by way of the gate outside of which, tradition
says, St. Stephen was stoned to death, along
the Via Dolorosa, praying at the Stations of
the Cross, to the Church of the Holy Sepul-
chre.

SCENE 1. The Garden of Gethsemane, un-
like most other sites of Bible history, remains
unchanged through the centuries. True, the
flowers seem too beautiful in contrast to the
rocky, sun-burned Kedron valley, but. it must
be remembered, in Jesus' time, the valley was
fertile, abounding in grapevines and trees
green with olives and figs. Just a few days be-
fore the first Easter, when Jesus knelt in agony
just before his betrayal by the kiss of Judas,
there must have been just as many colorful
blooms in this garden.

The ancient olive trees that we see give
rise to curious speculations. We know that the
Romans who laid seige to Jerusalem in 70
A.D., razed the whole Kedron valley, cutting
down every tree in ~the land to make their
scaling ladders and other engines of war. The
present trees perhaps sprang from the stumps
of the original trees for we do know that they
are unbelievably old. During all the centuries
of Moslem rule, the eight olive trees of the
garden have never paid the tax imposed on all
newly-planted olive trees. They were in the
Garden of Gethsemane when the Moslems
came, and the Franciscan Friars, who tend the
garden, like to believe that they were young
trees, when Jesus prayed there.

SCENE 2. Just inside the Jaffa Gate in the
west wall of the Old City, we come upon this
incredible limestone arch. The arch and the
buildings beyond mark the site of Herod's pal-
ace, which, in the time of Christ, was the head-
quarters for the Roman procurators when they
stayed in Jerusalem. According to some au-
thorities, Pontius Pilate was residing here
during the Passover Week when Jesus was
brought before him for judgment.

SCENE 3. Along the Via Dolorosa, not far
from the Castle of Antonio, another probable
site of Pilate's Judgment Place, we see the
Catholrc Church of the Flagellation. This
chapel protects the traditional site where Pi-
late had Jesus scourged in an attempt to ap-
pease the Jews who clamored for his death.

SCENE 4. The Via Dolorosa is just like any
other steep, narrow street of Jerusalem. Its
overhead arches are unusual only to the West-
ern eye. Indeed, these arches serve a dual
purpose. Besides helping to support the old
walls and buildings, they provide a clear view
of street life to the Moslem women who other-
wise see little of the world.

This street from the Castle of Antonio to
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is, accord-
ing to tradition, the Way of the Cross. Four-
teen Stations of the Cross, marked by tablets
along the road, enable the pilgrim to relive
each tragic event of the last hours of Jesus as
they tread in his footsteps.

SCENE 5. We are in the Chapel of the Nail-
ing to the Cross whose altarpiece shows Jesus
at the feet of his Mother. This is the prob-
able site of Calvary, or Golgotha—"The Place
of the Skull." The Crusaders built a basilica
here and, despite the height of Calvary, joined
it to the domed rotunda over the Holy Sepul-
chre. Through many destructions and recon-
structions since, the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre has continued to embrace both sites.

etc etc