30:32] same journey yourself. [30:40] One of the things that whether you're in [30:42] Jerusalem, anywhere in the land of [30:44] Israel, or any archaeological excavation [30:47] throughout the world, one thing you will [30:49] find is pottery. And here in the [30:52] excavation of the pilgrimage road, it is [30:54] no different. Countless pieces of [30:56] pottery unearthed every single day in [30:58] the excavations here, just like this [31:00] one. But there's something else that's [31:02] found in the excavation here, which is [31:07] very special and has a very powerful [31:10] story behind it. Because if you look [31:11] closely at this pottery handle right [31:14] here, which would have been part of a [31:16] jug, a cup maybe, as you could see that [31:19] on it there is ash. [31:21] remnants of fire, of destruction that [31:24] archaeologists have dated back to the [31:26] year 70, to the year that the Romans [31:29] destroy Jerusalem. The ash on this [31:32] pottery handle, 2,000 years old, goes [31:35] back to the very fires that destroyed [31:38] Jerusalem. [31:40] Imagine discovering ash from 911. Well, [31:43] that's what this is, just a lot older. [31:46] It's the destruction for the Jewish [31:48] people. It's painful. We have days on [31:51] our calendar, on the Jewish calendar [31:53] still, where we mourn, where we fast [31:56] over the destruction of Jerusalem. And [31:59] that's what this ash is part of. But the [32:02] ash also tells a different story, a [32:05] story that took place a few years after [32:06] the Roman destruction of Jerusalem where [32:08] a group of sages is making their way to [32:12] Jerusalem. And the Talmud recounts that [32:15] as these sages approached Jerusalem, [32:17] they reached Mount Scopus where the [32:19] Hebrew University stands today. And from [32:22] Mount Scopus, they looked across and [32:24] they saw the Temple Mount in ruins, [32:27] destroyed. [32:29] And the sages, they began to cry except [32:32] for one whose name was Aka who began to [32:35] laugh. [32:37] And his colleagues looked at him and [32:39] said, "WTH? [32:42] Aka, what the heck is wrong with you? [32:44] How could you possibly [32:46] be laughing at a time like this? And he [32:50] looked at them and said, "Guys, what? [32:52] Why so serious? Why are you crying? Why [32:55] Why are we crying? Well, here's the the [32:58] temple destroyed before our eyes. Of [33:00] course, we're crying. How could you [33:01] possibly laugh?" And he said to them, [33:04] "That's exactly why I'm laughing." [33:07] So, what do you mean? What are you What [33:08] are you talking about? And he said, [33:10] "Until I saw with my own eyes that the [33:12] prophecies of the destruction of [33:14] Jerusalem had come true, I never knew [33:17] for certain if the prophecies of [33:19] redemption would also come true. But now [33:21] that I've seen the destruction, I know [33:23] that one day the redemption will also [33:26] come." And they said, "Aka, you've [33:28] comforted us. Aka, you've comforted us." [33:32] And so we look at this ash [33:35] from the destruction of the year 70 of [33:37] Jerusalem and it's painful and it's [33:39] heartbreaking. And yet [33:43] we're still here. Jerusalem is still [33:45] standing. We're standing here in the [33:47] city of David in Jerusalem, capital of [33:49] the Jewish state of Israel, open to [33:51] people of all faiths and backgrounds to [33:53] come and connect with their heritage, [33:54] with their faith, with their identity. [33:57] You could find the great Roman Empire in [34:00] museums, [34:02] but Jerusalem is still standing. [34:10] When archaeologists first begin [34:11] excavating the pilgrimage road, they [34:12] find something strange. They find a [34:15] giant crack in one of the flagstones. [34:18] And they thought, "Okay, well, you know, [34:20] potholes today, potholes 2,000 years [34:22] ago, some things just don't change." But [34:24] then they excavated a little bit further [34:27] and they found a few feet up another [34:31] hole in one of the flagstones and then a [34:34] few more feet another