Dr. Gershon Bar-Cochva, a researcher from Hebron, has just released a new article which examines the mystery of where the original gates of the Tomb of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs complex were located, if any existed at all. Titled, The Mystery of the Herodian Gates in the Cave of Machpela Complex in Hebron, it explores how the structure which sits atop the Cave of Machpela looked when King Herod the Great constructed it over 2,000 years ago.
The ancient site has been revered as the burial place of the Biblical founding fathers and mothers for generations and is one of the oldest still-standing structures still being used for the purpose for which it was built.
“Carbon 14 tests confirmed what was widely accepted in research: that the Cave of the Patriarchs complex was built by Herod the Great,” Dr. Bar-Cochva stated. But he added that it was still an open question as to whether or not there was an original Herodian gate, and if so, was it located where visitors enter today?
“After re-examining the historical sources, locating new inscriptions, direct contact with the gates from unfamiliar directions and exposing layers of plaster… two of the three existing openings in the wall are original,” he determined.
“The search for monumental gates such as those on the Temple Mount, as well as ancient literary evidence, have contributed to incorrect understandings regarding the dating of the known and existing openings in the Cave of the Patriarchs complex,” Dr. Bar-Cochva asserted. He explained that although the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron were built in a similar style, by the same person, during the same period, they did not attract the same volume of worshipers. While the Temple Mount received a large amount of Jews on the three pilgrimage festivals, the Cave of Machpela did not have regular, set times in which to visit and thus did not necessitate large gates.
The article contains photos, charts and computer renditions of what the Maarat HaMachpela structure may have looked like when first erected.
Dr. Bar-Cochba is the author of several books on the history of Hebron. He also co-authored in English titled A Temple in Flames: The Epic Story of the Final Battle for Jerusalem.
