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The Kidron Valley
Site 40: The Tomb of Bnei Hezir
The magnificent fa�ade of the burial cave of Bnei Hezir is entirely hewn out of the cliff. Flush with the cliff face are two columns of Doric style; the lintel above them bears a Hebrew inscription, stating: 'This is the tomb and the nefesh of Eleazar, Haniah, Joezer, Judah, Simeon, Johanan, sons of Joseph son of Obed; Joseph and Eleazar sons of Haniah; priests of Bnei Hezir'. The burial cave hewn behind the fa�ade is typical of Jewish tombs of the late Second Temple period (see 'Tombs and Buria
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Four burial chambers, containing loculi and arcosolia, branch off from the entrance chamber. The cave was cut into the rock, probably earlier than the inscription above the fa�cde; its style and plan date it to the 1st century BCE, whereas the style and the script of the inscription are typical of the early 1st century CE. The family of Hezir, referred to in the inscription, was known since First Temple times as one of the priestly courses (divisions) of the sons of Aaron, who served in the Temple (1 Chronicles 24:15). |
An open area in front of the tomb fa�cde can be reached through a stepped, rock-cut underground passage, which descends from the top of the cliff above the row of monuments. The top of this passage is accessible by a path climbing up from the bed of the Kidron Valley.
The Tomb of Bnei Hezir, like the nearby Cave of Jehoshaphat, had an elaborate monument (nefesh) north of the cave facade. However, only the lower part has survived; the pyramidal roof was probably destroyed after the Second Temple period. |
Christian tradition associates the site with St. James, who was hurled down from the Temple Mount wall to the Kidron Valley below and stoned to death for his faith. The site of the stoning was marked, till the early twentieth century, by a monolithic stone column opposite the Tomb of Bnei Hezir.
A rock-cut passage south (right) of the cave fa�ade leads to the Tomb of Zechariah. |
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