The steps are quite steep, and I, for one, would not wish to climb them
with such a weight as the cross on my back. In the Jerusalem of today, the
site which commemorates Jesus falling the second time is right in the
heart of the Arab souk [open-air market] in the old city. The alleyways are quite narrow and
very crowded, and many of them are quite steep and treacherous
underfoot. Of course, we know that these food shops and souvenir shops
were not here all those years ago, but the hill was here, even before the souk. For as one journeys
the Via Dolorosa, all you do is climb and climb. Because it was on a hill that Jesus was crucified,
and if you have the weight of the cross on your shoulders, it is the real long and winding road,
and it really is hard underfoot.
Reprinted with permission of Dominic Barrington and Paul Kennington.
The steps are quite steep, and I, for one, would not wish to climb them
with such a weight as the cross on my back. In the Jerusalem of today, the
site which commemorates Jesus falling the second time is right in the
heart of the Arab souk [open-air market] in the old city. The alleyways are quite narrow and
very crowded, and many of them are quite steep and treacherous
underfoot. Of course, we know that these food shops and souvenir shops
were not here all those years ago, but the hill was here, even before the souk. For as one journeys
the Via Dolorosa, all you do is climb and climb. Because it was on a hill that Jesus was crucified,
and if you have the weight of the cross on your shoulders, it is the real long and winding road,
and it really is hard underfoot.