hole and another [34:37] hole evenly spaced always in the same [34:40] spot. And the question they had was why? [34:44] Clearly someone was doing this [34:46] deliberately. Why would someone break [34:48] open the flagstones of the pilgrimage [34:51] road? So they look to the writings of [34:52] the historian Josephus and Josephus [34:55] talks about the last days of Jerusalem, [34:58] the year 70 when the Romans destroy [35:02] Jerusalem [35:03] and the last Jews of Jerusalem are [35:05] seeking refuge from the Romans hiding [35:09] where in the drainage channel beneath [35:13] the pilgrimage road. Now what was this [35:15] drainage channel? The purpose of this [35:16] drainage channel was [35:19] almost like a sewer for rain runoff that [35:22] would be coming from the upper part of [35:23] the city, what we call the old city [35:24] today. That rain would come down, go [35:26] through the drainage channel, then flow [35:28] out uh of Jerusalem from the south. And [35:32] the last Jews of Jerusalem are hiding in [35:34] this drainage channel. Archaeologists, [35:37] they find whole cooking pots, meaning [35:39] the Jews were living there for days, for [35:41] weeks, maybe even for months. Now the [35:44] Romans find out about it. They come with [35:46] sledgehammers and they break open the [35:48] flag stones and find those 2,000 Jews [35:50] hiding in the drainage tunnel. And [35:52] archaeologists, apart from the cooking [35:54] pots, find a Roman sword and scabbard, [35:58] presumably one that was used to kill the [36:00] last 2,000 Jews of Jerusalem. [36:05] Now, the Romans are so proud of their [36:07] victory of their conquest over Jerusalem [36:11] that they meant a coin, [36:13] a victory coin. And on one side of this [36:15] coin, you have the Roman Emperor [36:17] Vespasian. And on the other side of the [36:19] coin, you have a Roman legionaire, a [36:22] Roman soldier towering above a Jewish [36:24] woman on her knees crying. And on the [36:27] coin, it says Judea Capa. Judea has been [36:32] captured, defeated. Judea was the name [36:35] of the country. Jerusalem was its [36:37] capital. Jews are called Jews. Jews come [36:41] from Judea. Yehudim come from Yehuda in [36:45] Hebrew. [36:47] And this was the most widely minted [36:49] victory coin as if the victory by the [36:51] Romans over Judea, over Jerusalem, over [36:55] the Jewish people meant more to them [36:56] than all their other victories. Now, if [36:58] you've gone to Rome, you've seen today [37:01] the Arch of Titus, the victory arch. Now [37:04] Titus would go on to become emperor of [37:06] Rome. But before he was emperor of Rome, [37:09] he was the commander of the 10th Roman [37:11] legions which destroyed Jerusalem. On [37:15] the arch you have the temple treasures [37:17] like the minora [37:19] being led out of Jerusalem and into [37:22] Rome. And you can see how proud the [37:24] Romans are of their victory with this [37:26] huge victory arch that's built to [37:29] celebrate Titus. celebrate the conquest, [37:31] the destruction, the pillaging, the [37:33] looting of Jerusalem. [37:36] And yet the Jewish people in the years [37:38] leading up to the destruction, they [37:40] minted their own coin. They minted a [37:42] small bronze coin. And scholars have [37:46] long wondered why. Because the coins [37:48] that they were minting between the year [37:50] 66 and 70 during a period known as the [37:52] Great Jewish Revolt, the Great Jewish [37:55] Revolt for freedom against the Roman [37:57] occupation. these coins that they were [37:59] minting each year of the revolt, they [38:01] had no monetary value. And so the [38:03] question is why were they minting these [38:06] coins? Because if they really wanted to [38:08] fight the Romans, what should they have [38:10] used the metal for instead of minting [38:12] worthless coins? [38:14] They should have used the metal to make [38:16] weapons, swords, spears, arrowheads. [38:19] So why were they minting worthless [38:22] currency? Now before I share an answer [38:24] which I heard that I find to be [38:26] meaningful, I want to