During the next four hundred years we have only the brief notice of Josiah's iconoclasms at this spot. Ahaz and Manasseh had no doubt maintained and enlarged the original erections of Solomon. These Josiah de- molished. He " defiled" the high places, broke to pieces the uncouth and obscene symbols which deformed them, cut down the images, or possibly the actual groves, of Ashtarotli, and effectually disqualified them for worship by filling up the cavities with human bones (2 Kings xxiii, 13, 14j.
Ezekiel also mentions Olivet in the wondrous vision of the Lord's departure from Jerusalem. The glory of the Lord first left the sanctuary and stood on the thresh- old of the house (x, 4); then it removed to a position over the east gate of the Lord's house (ver. 19) ; then it went up " and stood upon the mountain, 7t'hich is upon the east side of the citif (xi, 23), that is, on Olivet. This is doubtless the source of tlie liabbinical tradition, which represents the Shekinah as having remained three years and a half on Olivet, calling to the Jews, " Return to me, and I will return to you" (Keland, Pala'sf. p. 337).
The reference to Olivet in Neh. viii, 15 shows that the mount, and probabh' the valley at its base, abounded in groves of various kinds of trees — "(Jo forth unto the mount, and fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of
thick trees, to make booths." In the days of our Lord the trees were still very numerous (Mark xi, 8). The palms, pines, and myrtles are now all gone ; and, with the exception of olives and figs, no trees are found on Olivet. Caphnatha, Bethpage, Bethany — all names of places on the mount, and all derived from some fruit or vegetation— are probably of late origin, certainly of late mention.
The only other mention of Olivet in the O. T. is in Zechariah's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the preservation of God's people in it. He says of the Messiah, " His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem, on the east" (xiv, 4).
But it is mainly from its connection with N.-T. his- tory that Olivet has so strong a claim upon the atten- tion and affections of the Christian student. During the periods of our Lord's ministry in Jerusalem the mount appears to have been his home. As poor pil- grims were then, and still are, accustomed to bivouac or encamp in the open fields, so Jesus passed his nights amid the groves of Olivet. He did so partly, perhaps, that he might enjoy privacy; partly to escape the ceaseless and bitter persecution of the Jews; and partly through necessity. It looks as if we have here a prac- tical illustration of his own touching statement, " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head" (Matt, viii, 20 ; John viii, 1 ; Luke xxviii, 27). The Mount of Ol- ives was the scene of four events, among the most re- markable in the history of our Lord.
(1.) The Triumphal Entry. — Its scene was the road — doubtless the ancient caravan road — which winds around the southern shoulder of the hill from Bethany to Jerusalem, A short distance from Bethany the road meets a deep ravine, which comes down from the top of Olivet on the right, and winds away to the wilderness on the left. From this point the tops of the buildings on Zion are seen, but all the rest of the city is hid. Just opposite this point, too, on the other side of the ravine, are the remains of an ancient village — cisterns, hewn stones, and scarped rocks. The road turns sharply to the right, descends obliquely to the bottom, then turns to the left, ascends and reaches the top of the opposite bank a short distance above the ruins. This then ap- pears to be the spot, "at the Mount of Olives," where Jesus said to the two disciples, "Go into the vUlage which is opposite you (r>))' cnz'tvavTi v\iCov), and imme- diately ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: having loosed, bring them to me" (Matt, xxi, 2). These active footmen could cross the ravine direct in a minute or two, while the great procession would take some time to wind around the road. The people of the village saw the procession ; they knew its cause, and they were thus prepared to give the ass to the disciples the mo- ment they heard, " The Lord hath need of him." The disciples took the ass, led it up to the road, and met Jesus. The procession advanced up the easy eastern slope. It gained the crown of the ridge, w^here " the descent of the Mount of Olives" begins, and where Je- rusalem, in its full extent and beauty, suddenly bursts upon the view ; and then the multitude, excited by the noble prospect, and the fame of him whom they con- ducted, burst forth in joyous acclamation, " Ilosanna ! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord : blessed be the kingdom of our father David" (Mark xi, 10). The riiarisees were offended, and said, "Master, rebuke thy disciples. He answered, I tell you, that if these should liold their peace, the stones would imme- diately cry out" (Luke xix, 39, 40). The hill-side is there covered with rugged crowns of rock. The pro- cession advanced, descending obliquely. " And when he came near" — to a point nearly opposite the Temple — " he beheld the city, and wept over it," giving utterance to those words so well known and of such deep import. The splendid buildings of the Temple were then in full view, a little below the level of the eye, and not more