The Peripatetic Parson: UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS AMID THE DISAPPOINTMENTS

My second and third day have had their share of curious events. Sunday began with church at Saint George's Cathedral, followed by a little reading time while I waited for the next planned event of the day, Solemn Vespers at the Armenian Patriarchate Church of Saint James. The Armenians rightly claim status as the first Christian nation, back in the fourth of fifth century, if memory serves me right. But, the history of their devotion is so full of tragedy, persecution and repression that it is a miracle that they hang so tenaciously on in the face of so much sadness and hardship. One of the abiding places of hope for them has been their hold on a section of the old city of Jerusalem. When their churches were suppressed and their people slaughtered, they found a foothold in the Holy City. Today, as I understand it, their main theological seminary for training priests is in the Armenien Quarter, and it is primarily the young seminarians who compose the choir for their vesper service which is spectacularly beautiful, musically and visually. They do this service every day. However, it is especially elaborate on Sundays and Holy Days. Yesterday was both. Sunday and the Feast of Saint Matthew. I was prepared for the best. I arrived at 2:40 pm just to make sure I would have a good seat for the daily 3:00 pm service. Others began to gather with me in anticipation of the doors opening shortly before the service. Three o'clock came and went and there was no activity. About 3:15 a particularly assertive German nun declared that she was going to find out what was up. She returned a short time later with the report that she was told that it was Armenien Independence Day and there was no service. As unlikely an explanation as that seems, to call for some clarification. But, I've been around Jerusalem long enough to know that there is no alternative to simple acceptance of whatever one is told because there will be no other! Everyone immediately dispersed, probably because they had also learned that no other information would ever be available. So, off it was to the next thing.

Wandering back toward the Damascus Gate, I decided to see what was happening in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Much to my surprise, it was not terribly packed. I decided to take advantage of the situation and see if I could make contact with the two holiest (and most popular) shrines in the church. Golgotha's line was only about fifteen feet long, and after some Russian pilgrims who thought that they would monopolize the place for a devotional service, were sent packing by a tough Orthodox nun, the line moved pretty quickly, and I got my turn to touch the stone on which the cross stood, as pilgrims have done for centuries. Almost the same scenario played out at the Holy Sepulcher. Fairly short line, along only one side, and a tough Orthodox monk who made sure that no one took advantage and tried to stay in the tomb for more that thirty seconds. For me, it was enough. I doubt that I will feel compelled to wait in line for either site again this trip.

Today's plan was to visit the City of David archeological digs in the area below the southern wall and into the Kidron Valley. They are actually looking for evidence of the City of David, which they are sure has to be in that place. But, it is an area that has been destroyed and built over many, many times. So far they've found only Canaanite ruins as a few artifacts from Hezekiah's time, late 8th century, B.C. However, the main attraction is Hezekiah's tunnel, which the king ordered to be built to increase the city's security against the Assyrians. It diverted water from the Gihon Spring, outside the walls, to the Pool of Siloam, inside the walls by cutting through bedrock for half a mile. I walked through Hezekiah's tunnel, today. There is no light except flashlights, and the passage is very narrow and low in several places, and the Gihon Spring is still putting out a prodigious amount of water, so mostly the water is knee deep and up to mid-thy level occasionally, and did I mention that it is spring water, but the excitement of making it through a twenty-eight year old, biblically identified construction site is still pretty exciting. Talk about touching history. The way to the City of David is through the Dung Gate, which might help to explain why it's taken so long for any serious archeology to be undertaken there!

Tonight we had our first class meeting. This is going to be an interesting social experience. We have at least ten people from New Zealand, most of the Maori, three from the Pacific Islands: Figi, Togo, etc. a couple of Canadians a smattering of Americans and about half a dozen English. We see how all this plays out!

I'm including some pictures to illustrate my adventures. I'm going to try to label them, but just in case they are: entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the Anointing Stone, the crucifixion shrine and the edicule housing the tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher; the entrance and exit to the Hezekiah tunnel, and the remains of the Siloam pool, and the Dung Gate of Jerusalem.