| Under the
Old City of Jerusalem lies a labyrinth of tunnels.
Built in the biblical era and part and parcel of episodes
recorded in ancient biblical texts, they remained
undiscovered for centuries. During the last century,
archaeologists uncovered their existence and a plethora
of theories abounded as to their origin and usage.
As consecutive findings were celebrated, scholars
developed a range of conflicting theories and opinions.
It seemed that, despite modern advancements and well-informed
scholars, that Jerusalem still guarded her secrets
close to her chest.
The History of Hezekiah's Tunnel
Possibly the most famous Old City tunnel of all,
one replete with more mysteries than most of the others,
is the one leading off from the Gihon spring.
In 701 BCE, King Hezekiah prepared the tunnel as
a defense against an invading force, led by the Assyrian
General Sencherib, who was laying siege to the city.
In the Book of Chronicles, we read how Hezekiah stopped
up the single source of water in the area, the Gihon
spring. King Hezekiah's goal was twofold. Not only
would he cut off the water supply to the invading
army, but he could also provide an abundance of water
for the residents of Jerusalem. In the end, Hezekiah
was victorious. Jerusalem withstood the vicious siege
and a defeated Sencherib, leaving him with his Assyrian
army in disgrace.
An Ancient Inscription
Despite the discovery of Hezekiah’s tunnel,
their enigma remained intact, as the bible at no point
related how the tunnel was built or how Hezekiah managed
to complete it with such speed.
In the late 1800’s, amid much excitement, archaeologists
made an exciting find. The discovery of an ancient
inscription at the tunnel’s exit provided a
glimpse into the past and an answer to some of the
remaining questions.
Written in ancient Hebrew, the inscription states,
”the tunneling was completed … while the
hewers wielded the ax, each man toward his fellow
… there was heard a man’s voice calling
to his fellow … the hewers hacked each toward
the other, ax against ax.” In short, the completion
process was guided by voice orientation. Theories
vary as to how the ancients dug such a sophisticated
tunnel. Some say the cutters followed a major fissure
in the hard stone. But the truth is yet to emerge.
Corroborating History
Often, archaeology throws up more questions than
answers. It can give us a wonderful insight into the
day to day lives of times past but in terms of responding
to unanswered questions, there always seem to be different
expert opinions offering conflicting interpretation
of the findings.
The most exciting element to this story is that,
before our eyes, stands clear corroboration of an
episode related in the bible. Uniquely, a biblical
event has been very clearly substantiated by two thousand
year old archaeological proof.
A Hidden World
The caves of Jerusalem provide plenty of interest
and intrigue. They expose elements of a world hidden
in the depths of time. Echoes of dramatic events still
seem to resonate in the walls and their existence
provides a physical link between our present and our
past.
Archaeologists and the public alike are excited by
these ancient discoveries although many feel that
the Old City of Jerusalem still preserves many secrets,
as yet untold.
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