The Ophel & Southwest Corner of Temple Mount
The Ophel is the area located right outside the temple mount on the southwestern side. Some of the amazing things you can see there include ruins of a protruding bridge (Robinson’s Arch) that once led to a temple entrance (now covered by later additions of the wall itself), mikvas (Jewish ritual bath used to cleanse one’s self before entering the temple), market booths once used to sell animals and grains and such for temple offerings, a neighborhood, "Solomon's Stables," and more. On the wall itself you can tell by size, style, and location of the stones which era they came from (i.e. Herod’s 2nd temple wall are the big square stones with an engraved border at the bottom, and the smallest stones at the top from the Ottoman empire).
My favorite place here were the stairs on the southern end that lead up to the temple. I recorded in my journal on November 22, 2009, “For class we went to the Ophel where I walked on the 2,000 year old steps at the main entrance to the temple mount then. It was there Neil Armstrong said, ‘I am much more moved walking in the footsteps of the Lord than when I took man’s first step on the surface of the moon.’” What an amazing statement! I too felt moved, especially as my mind envisioned the Savior and his Apostles in that very spot, entering the temple on numerous occasions. There above the stairs are remnants of the Double Gates which led to the area known as Solomon’s Porch. It was there in Solomon’s porch where Christ cleansed the temple (John 2:14-17) of those that moved their business from outside (see pictures of their outer shops to the right) into the holy sanctuary of the temple and He chastised them saying, “make not my Father’s house and house of merchandise.” It is where Christ proclaimed He is the Son of God (John 10:23), where Peter & John healed the lame man (Acts 3:11), and where the Apostles continued the miracles of Jesus (Acts 5:12). Also on the southwest corner excavators found a stone that bore an inscription saying, “to the trumpeting place…” Many believe this marks the “pinnacle of the temple” (not only because of the inscription, but also because it is the greatest in length from top to bottom) where a priest would sound a trumpet to usher in the Sabbath. It is possible that this is the same “pinnacle” where Christ was taken during his 40 day fast (see Matt 4:5; Luke 4:9). |