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| THE DOME OF THE ROCK |
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Probable site of the Astarte shrine of Solomon's Sidonian queen. |
View from the
South with site map |
The
proposed sites of Israel's ancient Temple Sanctuary:
Northern Site - A Traditional Site - B Southern Site - C The Southern Site (C)
best accords with Biblical and Talmudic data and the latest archaeological
research, in contradiction to the traditional site (B). This Southern Site lies under a grove of trees north of the Al Aksa Mosque and therefore does not conflict with present day Islamic holy sites. |
Site B:
Infrared photography
reveals the pentagonal shape (typical of Astarte shrines) of the outer perimeter
of the rock under the paving. This indicates that the Rock is probably the
site of Solomon's shrine to Astarte (Ashteroth) the female deity of Zidon,
the religion of the princess whom Solomon married, and allowed the worship
of (1 Kings 11:33). |
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| Credit
must be given to Tuvia Zagiv of Israel for his extensive research!
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| Some Food For Thought: | Jerusalem Site Today |
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| "Pompey himself
filled up the ditch that was on the north side of the temple, and the
entire valley also, the army itself being obliged to carry the materials
for that purpose. And indeed it was a hard thing to fill up that valley,
by reason of its immense depth"
(Josephus, Wars I.7). |
"For
Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians ..." (1Kings 11:5) "Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." (Ezekiel 8:14) |
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"And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile." (2 Kings 23:13). |
Then He said to me, 'Son of man, lift up your eyes now toward the north.' So I lifted up my eyes toward the north, and behold, north of the altar gate, in the entrance, was this image of jealousy. And He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from My sanctuary?'." (Ez.8:5-6) |
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