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Mount of Olives
A north-to-south ridge of hills east of
Jerusalem where
Jesus was betrayed on the night before His crucifixion. This prominent feature of
Jerusalem's landscape is a gently rounded hill, rising to
about the height of 830 meters (2,676 feet) and overlooking the
Temple.
The closeness of the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem's walls made this series of
hills a grave strategic danger. The Roman commander Titus had his headquarters
on the northern extension of the ridge during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
He named the place Mount Scopus, or "Lookout Hill," because of the view which
it offered over the city walls. The whole hill must have provided a platform
for the Roman catapults that hurled heavy objects over the Jewish fortifications
of the City.
In ancient times the whole mount must have been heavily wooded. As its name
implies, it was covered with dense olive groves.
The Mount of Olives is also mentioned in a reference by the
prophet Zechariah to the future Day of the Lord: "In that day His feet will stand on
the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives
shall be split in two from east to west, making a very large valley; half of
the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south" (Zech
14:4).
In the New Testament the Mount of Olives played a prominent part in the last
week of our Lord's ministry. Jesus approached Jerusalem from the east, by way of
Bethphage and
Bethany, at the Mount of Olives (Mt 21:1; Mk 11:1). On the night of His betrayal, He
and His disciples sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives (Mt 26:30; Mk
14:26), to the Garden of
Gethsemane (Mt 26:36; Mk 14:32). In this garden, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives,
Jesus was betrayed by Judas and delivered into the hands of His enemies.
The Mount of Olives where Jesus prayed was outside the city, opposite the
eastern wall of the Temple . There was the garden of Gethsemane which means "olive
press."