With the exception of Silwan at its western base, Bethany at its eastern, and Kefr et-Tur on its summit, Olivet is almost deserted. There are three or four little towers — one habitable, the others in ruins — built origi- nally as watch-towers for the vineyards and orchards. Nearly opposite St, Stephen's Gate, just across the bed of the Kidron, is the garden of Gethsemane, and from it a shallow wady, or rather depression, runs up the hill towards the Church of the Ascension, making a slight curve northward. A short distance south of Geth- semane, and a little farther up the hill, at the spot tra- ditionally known as that where the Lord's Prayer was delivered, a French lady has taken up her residence, and built a chapel adjoining her dwelling, which con- tains the Lord's Prayer in almost all known languages. These structures are the only noticeable features on the western side of the hill. The eastern is much more
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IMile
Map of the Mount of Olives, with its connections. (From the Ordnance Survey.)
ru£^gecl. The ledges are higher, the cliifs bolder, and there are several deep ravines.
Two ancient roads, or rather bridle-paths, cross the mount to Bethany. From St. Stephen's Gate — the only gate in the eastern side of Jerusalem — a road winds down to the Kidron, crosses it by a bridge, and then forks at Gethsemane. One branch keeps to the right, ascends the hill diagonally by an easy slope, winds around its southern shoulder, and descends to Bethany. This was the caravan and chariot road to Jericho in an- cient days. The other branch keeps to the left of Geth- semane, right up the hill, following the course of the wadj', passes Kefr et-Tur, and descends by steep zigzags to Bethany. Perhaps this path is even more ancient than the other. It is in places hewn in the rock ; and here and there are rude steps up shelving ledges.
There are several other paths on Olivet, but they are of no historical importance, and require only to be men- tioned as features in its topography. A path branches off from No. 2 at the side of (Jethsemane, skirts the up- per wall of the garden, ascends to the tombs of the prophets, and then turns to the left, up to the village. Another branches off a little liigher up, and ascends the Steep hill-side, almost direct to the village. Another,
leading from St. Stephen's Gate, crosses the Kidron obliquely in a north-easterly direction, and passes over the northern shoulder of the mount to the little hamlet of Isawiyeh. Another path — ancient, though now little used — runs from Kefr et-Tur northward along the sum- mit of the ridge to Scopus, joining the road to Ana- thoth.
3. Ilistoj-ical Notices. — The first mention of Olivet is in connection with David's flight from Jerusalem on the rebellion of Absalom. His object was to place the Jor- dan between himself and Absalom. Leaving the citj', " he passed over the valley (SPIS) of Kidron, toward the waj^ of the wilderness" (2 Sam. xv, 23) — the wilderness of Judah lying between Olivet and the Jordan. Hav- ing crossed the Kidron, " he ascended by the ascent of the Olives" (ver. 30), and came to the summit, •' where he ivorshipped God" (ver. 32). It has been supposed from the latter statement that there was here, on the top, an ancient hif/k place, where David had been accus- tomed to worship; and that this may have been the source and scene of all subsequent idolatrous rites and Christian traditions. The Hebrew phrase does not war- rant any such conclusion. The scope of the passage
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suggests, that on reaching the summit he turned to take a last look at the city, to which he had just sent back the ark, and on some of whose heights he probably still saw it. There, with his face towards the sanctuarj', he worshipped God (see Thcodoret and Jerome, ad loc.'). This is the view of most Jewish commentators, though the Talmudists state that there was an idol shrine on the summit (Lightfoot, 0pp. ii, 570). David's route is manifest. lie ascended by the ancient path (No. 2) to the top ; there he worshipped, with the city in full view. Turning away, he began to descend ; and there, " a little past the top" (2 Sam. xvi, 1), he met Ziba. At Bahurim, while David and his men kept the road, Shimei scram- bled along the slope of the overhanging hill above, even with him, and threw stones at him, and covered him with dust (ver. 13). After passing Bahurim, probably about where Bethany now stands, he continued the descent through the " dry and thirsty land" (Psa. Ixiii), until he arrived " weary" at the bank of the river (Josephus, Ant. vii, 9, 2-G ; 2 Sara, xvi, 14 ; xvii, 21, 22).
The next notice is in the time of Solomon, who built "a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is hefoTe Jerusalem; and for Molech" (1 Kings xi, 7). The hill was Olivet; but the locality of the high place is not specified. Statements made at a later period show that it could not have been upon the summit. "The high places that were before Jerusa- lem, wA»c/j were on the right hand of the Mount of Cor- ruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded . . . did the king (Manasseh) defile" (2 Kings xxiii, 13). The stand-point of observation and description here is the Holy City, which formerly extended much farther south than at present. Solomon's high place was in front of it, within view, and on the right hand of Olivet. This indicates the southern section of the ridge, the traditional "Mount of Corruption." There was probably some connection between the high place of Molech on the right hand of Olivet and those idol shrines which stood in Tophet, at the entrance of the valley of Hinnom (comp. 2 Kings xxiii, 13, 14; Jer. vii, 31 sq. ; Jerome, Comm. ad loc). The Mount of Corrup- tion is directly opposite Tuphet, and the hill-side is fill- ed with ancient tombs, as Jeremiah predicted (xix, 6, 11). The tradition which gives its name to the Mount of Corruption is first mentioned in the 13th century by Brocardus : " Ultra torrentem Cedron, in latere aquilo- nari montis Oliveti, est mons alius alius, quatuor stadiis a Jerusalem distans, ubi Salomon idolo Moabitorum, nomine Chamos, templum construxit, ct ubi tempore Machabneorum redificatum fuit cast rum, cujus indicia ad- hue hodie ibi cernuntur" (cap. ix).