| |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
As you celebrated
Easter this year, did you recall your Jerusalem walk
along the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa?
(If you haven't been yet to Jerusalem, I imagine
this walk is certainly on your list of "must do" s.)
Do you remember visiting "Pilate's Judgment Hall"
and then being jostled by the bustling crowds of
shoppers, pilgrims
and vendors while imaging Jesus falling under the
weight of the cross as he heads for Calvary? |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
|
American pilgrims carrying a
cross as they walk along the Via Dolorosa |
| |
| And do you have a
memory of Veronica? |
| |
| As Easter
approaches every year, the most searched for phrase on my
website is "Veronica wipes the face of Jesus bible
verse." As I note this most popular search
item, I always laugh to myself, thinking, "Good luck
finding a Bible verse about Veronica!" In
fact, there is no such woman in the Gospels.
Veronica is a fourteenth century legend spun around
an earlier Christian icon. The name simply means "true" (vera
in Latin) "image" (icon in Greek). |
| |
|
 |
|
Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
|
Facade of Station Six where
"Veronica wiped Jesus' face" |
| |
| Station number six
on the Via Dolorosa, however, marks the site of the
home of Veronica, that noble Jerusalem matron who
came forward with a linen cloth in her hands to wipe
the dust and blood off Jesus' face. Tradition
has it that she was the nameless woman who was
twelve years under an issue of blood who had been
cured by touching the fringe of Jesus' garment while
he was being thronged by the multitudes at
Capernaum. (Luke 8) In persistent gratitude,
she followed Jesus afterwards, wherever he went. |
| |
| As she wiped Jesus'
forehead, the image of his face became imprinted
upon the cloth. News of this phenomenon allegedly
spread all the way to Rome where the emperor
Tiberias summoned her. Legend has it, that
just by looking upon the image of Jesus' face upon
the linen cloth, Tiberias was cured of his
affliction. Thereafter, the handkerchief
acquired the name, "The Veronica," i.e. the "true
image." Later, as the rumor of its miraculous
qualities went viral, the handkerchief popularly
became known as "Veronica's handkerchief." |
| |
|
 |
|
Veronica's Pouch where she
may have kept her handkerchief! |
| |
| And what happened to
that handkerchief? |
| |
| Here's
Mark
Twain's take, during his 1867 holy land
pilgrimage: |
| |
| "We crossed a
street, and came presently to the former residence
of St. Veronica. When the Savior passed there, she
came out, full of womanly compassion, and spoke
pitying words to him, undaunted by the hootings and
the threatenings of the mob, and wiped the
perspiration from his face with her handkerchief. |
| |
| We had heard so much
of St. Veronica, and seen her picture by so many
masters, that it was like meeting an old friend
unexpectedly to come upon her ancient home in
Jerusalem. The strangest thing about the
incident that has made her name so famous, is, that
when she wiped the perspiration away, the print of
the Savior's face remained upon the handkerchief, a
perfect portrait, and so remains unto this day. |
| |
| We knew this,
because we saw this handkerchief in a cathedral in
Paris, in another in Spain, and in two others in
Italy. In the Milan cathedral it costs five
francs to see it, and at St. Peter's, at Rome, it is
almost impossible to see it at any price. No
tradition is so amply verified as this of St.
Veronica and her handkerchief." |
| |
| This fourteenth
century legend of
Veronica's handkerchief was even incorporated in the
2004 film, The Passion of the Christ. As one
of my favorite pastors puts it, "It's not in the
book, but it's definitely in the movie!" |
|
|
|
 |
|
Photo: Gila
Yudkin |
|
Jerusalem street sign for the Via
Dolorosa, or Way of the Cross |
| |
| Today, Via Dolorosa
station number six is managed by the order of the
Little Sisters of Jesus who hand-craft simple wooden
icons of Veronica holding a handkerchief with the
image of Jesus' face. It's quite the spiritual
token of affection for a Catholic friend. |
| |
Walk the Temple Mount with Abraham and
Isaac, David and Solomon, Jesus and the
disciples, Mohammed and the angel Gabriel
with
Gila's
Temple Mount audio tour on MP3 or
CD.
Gila's Temple Mount tour
is now also available as a written
24-page PDF with a
Temple Mount plan,
guidelines for passing the security check
and ten recommended reads on the
Temple Mount from Gila's bookshelves.
|
| When you come to
Jerusalem, you will encounter lots of legends and
traditions enmeshed within the historical biblical
sites. Let's not sneeze at them. They
add a memorable layer of color and contour (and fun)
to your biblical journey. |
| |
|
Copyright 2012, 2015 Gila Yudkin. Permission
needed for any reuse. |
| |
| |
|
You are probably familiar with other holy icons such
as the true cross, the Holy Grail, and the shroud of
Turin. But are you familiar with holy land
icons such as the menorah, the Jerusalem cross, the
shofar and St. Peter's fish? If not, you may
want to check out
Holy Land Icons. |
|
| |
|
More Holy Land Heroines |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Mary and Elizabeth |
Mary Magdalene |
Queen Mother Bathsheba |
|
| |
