2000 Year Old Tunnels Beneath Old Jerusalem.

[nosmelone]

I just read this today via yahoo.com about these tunnels that are below old city Jerusalem. Apparently they are dating these tunnesl back to 2000 years. It also states that there are ongoing tours of these tunnels and more will open in the future. I was really interested in seeing what relics and artifacts may be been procured thus far. Anyways here's the link...interesting story...share your thoughts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_israel_underground_jerusalem

[webbles]

I just read this today via yahoo.com about these tunnels that are below old city Jerusalem. Apparently they are dating these tunnesl back to 2000 years. It also states that there are ongoing tours of these tunnels and more will open in the future. I was really interested in seeing what relics and artifacts may be been procured thus far. Anyways here's the link...interesting story...share your thoughts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_israel_underground_jerusalem

I had a chance to walk through the Western Wall tunnel. The entrance is at the Wailing Wall and follows the western edge of the temple mount. You can see where the bedrock and wall joins. Near the beginning of the tunnel is a place where Jewish women go for special prayer. It is the part of the wall that is considered to be directly in front of the temple. The tunnel connects to a water system that used to store water anciently. You come out on the Via Dolorosa right next to the Pools of Bethesda.

The Hezekiah tunnel was open as well but I didn't go through them. You are literally walking through water and I didn't have any good shoes and pants for the walk.

There is a lot of stuff under Old Jerusalem. Most of the discoveries seem to be in the Jewish Quarter. Our tour guide said that it was because during one of the wars, the entire Jewish Quarter had been destroyed. So, when they rebuilt it, they took the time to dig around. If you walk through the Jewish Quarter, you'll see open areas that are 5-10 feet below you with ancient columns and mosaics. It is amazing how high the city is vs how high the city used to be.

[volgadon]

There are some interesting moments in Josephus relating to these tunnels.

[nosmelone]

I had a chance to walk through the Western Wall tunnel. The entrance is at the Wailing Wall and follows the western edge of the temple mount. You can see where the bedrock and wall joins. Near the beginning of the tunnel is a place where Jewish women go for special prayer. It is the part of the wall that is considered to be directly in front of the temple. The tunnel connects to a water system that used to store water anciently. You come out on the Via Dolorosa right next to the Pools of Bethesda.

The Hezekiah tunnel was open as well but I didn't go through them. You are literally walking through water and I didn't have any good shoes and pants for the walk.

There is a lot of stuff under Old Jerusalem. Most of the discoveries seem to be in the Jewish Quarter. Our tour guide said that it was because during one of the wars, the entire Jewish Quarter had been destroyed. So, when they rebuilt it, they took the time to dig around. If you walk through the Jewish Quarter, you'll see open areas that are 5-10 feet below you with ancient columns and mosaics. It is amazing how high the city is vs how high the city used to be.

I'm jealous! the article does say something about walking through the water up to your lower knee at certain points in the tunnels. I can't wait to see more come from this story.

[volgadon]

I'm jealous! the article does say something about walking through the water up to your lower knee at certain points in the tunnels. I can't wait to see more come from this story.

You need a pair of plastic sandals with a closed toe and a flashlight for those. Another really cool set of tunnels in Israel is the Bar Kochba ones south-west of Jerusalem. They are a lot dustier, though, and much drier. These were dug under entire villages as part of the second revolt against the Romans.

[nosmelone]

You need a pair of plastic sandals with a closed toe and a flashlight for those. Another really cool set of tunnels in Israel is the Bar Kochba ones south-west of Jerusalem. They are a lot dustier, though, and much drier. These were dug under entire villages as part of the second revolt against the Romans.

So do they think these were tunnels that Bar Kochba actually hid in? I'm famliar with the caves but didn't realize he actually had access to tunnels as well.

[kolipoki09]

I just read this today via yahoo.com about these tunnels that are below old city Jerusalem. Apparently they are dating these tunnesl back to 2000 years. It also states that there are ongoing tours of these tunnels and more will open in the future. I was really interested in seeing what relics and artifacts may be been procured thus far. Anyways here's the link...interesting story...share your thoughts.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_israel_underground_jerusalem

If you'd like a tour, our own BIll Hamblin can take you on one:

[Stargazer]

That was great! Made me feel a little claustrophobic, however!

[kolipoki09]

That was great! Made me feel a little claustrophobic, however!

Not bad for a pseudo-scholarly full-time polemicist.

See the following references about Hamblin in D. Michael Quinn's Early Mormonism and the Magic World View (revised and enlarged edition)

• Hamblin and "another polemicist" (p. x)

• Hamblin uses "polemics as personal competition" (p. xi)

• Hamblin is "another polemicist" (p. xii)

• Hamblin is a "polemical reviewer" (p. xxix)

• Hamblin indulges in "polemical 'double standard'" (p. xxix)

• "FARMS polemicist William J. Hamblin" (pp. 115, 216, 297, 326, 489 n. 14)

• "Hamblin's polemical dodge" (p. 116)

• "polemicist Hamblin" (pp. 119, 235, 298, 304)

• "LDS polemicist William J. Hamblin" (p. 185)

• "polemical historian William J. Hamblin" (p. 186)

• "this BYU polemicist" Hamblin (p. 186)

• Hamblin's "polemical sleight-of-hand" (p. 187)

• "FARMS polemicist Hamblin" (p. 190)

• "Hamblin and fellow FARMS polemicists" (p. 230)

• Hamblin is one of a group of "polemicists" (p. 270)

• "this FARMS polemicist well knows" (p. 299)

• Hamblin's "polemical review for FARMS" (p. 301)

• "this polemicist" Hamblin (p. 302)

• "this LDS polemicist" Hamblin (p. 302)

• Hamblin's "polemic against Owens's statements" (p. 305)

• "polemicist William J. Hamblin" (p. 305)

• "FARMS polemicist" Hamblin (p. 306)

• Hamblin is one of the "polemical reviewers" (p. 328 n. 3)

• "Hamblin and other FARMS polemicists" (p. 329 n. 12)

• "distortions that are typical in polemical reviews by FARMS" (p. 337 n. 52)

• Hamblin "reviewed Owens as a polemicist," which is "only one example of how polemics warps the judgment of its LDS practitioners" (p. 348 n. 79)

• "Hamblin was writing as an LDS polemicist" (p. 351 n. 98)

• "Polemicism has also warped Hamblin's judgments" (p. 351 n. 98)

• "polemicists like Hamblin" (p. 356 n. 121)

• "this FARMS polemicist" (pp. 373 n. 156; 374 n. 171; 445 n. 135)

• "the FARMS polemicists" (p. 401 n. 228)

• Hamblin is one of the "FARMS polemicists" (p. 486 n. 368)

• "Hamblin's polemical shifts" (p. 531 n. 483)

• Hamblin is a "FARMS polemicist" using "polemical tricks" (p. 572 n. 515)

[nosmelone]

If you'd like a tour, our own BIll Hamblin can take you on one:

Thanks for sharing these...leave it to Bill Hamblin to bring us there first hand!

[Deborah]

That was great! Made me feel a little claustrophobic, however!

Yeah, I don't know if I could go in there.