The House of Caiaphus: Where Peter Denied Christ

From the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin at the house of Caiaphus, the High Priest.

Somehow, I had no idea that the ruins of his house could actually still exist and there's (of course) a church on top of it, built on the ruins of the Byzantine church.

Below it is a dungeon where it's claimed Jesus was held. It's possible Peter and John were also held here at some point after Jesus' ascension back to Heaven.

Outside the church are ruins from Caiaphus' house, as well as ruins from other eras as well.

this area is likely from the Byzantine church.

Caiaphus' house

And then, the stairs.... stairs the Jesus and His disciples might have walked down on the way to the Garden and then on the way back on the way to the trial before the Sanhedrin:

The view of the Mount of Olives from the top of the steps.

Like the church at the Garden of Gethsemane, the modern church, The Church of Saint Peter Gallincatu ("the rooster's crow" in Latin) is one of my favorite churches in Israel.

If the one at Gethsemane is the night, this one is the sunrise.

Which makes sense, because it was built memorializing not only the trial before the Sanhedrin but also Peter's denial of Jesus.

I've never been inside a church that was these colors. It was gorgeous!

The next time I go, I hope to get a tour of the property so I can understand it all better. It was breathtaking to be there and realize this was likely where Peter denied Christ. 

Eventually, the sun rose on that dark night, just as the rooster crowed. Jesus met Peter's eyes, and he realized that he'd done.

Judas hung himself nearby (apparently the field purchased by the 30 pieces of silver is not far). 

And then Jesus was taken to Pilate.

**a tour guide has told me recently that from an archeological standpoint, it's unlikely this was actually the site of Caiaphus' house. So I now look at this place as a remembrance of these events.

What and Where is the Kidron Valley?

The Kidron Valley, which separates the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives is one of those historical places you can just walk past without even knowing you did.

You'll walk along it along the eastern side of the Temple Mount, and have to cross it in order to get to the Garden of Gethsemane and Dominus Flevit, among other things. But the sign explaining it is down in the cemetery.

Back in the day of David, the upper part of this valley was known as the King's Garden, or the King's Valley, and David ran through it when he fled Absolam. 

It's also believed that King Jehoshaphat overthrew Israel's enemies in 2 Chronicles 26 there, and in 2 Chronicles 29-31, as the Levites carried out Hezekiah's instructions to purify the Temple and tossed unclean items into the valley.

Jesus and His disciples would have crossed this valley whenever they entered or left Jerusalem and travelled to Bethany, and of course, when going to/from the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18). 

It's also mentioned one more time in the Old Testament the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the word "Jehoshaphat" means "God has Judged", and according to Joel 3:

“In those days and at that time,

    when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,

2 

I will gather all nations

    and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat.[b]

There I will put them on trial

    for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel,

because they scattered my people among the nations

    and divided up my land" (verses 1-2)

In the spring, the Kidron river runs through here, and the grass is green. It's beautiful to see! But this is how it looks in the heat of July:

It also holds Jerusalem's oldest cemetery. You can see Absolam's pillar in the distance. Further down there are caves dating to the 9th and 7th centuries B.C. 

Until it connects with the Hinnom Valley and travels out to the Dead Sea. But that's a post for another day!

Here's my question for now: In Zechariah 14, the prophecy of Jesus' second coming is that His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which will split in two. Water will flow towards the east and west, into the Mediterranean and into the Dead Sea, which will come back to life. 

If this is a river valley (though very dry when I took these pictures), and it leads to the Dead Sea, is this the route the eastbound river will take?

Whitewashed Tombs along the Mount of Olives

One of the many things I recommend doing while in Jerusalem is walking along the Mount of Olives. It's an incredible view of so many historic places that your mind will be continually blown. So much history in such a concentrated to area!

If you are coming from the City of David, you'll turn the corner and cross the street. The Eastern Wall of the Temple Mount will be on your left and the Mount of Olives on your right. Walking along the low stone wall, you'll be able to see the Mount in its entirety while seeking shade from the—you guessed it—olive trees.

A large portion of the Mount of Olives is a Jewish cemetery that faces the Temple Mount. From a distance, most of the graves look similar except for two. These stick out and can be seen from a distance. Do you know what they are?

The pillar above is Absolam's pillar, as spoken of in 2 Samuel 18. The one below is the prophet Zechariah's tomb.

You can actually walk right up to these pillars. They are HUGE! First, you cross over the Kidron Valley and start walking along it (we'll talk about this more in a future post). 

On the wall are signs with Bible verses specifically mentioning the Kidron Valley:

And then, there you are:

It's always cool to see something dating back millennia that is from the Bible. Nothing compares to that feeling. But a friend pointed something out to me that I want to share here:

While the architecture and the Land have changed, it's easy to accept that these pillars, as well as the cemetery, could be seen by people at the Temple when Jesus said in Matthew 23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean."

Wow!!! 

That adds so much meaning and context to this verse!

Can you see it?