The Tomb of Zachariah

Joel 3:12 —“Let the heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.”

As early as the time of Eusebus, in the fourth century, A.D., the valley of Jehoshaphat was indentified with the valley of the Kidron, so that now, Jews and Mohammedans fix the scene of the last judgment here. This identification is only a conjecture, based on the cited passages, and on Zech. 14 . The tombs which merit special attention in this valley, are those of Zachariah and St. James. First, the monolith of Zachariah is a cubical block about 20 feet in length, and surmounted by a pyramid of at least 10 feet in elevation, so that the entire height is 30 feet. It has no mason work about it but is one solid mass hewn out of the mountain; the adjacent rock being cut away so that it stands entirely detached. The tomb of St. James, which is to the north side of this monolith, shows a fine front to the west (as in our picture) ornamented with four short Doric columns. The entrance is not through these columns, but from a passage cut through the rock, in the northeast corner (see picture) of the space around the

Tomb of the Prophets:

You are up on Mt. Moriah, outside the wall of the southeast corner of the old city.

“How steep the side of Mount Moriah is at this point! It is almost a precipice down to the Kedron Valley whose bed is out of sight far below. The rocky hillside in front is the Mount of Olives. Those white stones in irregular rows are Jewish tombs. Jews will journey to Jerusalem from every land on earth and pay large sums for burial places in this valley, for they believe that the resurrection will begin here and that those who rise from their graves on these hillsides will have a sure passport to heaven. Then, too, they count the ground all the more sacred on account of the prophets, who are, as they believe, buried among their own graves.

“You see three tombs standing out prominently! Those are hewn out of the native rock just as it lies. That on the right, in a recess, is called the tomb of Zacharias and commemorates the prophet who was slain ‘between the tample and the altar.' ( Matt. 23:35 .) The excavation with pillars at its door is the tomb of St. James, the Lord's brother ( Galatians 1:19 ), who was martyred in the precints of the Temple about A.D. 68. That on the left is Absalom's Pillar.”

You see there are a few olive trees here and there over the rocky slope. That marble building is a Russian Church. Either one of the two roads leading obliquely over the hill, this side of the church would take you to Bethany. The other road which you see farther to the north, at the other side of the church goes to Jericho. In all probability that is the road whose familiar way Jesus called to his hearers' minds when he told them the story of the Good Samaritan. (See “Traveling in the Holy Land through the Stereoscope.”)

From Descriptive Bulletin No. 4, copyrighted 1904, by Underwood & Underwood.

Tombs of the Kings:

2 Chronicles 28:27 —“But they brought him not into the sepulchres of the Kings of Israel.”

The Tomb of the Kings are in the olive grove, about one-half mile north of the Damascus Gate and a few rods east of the great road to Mablus. A court is sunk in the solid rock, about 90 feet square and 20 feet deep. On the west side of this court is a sort of portico 39 feet long, 17 feet deep and 15 feet high. It was originally ornamented with grapes, garlands and festoons, beautifully wrought on the cornice, and the columns in the center and pilasters at the corners, appear to have resembled the Corinthian order.

All the kings, from David to Hezekiah inclusive, were buried in the City of David. The common royal sepulchre was, by implication, ordinarily used. Several kings were not admitted to the royal sepulchre (see verse above, also 21:20 ; 24:25 ; 26:23 ).

2 Kings 14:29 —“And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the Kings of Israel.”

Around Jerusalem, the traveler will often find himself before huge openings in the hillsides. One of these is called the “Tomb of the Kings,” a sort of catacomb, room beyond room, each having several niches. A very low door in the south end of the portico—in our picture—opens into the ante-chamber, 19 feet square and 7 or 8 feet high. From this, three passages conduct into other rooms, two of them to the south, having five or six crypts. These rooms are all cut in rock intensely hard, and the entrances were originally closed with stone doors, wrought with panels and hung on stone hinges, all of which are now broken. The whole series of tombs indicates the hand of royalty and the leisure of years, but by whom and for whom they were made, is a mere matter of conjecture.