The Cave of the Patriarchs - Machpelah. Hebron Israel
“Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants. So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout it whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city. After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah…” Genesis 23: 16 - 19
“Thus his [Jacob] sons did for him as he had commanded them, for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place” Genesis 50:12-13
The massive Herodian structure built over the cave of the patriarchs in Hebron, the Machpelah, looms over everything around it. Herod the Great built this imposing enclosure over the burial caves of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah - a site that had been venerated for many generations already and still is today. A site important to Jews, Muslims and Christians. As you look at the massive ashlar stones with the border dressing, it feels as though you are looking at the Temple Mount, especially the tunnel tour of the foundation stones. Originally, this structure was an enclosure with a paved stone floor (which you can still see inside the Mosque side today) and entirely open to the air. The care and use of the structure has changed many times over the centuries depending upon who was in control of the area. There has been a byzantine Christian basilica, a Mosque, a Crusader Church, and back to a Mosque and now the building is divided between a Synagogue and a Mosque in the West Bank city. There are numerous sad stories of tension leading to tragedy at this site in modern times. Our pictures are rather poor because frankly it was an uncomfortable and tense visit. We cannot imagine living in the heart such tension and definitely felt like intruders and voyeurs in both the Mosque and the Synagogue. Underlying all of that is a definite feeling of being in a sacred place.
Up until the 1100’s AD, pilgrims were allowed into the caves. Now there are cenotaphs - memorials - set above the caves and no one has been permitted entrance for decades. The last time anyone ventured into the caves was in 1981 and it was a clandestine venture. Some pottery was removed and it was analyzed 30 or so years later and said to be from the 8th century BC. Of course it is all questionable when the modern visits to the cave been secretive. In the early 1100’s AD, monks visited the cave and reported finding bones. The two known cave entrances are now sealed.
In the pictures of the Mosque side, you’ll see that it was once a basilica. There is a picture showing stone paving original to Heriod’s late 1st century BC construction. The brick tiny house like structures surround the cenotaphs of Issac and Rebekah. There is an ornate Muslim Minbar (pulpit with stairs) next to the mihrab (niche that faces Mecca). Some of the columns are from the time that this part of the building was a Crusader church. There is a stone canopy and light that cover one of the cave entrances. The Synagogue and the Mosque share a wall that allows both sides to view the cenotaphs of Abraham and Sarah. Pilgrims of every historical period have written about their visits to this site - interesting reading.
Next time we manage to get to Israel, we hope to visit the Mamre site and the remains of the Constantinian church west of the Machpelah.
Cave of the Patriarchs - The Machpelah
