Mount Zion

For other places with the same name, see Mount Zion (disambiguation).

Pope's Way, leading to Mount Zion

Mount Zion (Template:Lang-he-n, Har Tsion; Template:Lang-ar, "Jabel Sahyoun") is an elevation west of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. Today the term refers to a hill outside the Old City, though it's Biblical identity is unclear. Since the Biblical era, the term "Zion" has been a synecdoche referring to the entire city of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel (For example see Psalms 69:35). Following this usage, the term is sometimes used generally to refer to a promised land.

Biblical Identity

The Bible makes numerous references to "Zion" and "Mount Zion," though its exact identity is not clear. 2 Samuel 5:7 reads: "David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David." Which implies that Mount Zion is part of the City of David, and area outside of today's Old City. (The passage is hard to understand on a straightforward level because the City of David lies in a valley.)

Some have suggested that Mount Zion is the same as the Temple Mount, which in scripture is referred to simply as Mount Moriah. This interpretation is problematic however for two reasons. First, the narrative of building the Temple suggests that the temple was built somewhat outside the City (which at the time was the City of David), however most of the passages we have suggest that Zion or Mount Zion is in the city or part thereof. Second, the narrative in 2 Chronicles 5 of the inauguration of the Temple says that the ark was carried out form Mount Zion to the Temple Mount, strongly implying that the two are not the same.

The hill currently called Mount Zion (see below) was identified as such in the Middle Ages. This identification has been disputed by several scholars. No other concrete identifications have been proposed, but many archaeologists in Israel believe that it must refer to a hill in or closer to the actual City of David.

Some Biblical commentators have also proposed that, since the City of David lies in a valley, that the term refers to the City of David as a metaphorical mountain rather than a geographic one.

Modern Identification

Later the name became associated with a hill just outside the walls of the Old City, at the southern end of that elevation. The identification dates from the Middle Ages. As mentioned, other biblical archaeologists dispute this identification.

History

Between 1948 and 1967, when the Old City was under Jordanian rule, Israelis were forbidden access to the Jewish holy places. Mount Zion was a designated no-man's land between Israel and Jordan. Mount Zion was the closest accessible site to the ancient Jewish Temple. Until East Jerusalem was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War, Israelis would climb to the rooftop of David's Tomb to pray. The winding road leading up to Mount Zion is known as Pope's Way (Derekh Ha'apifyor). It was paved in honor of the historic visit to Jerusalem of Pope Paul VI in 1964.

Legends

According to local legend, the two engineers who planned the restoration of the Old City walls in 1538 mistakenly left Mt. Zion and King David’s tomb outside the walls. The Turkish sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, was so enraged that he had the two put to death.

Landmarks

Important sites on Mount Zion (as currently defined) are Dormition Abbey, King David's Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. Most historians and archeologists today do not regard "David's Tomb" there to be the actual burial place of King David. The Chamber of the Holocaust (Martef HaShoah), the precursor of Yad Vashem, is also located on Mount Zion. Another place of interest is the Catholic cemetery where Oskar Schindler, a Righteous Gentile who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews in the Holocaust, is buried. Notable burials in the Protestant cemetery on Mt. Zion include the architect Conrad Schick.