Jerusalem: Garden of Gethsemane, Undated Photo
Garden of Gethsemane Image Gallery
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In the above photo you can see the Garden of Gethsemane in the foreground and the wall of Jerusalem in the background. This is where the eastern wall ends and turns north; to the right and out of the photo would be the Golden Gate.
The area around the Mount of Olives is pretty desolate today; in ancient times, though, it was probably heavily wooded with olive trees. The entire area is good for growing olives, despite the poor soil around Jerusalem, and olives were an important industry for the area because of their oil. Although people certainly ate olives, most of the crops were pressed for their oil for use in cooking as well as lamps.
The Mount of Olives has also been a traditional site for messianic expectations. According to the prophet Zechariah:
"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." (Zechariah 14:4)
Naturally, the gospel authors had the Mount of Olives play an important role in Jesus' ministry. He entered Jerusalem from the east, as the Jewish prophets insisted the messiah must. It was also here that he was betrayed by Judas and arrested.
