Olives, Mount of

Olives, Mount of
Limestone ridge, east of Jerusalem.

Frequently mentioned in the Bible, it is holy both in Judaism and in Christianity. Politically it is part of the municipality of Greater Jerusalem under Israeli administration. Its slopes have been the most sacred burial ground in Judaism for centuries. The peak generally regarded as the Mount of Olives is 2,652 ft (808 m) in elevation. Nearby is the site held by tradition to be the Garden of Gethsemane, which is associated with the betrayal and Crucifixion of Jesus.

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Arabic  Jabal Aṭ-ṭūr,  Hebrew  Har Ha-zetim,  

      multisummited limestone ridge just east of the Old City of Jerusalem and separated from it by the Kidron valley. Frequently mentioned in the Bible and later religious literature, it is holy both to Judaism and to Christianity. Politically, it is part of the municipality of Greater Jerusalem placed under direct Israeli administration following the Six-Day War of 1967; it is not part of the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria) territory.

      The peak usually regarded as the Mount of Olives proper is the southern summit, 2,652 feet (808 m) above sea level. The middle peak (2,645 feet [806 m]) is crowned by the Augusta Victoria Hospital; at the north is the highest peak, commonly called Mount Scopus (Hebrew: Har ha-Ẕofim; Arabic: Rʾas al-Mashārif; 2,694 feet [820 m]).

      First mentioned in the Bible as the “ascent of the Mount of Olives” (2 Samuel 15), it is referred to in the book of Zechariah in the prophecy of the end of days (Zechariah 14).

      The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the New Testament; from it, Jesus (Jesus Christ) entered Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week of his life (Matthew 21:1; Mark 11:1); his prophecies of the apocalyptic fall of Jerusalem were delivered there. The traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed just before he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26; Mark 14), is shown on the western slopes. One of the traditional sites of the Ascension is on the mountain (Acts 1:12). From at least the 4th century AD, Christian churches and shrines have been built there; a number of denominations are now represented. According to ancient Jewish tradition, the messianic era will commence on the Mount of Olives; for this reason, its slopes have been the most sacred burial ground in Judaism for centuries.

      On Mount Scopus (north) the cornerstone of the Hebrew University (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) was laid by Chaim Weizmann in 1918; the campus was opened by Lord Balfour in 1925. By 1948 many buildings had been built, including the Jewish National and University Library (1929) and the Rothschild-Hadassah University Hospital (1934), one of the largest in the Middle East. After Israel's War of Independence (1948–49), the university area on Mount Scopus was an exclave (detached portion) of sovereign Israeli territory, separated from Israeli Jerusalem by Jordan. Following the Six-Day War (June 1967), the entire Mount of Olives came under Israeli rule; by the early 1970s the Mount Scopus complex was repaired and was in use by various university faculties.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Olives, Mount of — A hill about 1.6 km.(1 mile) long to the east of Jerusalem, separated from it by the Kidron valley, on which Gethsemane (Hebrew for an ‘oil press’) was situated. Jesus resorted to it for prayer (Mark 14:32) and stayed at Bethany on the south side …   Dictionary of the Bible

  • Olives,Mount of — Ol·ives (ŏlʹivz), Mount of also Ol·i·vet (ŏlʹə vĕt ). A ridge of hills in the West Bank east of Jerusalem. At its western foot is the biblical site of the Garden of Gethsemane. * * * …   Universalium

  • OLIVES, MOUNT OF —    or MOUNT OLIVET    a ridge with three summits, stretching N. and S., E. of Jerusalem, in height 150 ft. above the city, 400 ft. above the intervening valley of Kedron, and 2682 ft. above the sea level; so called as at one time studded with… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Olives, Mount of — or Olivet geographical name mountain ridge 2680 feet (817 meters) West Bank running N & S on E side of Jerusalem …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Mount of Olives — Mount Olivet redirects here. For other uses, see Mount Olivet (disambiguation). Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives (also Mount Olivet, Hebrew: הר הזיתים‎, Har HaZeitim; Arabic: جبل الزيتون, الطور‎, Jebel az Zeitun) is a mountain ridg …   Wikipedia

  • mount — mount1 mountable, adj. mountless, adj. /mownt/, v.t. 1. to go up; climb; ascend: to mount stairs. 2. to get up on (a platform, a horse, etc.). 3. to set or place at an elevation: to mount a house on stilts. 4. to furnish with a horse or other… …   Universalium

  • MOUNT OLIVET —    See OLIVES, MOUNT OF …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • MOUNT OF OLIVES — (Olivet), mountain overlooking jerusalem from the east, beyond the kidron Brook. From the orographic point of view, the Mount of Olives is part of a spur projecting near Mount Scopus (Raʾs al Mushārif), from the country long water divide which… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Mount of Olives Hotel — The Mount of Olives Hotel, situated next to the Church of the Ascension on the summit of the Mount of Olives, is an ancient hostelry in Jerusalem (address: 53 Mount of Olives Road, Jerusalem 91190). The Church of the Ascension and its adjoining… …   Wikipedia

  • Mount of Olives Hotel — (Иерусалим,Израиль) Категория отеля: 2 звездочный отель Адрес: 53 Mount of Olives Road …   Каталог отелей

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