Tag Archives: Protestant Cemetery

Restoration in the Protestant Cemetery in Jerusalem

Posted on November 11, 2014 | Leave a comment

A little more than a year ago we wrote a few posts about the Protestant Cemetery in Jerusalem where several well know persons are buried. These include Horatio Spafford, the author of “It is Well With My Soul,” and several famous archaeologists. See here. Use the search box to locate more articles about the cemetery.

We also reported on the vandalism of the cemetery here. In most instances this consisted of crosses being broken from their base.

The Jerusalem University College, on whose campus the cemetery is situated, reports now that the Society for the Preservation and Restoration of Israel Heritage Sites recently restored the grave markers. See their Facebook page with more photos here.

Restoring damaged tomb stones in the Protestant Cemetery.

Restoring damaged tomb stones in the Protestant Cemetery.

HT: Rebekah Dutton

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Graves vandalized on Mount of Olives

Posted on October 1, 2014 | Leave a comment

According to The Times of Israel more than 40 graves have been vandalized at the Mount of Olives cemetery. You may be able to access the short article here.

Jewish graves on the Mount of Olives. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Jewish graves on the Mount of Olives. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The western slope of the Mount of Olives is filled with Jewish graves. Numerous Moslem graves can be seen along the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. Our next photo shows many of the graves on the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley. Look along the wall of the Old City for Muslim graves, with a large number visible at the right of the photo (near the Lion Gate).

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Vandalism of graves is not new. We have reported on vandalized graves in the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion here and here, and the Midras Ruins rolling stone tomb from the Roman period here.

We have also called attention to fake tombs near the Temple Mount here.

In either case, it is sad.

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More on the Vandalization of the Protestant Cemetery in Jerusalem

Posted on October 10, 2013 | 5 comments

This is a brief follow-up on our report here of the vandalization of the Protestant Cemetery. Trent Dutton, “Our man in Jerusalem”, reports that once AP released a story about the vandalism, several Middle East and American news outlets have come to the cemetery for photographs, and have re-posted the story.

Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/09/vandals-damage-graves-in-jerusalem-in-latest-attack-against-christians/?intcmp=latestnews

Washington Times: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/9/jerusalem-grave-vandals-set-christians-edge/

Ma’an News (Jordanian) discusses this in the context of the general problem faced by some Arabs: http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=634823

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GY6D02dksI

The aerial photo below shows the Church of the Dormitian, the Catholic, Armenian, and Greek cemeteries in the upper left portion. Along the bottom of the photo, overlooking the road along the south of the Old City where it joins with the Hebron Road, is the Jerusalem University College. The Protestant Cemetery can be seen among the trees just above our copyright notice. Click on the photo for a larger image.

Aerial photo of the Protestant Cemetery. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Aerial photo of the Protestant Cemetery. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

You can probably see that it would be rather easy for one to enter the cemetery from the road below.

HT: Trent Dutton

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Posted in Bible Lands, Bible Places, Church History, Israel, Photography, Travel

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Vandalism in Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion

Posted on October 3, 2013 | 6 comments

A little over a year ago I visited the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Shortly thereafter a series of articles were posted about some of the persons buried there. See here for Spafford; here for Starkey; here for Schick; here for Fisher.

My friends Trent and Rebekah are currently students at the Jerusalem University College that adjoins the cemetery. In fact, one enters the locked cemetery gate through JUC property. Unfortunately, it would be possible for a person to enter the cemetery from the southwest corner where there is no fence.

Trent reports vandalism of some of the tombs with crosses last Sunday.

I’m sure you know of the “price tag” policy and campaign. [Yes, see here.]

At some point on Sunday, not sure exactly when, vandals said to be associated with a Price Tag group entered the cemetery (not hard to do from the back/side) and smashed multiple tombstones which were bearing crosses. They also damaged at least one tombstone with Arabic writing.  I checked all the graves which you have written about on the blog (at least what I could find on the blog).  The only grave with damage seemed to be Clarence Fisher.  After talking with Dr. Wright, he says this tombstone was actually damaged in a similar attack about six months ago (photo attached).  The stone has been set back somewhat upright on the grave.

The incident on Sunday was incorrectly reported by some outlets as the nearby Catholic Cemetery.

Here is Trent’s photo of the broken headstone over Clarence Fisher’s grave.

Tomb of Clarence Fisher vandalized in Protestant Cemetery.

Tomb of Clarence Fisher vandalized in Protestant Cemetery.

Another photo shows damage to the tomb of Edmund Schmidt, a German consul to Jerusalem.

Vandalized tomb of Edmund Schmidt.

Vandalized tomb of Edmund Schmidt.

In browsing my photos of September, 2012, I noticed that the cross on this tomb had already been broken and poorly repaired. In the photo above you will see the three pieces of the cross to the left of the headstone.

Tomb of Edmund Schmidt, September, 2012. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tomb of Edmund Schmidt, September, 2012. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

I also noticed that numerous crosses had been broken.

