Stations of the Cross
01-NOV-2008
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This is Kevin, our trip leader, preaching in the fortress basement only a few feet from the solders games craved on the stone floor. We talked about Jesus being condemned to death. This is very near the spot were Jesus death sentence began.
01-NOV-2008
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Readings from the Gospel of Mark to remind us of why we had come to this spot.
01-NOV-2008
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The third station chapel has a fresco depicting Jesus carrying his cross along the Via Dolorosa. The spots marks the first of three times that Jesus falls carrying the cross. Angels are depicted watching over Jesus as the event unfolds.
01-NOV-2008
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A plaque marking the construction of the chapel for the third station. Via Dolorosa (Latin for "Way of Grief" or "Way of Suffering") is a street in the Old City of Jerusalem. Traditionally, it is held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion. It is marked by nine of the fourteen Stations of the Cross. The last five stations are inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
01-NOV-2008
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Part of the roof of the Chapel of the third station.
01-NOV-2008
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We have moved on from the third station and just passed the fourth. Stations 4 through 8 are easy to miss. These days, this part of Jerusalem is a Palestinian neighborhood. The Jews don't pay much attention to Christian sites and the Palestinians don't either. The tourist trade keeps the Christian sites alive with a lot of help from all Christian denominations. If it brings tourist dollars then it get polished off. It's always been that way. The walk through the Bazaar was a lot of fun. A good place to get lost in time.
01-NOV-2008
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Once again I have photographed the back of Chucks head and hat as we walk in and out of daylight. We have a small uphill climb to reach Golgotha, the place of the skull.
01-NOV-2008
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Deep inside the Bazaar just before we get to station eight, which is some where in this area.
01-NOV-2008
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We are looking up at the domes on the "Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The foreground dome is called the Dome of Calvary. To the right of it is the second dome of this two dome church. The dome is named the Dome of the Resurrection. I took this photograph while standing at the Ninth Station of the Cross, which is clearly marked.
01-NOV-2008
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It is the this sign that marks the ninth stations. Who knows how long it has been there.
01-NOV-2008
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We are on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We will gather here and Kevin, our guide, will preach. We will soon enter a set of dark steps and descend into a small chapel that leads to the main court yard of the Church. It's a mysterious place and one of the most unusual buildings I have been in.
01-NOV-2008
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Kevin, our guide, is preaching. The place just looks old and it is. This construction is about a thousand years old. The small TV antennas that can be spotted in this picture are the only modern additions. I'll blame Philo Farnsworth for that one. He invented modern TV.
The original Byzantine church was destroyed by the Persians in 614 A.D. Rebuilt shortly thereafter, the Egyptian caliph al-Hakim destroyed the church in 1009 and had Jesus tomb hacked down to bedrock. The Crusaders rebuilt the church and much of what is standing today is from that time period.
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