show you one such [38:29] coin. Now this coin goes back 2,000 [38:33] years to the second year of the great [38:35] revolt to the year 67. [38:38] And on this small coin it says in an [38:41] ancient Hebrew writing [38:44] for the freedom of Zion. Zion of course [38:47] is another name for Jerusalem. So why [38:50] were they minting these coins? [38:52] The answer that I heard is that this [38:54] coin and similar coins that we found [38:57] discovered every day here in the [38:59] excavations along the pilgrimage road in [39:01] the city of David, this coin represented [39:03] a hope, a wish, a dream, and a prayer [39:07] that one day their descendants, the [39:08] Jewish people, would return to Jerusalem [39:11] as sovereign. Now, they probably thought [39:13] it would take a couple of decades, maybe [39:15] a century. They could not imagine it [39:18] would be nearly 2,000 years before that [39:21] would happen. [39:26] And in 1958 [39:29] on Israel's 10th anniversary, Israel [39:31] mints its first commemorative medallion. [39:33] But there's something strange about this [39:35] medallion because if you look closely, [39:38] you'll see that they've reminted [39:41] the Roman victory coin, Judea Kata, the [39:44] Roman legionnaire towering above, the [39:46] Jewish woman on her knees crying. And [39:48] the question is why? Why would they do [39:50] that? But when you turn this medallion [39:53] over, it no longer says on the other [39:56] side Judeaic. You no longer have the [39:58] Roman legionaire towering above the [39:59] woman on her knees crying. It now says [40:02] Israel liberatada. Israel has been [40:05] liberated. The woman is standing tall, [40:07] proudly holding in her arms a newborn [40:09] child. Beside her is a man working the [40:11] land, making the desert plume. This was [40:13] Israel's response to Rome 2,000 years in [40:17] the making. And a person today can go to [40:21] see some of the great wonders of the [40:23] world, the pyramids, the coliseum. [40:26] And a person goes to the pyramids in [40:27] Egypt and say, "Wow, look at the [40:30] grandeur of the pharaohs." You go to [40:33] Rome and you see the coliseum. Look at [40:35] the might of the great Roman Empire. But [40:37] then you say, "Well, where are the [40:38] Pharaohs today? Where is the great Roman [40:41] Empire today?" And the answer is the [40:44] same. Museums, [40:46] history books, some monuments left [40:49] behind. [40:50] But you come to Jerusalem to the city of [40:53] David and I believe when we complete the [40:56] excavation of the pool of Saleom of the [40:58] pilgrimage road up to the footsteps of [40:59] the temple mouth this too will be among [41:02] the great wonders of the world but in a [41:04] different category from the pyramids and [41:05] coliseum because if the pyramids and [41:07] coliseum represent once upon a time a [41:10] chapter in history this represents the [41:14] continuation of a story [41:17] of our shared story of our shared [41:20] heritage [41:22] being brought back to life. Literally [41:25] being able to walk in the footsteps [41:26] where our ancestors walked thousands of [41:29] years ago. And if you think about this [41:32] little small coin with that ancient [41:34] hope, wish, dream, and a prayer, for the [41:38] freedom of Zion, for the freedom of [41:40] Jerusalem, 2,000 years later, it was [41:44] answered because there is a free [41:46] Jerusalem today, open to people of all [41:48] faiths and backgrounds who are able to [41:50] literally walk in the footsteps of their [41:51] faith, of their heritage, of their [41:54] identity, [41:55] all being brought back to life after [41:58] 2,000 years of destruction here in the [42:01] city of David. Where else in the world [42:04] do you have that? [42:09] Let's pause here. Thank you, Zev, so [42:11] much for your time and for telling us [42:13] the story of the ancient city of David. [42:15] In the next video, we will explore the [42:17] modern significance of the site and why [42:19] it remains so important today. [42:43] >> [music] [42:44] >> Heat. Heat. [42:56] >> [music]