When we destroy that of which we are ignorant we reflect lack of appreciation of any history. It happens all over the world. If we destroy that with which we disagree, what will happen when someone disagrees with us?

The apostle Paul spoke of himself as one who previously destroyed what he presently was rebuilding.

For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. (Gal 2:18 ESV)

Ynet reports here and here the arrest of four Jewish youths in this episode.

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Clarence Stanley Fisher — Armageddon

Posted on February 27, 2013 | 1 comment

Clarence Stanley Fisher was trained as an architect at the University of Pennsylvania in his hometown of Philadelphia. He became involved in archaeology at Nippur, Iraq (the region of ancient Sumer). Later he worked with George Andrew Reisner at Giza, Egypt, and then at Samaria from 1908 to 1910. This expedition, sponsored by Harvard, was the first American excavation in Palestine. After a short time back at Giza, he excavated at Beth Shan (Beit She’an), a dig sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania.

Fisher received an invitation from the University of Chicago to work at Megiddo, a work funded by the Rockefeller family. This excavation continued from 1933 to 1939, but fisher stopped working at the site after two years because of bad health.

The Megiddo excavations were recounted by Fisher under the title The Excavation of Armageddon, a work published by the University of Chicago Press with a foreword written by James Henry Breasted. This work is available at Google Books.

From 1936 to the time of his unexpected death in 1941, Fisher served as Professor of Archaeology at the American Schools of Oriental Research in Jerusalem (now the Albright Institute).

Fisher is buried at the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.

Grave marker for Clarence Stanley Fisher. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Grave marker for Clarence Stanley Fisher. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

The brief information I have included here is summarized from a brief article by Milton C. Fisher in Bible and Spade 6:2 (Spring 1993). I get the impression that Milton is not related to Clarence. Milton Fisher cites two comments about C. S. Fisher that I wish to quote here.

W. F. Albright described Fisher as “an archaeological genius of no mean quality.”

Nelson Glueck wrote the following at the time of his death:

“The company of his friends misses him sorely. The host of those who loved him for his goodness of heart and humility of spirit will cherish the memory of this gentle man, whose last pilgrimage was to Nazareth, and whose final resting place is in Jerusalem.”

I find it fascinating to see so many well-known names associated with Fisher when Americans and American institutions were actively working in the Middle East.

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Conrad Schick — architect, explorer, model builder

Posted on February 25, 2013 | 3 comments

Conrad Schick was born in Switzerland and first came to Jerusalem with a group of men who planned to teach the local young people vocational trades. This group soon disintegrated, and Schick eventually married Friederike Dubler, a German missionary.

Schick became well known as an architect and city planner. He also became involved with some of the late 19th century explorers. He surveyed significant parts of the Old City, and built models of the temple mount and other structures in Jerusalem to use in teaching.

Schick and his wife are buried in the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion.

Grave marker for Conrad and Frederike Schick. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Grave marker for Conrad and Frederike Schick. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Epitaphs are often fascinating. This grave stone includes two Scriptures in German.

… for they have wholly followed the LORD (Numbers 32:12)

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem … (Hebrews 12:22)

The short lane leading from Nablus Road to the Garden Tomb is named for Conrad Shick [Schick].

Conrad Schick Street leads to the Garden Tomb. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Conrad Shick Street leads to the Garden Tomb. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tom Powers has prepared an article about Conrad Schick, and I have made use of it in this post. The entire paper is fascinating. See here.

There is also a page devoted to Schick here.

Special Note: If you have any interest in the American Colony, and other people buried in this cemetery, please take a look at the comments by Tom Powers (Outremer) following the two earlier posts about the Spaffords.

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James Leslie Starkey, excavator of Lachish

Posted on February 21, 2013 | 4 comments

James Leslie Starkey was born in London January 3, 1895. He became interested in ancient history by reading books such as Layard’s Nineveh and Its Remains. He took a course in Egyptology and came in contact with Flinders Petrie. Later he worked with Petrie in Egypt.

Starkey joined Petrie in the excavation at Tell Jemmeh, then at Tell el Far’ah (South) in southern Palestine, where he directed the dig during the final season.

In 1932 Starkey began his own dig at Tell ed-Duwer, identified as biblical Lachish. During his six years at the site, one of the more significant finds was the Lachish Letters which date to the period of the end of the Babylonian conquest of Judah, during the time of the prophet Jeremiah.

While on his way to Jerusalem in January 1938, for the opening of the new Palestine Archaeological (Rockefeller) Museum, Starkey was shot in an ambush.

Starkey was buried in the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion. Four years later the body of his former mentor, Flinders Petrie, was laid to rest a few yards away.

Tomb of James Leslie Starkey, excavator of Lachish. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tomb of James Leslie Starkey, excavator of Lachish. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

I found that information about Starkey is somewhat limited. Much of the info here has been gleaned from a page about Starkey on The Palestine Exploration Fund web site here. There you will see a photograph of Starkey with Petrie, and Olga Tufnell who spent twenty years to complete the four volumes of the Lachish Excavation Reports.

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