Sacred Surveying In Jerusalem

By
Robert Kerson

4/11/2016

(in all these figures north is and south is down. Royal Cubit is abbreviated R.C. where 1 R.C. is
0.525 Meter)
The red line shows a major alignment discussed in my paper on the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher having evidence of the temples location. In brief, the northern edge of the 500 R.C.
Ritmeyer Square har ha biyet was in a direct line westward with the rock called Golgotha
within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This line can be divided into two segments: the 500
R.C. part shown as a solid red line, and a 817 R.C. remaining segment drawn as a red line with
hash marks. The total length of this line is 500 R.C. + 817 R.C. = 1317 R.C. (See Fig. 1. For the
following.)
Figure 1.

(see Fig. 2. For the following) The same distance seen in Fig. 1. reached the Basilica of Holy Zion
to the south so that the radius of a circle centered on Golgotha rock would reach the eastern
wall to the east and the Basilica of Holy Zion to the south. This line was very important. The
Basilica of Holy Zion was the structure where the present Canticle room of the last supper is
located. There is a niche by the side of the original apse aligned to the church of the Holy
Sepulcher, but not to any part of the temple mount. The red with hash marked line shown in
Fig. 2 is drawn so that the line passes through this niche, which today is a cenotaph venerated
as the supposed tomb of David. A close inspection of this niche shows it was aligned with the
tomb of the resurrection and not on Golgotha, but the angular distance from tomb to Golgotha
at the distance of this basilica from the holy sepulcher is tiny and hard to measure in ancient
times. I believe this niche was constructed to line up with Golgotha, for placement of torah

scrolls perhaps, since remember, Golgotha was a very sacred site in the surveying of the
temple. (If you read my paper on the holy sepulcher, you will see it would have marked the
limits for the placement of the execution ground nearby currently where the apse of
Constantines basilica would have been built.)
A red dashed line would create the base of an isosceles triangle whose apex was on
Golgotha Rock.
The extension of the line from the Basilica of Holy Zion through Golgotha Rock terminated on
the location of the main northern gate (the Gate to Sechem) in the northern wall of the city.
Here the two main cardo streets terminated at the northern gate of the city wall. This extension
is drawn as a dashed red line. There may at one time have been a column outside this gate
before a column was erected at a later time inside the gate as seen in Fig. 3. If so, then this line
would have been very close to the columns location (drawn as the final red dot outside the
gate.)
The dashed red line segment running from the eastern gate through the temple mount area
was the same length as the dashed red line segment from Golgotha Rock to the northern gate.

Figure 2.

(See Fig. 3. For the following) In Fig. 1. we saw the 817 R.C. segment drawn as a red
hashed line. In Fig. 3. can be seen other red hashed lines all of this same length. There are
patterns seen here which cannot be do to random change. All the gates of the forum areas (all
triumphal arches in the city) were on one end of lines whose other ends were on major
features.
1. An arch on the main road outside the main northern road to the city of Sachem
( DamascusNablus etc. )was built just outside this measured distance.
2. A small arch by the column measured to the north east corner of the 500 R.C. Ritmeyer
square junction of the solid red line segment with the hatched red line segment of Fig. 1.)

3. An arch into the main forum measured this same distance to the hole in the rock on the
temple mount. This would have been possible at the time when the temple was leveled and the
hole could have been exposed at time of Hadrians remodeling of the city.
4. The same distance existed from the southern most of three towers in the western wall of the
city by Herods palace to the same arch in point 3.
5. The same distance existed from the arch at the entrance of the eastern forum to the
southern terminus of the main Cardo (north- south street). This observation is very important
as it shows the very end of the cardo at the time this survey would have been taken. The north
eastern corner of the Roman solders camp would have been just to the south west of this
terminus point.

Figure 3.

(See Fig. 4. For the following) Again, all similar lines are of similar lengths. A few more lines are
added involving the southern part of the city. The cardo which ended in the previous figure,
was extended farther to the south. The 10th legion Fretensis camp was located to the west of
this extension. This is well documented and well known. What is not known is the contents of
Fig. 4. which shows a very definite pattern of survey possible after the area was cleared of all
structures. The cardo was extended southward the distance of 817 R.C. as in the previous
figure, where the arch by the eastern forum measured to the old southern terminus of the
cardo this distance. The same distance (817 R.C.) seen in all the previous figures as red lines
with hash marks, is the distance measured from the three towers on the curve by the main

western gate into the city, to the same point south of the cardo which became the new
extension to the cardo. In fact, the curve of the wall with these towers were on the radius of a
circle at this point where a new wall was built at this new terminus of the cardo at the point
labeled W.
The line from the southern tower (point T) to the terminus of the cardo at the wall (point W)
passed exactly through the location of where the chapel of Saint Menes was constructed. The
distance from point (T) to the church of Saint Menes (drawn as red stars) is the same distance
from point (W) to the bisecting camp road (also drawn as red stars).
This new bisecting road was built on the grounds of the Roman camp where the road crossed
the line coming from the center tower to point (W) at the lines exact half way point.
The distance of 816 R.C. runs from point (W) to the Pool of Siloama very significant
location in Jerusalem. These measures make it appear that the city was laid out by system of
measure. It seems reasonable to assume that these measurements were not used at any other
cities since the main line drawn in Fig. 1. was unique to this city and to this temple.
All blue dashed lines are the same length. Two lines, one of which terminates at Golgotha
Rock and the other terminates at the apse of the Nea Church. This connects the apse of this
church with the very important rock within the church of the Holy Sepulcure and the temples
hole in the rock. Two more blue dashed lines are as shown.
A few important facts emerge. All blue dashed lines were of similar lengths. Two lines
terminate on the same hole in the rock seen in the previous figure. One line terminates at
Golgotha Rock, and the other line terminates at the apse of the Nea Church. A triangle formed
from hole in rock, to Golgotha Rock to the apse in Nea Church back to hole in rock would have
been very close to an isosceles triangle. Very likely, it would have measured as one. The blue
dashed lines also can be seen in the distance from where a major red line intersected a road
within the area of the Roman Fortress running to the Rock of Golgotha and the same blue
dashed line distance ran from the same Golgotha Rock to the point on a line running from
Golgotha Rock to the necropolis associated with the entombment of the first martyr Saint
Steven currently at the Ecole Biblique, intersecting the road between the northern city gate and
the arch.
The line running from the point were the Decamanus (major east- west road) reached the
temples western wall to the apse of the Nea Church is this same distance, also the line running
from the southern end of the Cardo to the point were the road reached a wall northward was
also the same distance (drawn as blue dotted lines) .
The Nea church was the largest church in the city. Look at the lines in Fig. 4. The eastern end
of the church at the apse was located by the many lines measuring to this location. The western
end of the church as fixed by the cardo on which the front of the building was limited by. The
entire building would have been the space between these limitsa very large space.

The short red lines are the same length. We see it as the distance from the apse of the Nea
Church to the south west corner of Herods temple, and from the Jericho Gate (currently the
Lion Gate) in the eastern city wall to a venerated Tomb of the Virgin on the Mount of Olives.

Figure 4.