Bible Hill (Hebrew:גבעת התנ"ך,translit:Givat Hatanach) is an exposed hill ofurban wildlife andarchaeology nearthe Old City of Jerusalem. TheChurch of St. Andrews is situated on the northern slope of the hill beside a complex ofburial caves from theFirst Temple period.
Bible hill is situated on Jerusalem's topographicdrainage divide line. Thus, rainfall to west of the hill drains through theValley of Refaim which eventually leads to theMediterranean Sea whereas rainfall to the east of the hill flows through theBen Hinnom gorge andKidron Valley to theDead Sea. The top of the hill is ~750m above sea level, with panoramic views towards theJudean Desert,Mount of Olives,Mount Zion and the Old City of Jerusalem.
As it is mostly undeveloped, Bible Hill is one of fewurban nature sites in Jerusalem, home to many blossoming wild flowers and animals. In September, the hill is filled withcommon sedge, followed bymeadow saffron. Towards spring blossoms ofcommon anemone andSenecio vernalis fill the hill followed by thedwarf iris. In summer, the hill turns yellow and is filled with thorns, including blueEchinops. A variety of animals live or visit the hill including butterflies and songbirds such asswallows andmountain partridges.
The northern slope of the hill has been excavated by the archaeologistGabriel Barkai where he discovered the famedKetef Hinnom scrolls in a burial cave complex from the First Temple period. Barkai named the area "Shoulder of Hinnom" based on a verse in thebook of Joshua (15:8) describing the borders of thetribe of Judah: "And the border went up the valley of the son of Hinnom along the shoulder of the Jebusite southward, which is Jerusalem, and the border went up to the top of the mountain which faces the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of Rephaim northward".
According to the preeminent biblical scholarDr. James D. Tabor, Bible Hill could possibly be the site of the historicalGolgotha where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified two thousand years ago.[1]
On the top of the hill there are several remains of more modern looking buildings, suggested to have been used for the nearbytrain station.
The name 'Bible Hill', first appeared in the 1960s following a proposal by the Society for the Study of the Bible, backed by the formerPrime Minister of Israel,David Ben-Gurion, to build an international bible center on the hill top. The plans were not realized due to financing difficulties and the hill was left in its natural state.
In 2009 a plan to build a large hotel on the hill proposed by the land's owner, theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, was rejected by the municipality. The Patriarchate then sold the land to Kronti Investment Holdings,[2] for the relatively small sum of 7 million shekels. The company's current proposal to build a 6-story hotel on the hill has aroused many objections. TheBritish embassy have objected the plan in relation to its proximity to the ScottishSt Andrew's Church, as well the adjacentEyal Fortress (Qasr al Asfur), which was used for over 50 years as the offices of the British Consulate in Jerusalem. Other objections have come from nature and conservation organizations, architects as well as local residents.[3]
31°46′05″N35°13′31″E / 31.7681°N 35.2254°E /31.7681; 35.2254