Triumphal entry into Jerusalem

All Jewish males are obliged to ascend to Jerusalem for the three pilgrimage festivals. The sabbath prior to Passover is called the Great Sabbath in Judaism, and it is when each household or community sets apart a Passover lamb. Passover celebrates God's deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt. By the early post-exilic period, according to Robin Routledge, celebration of Passover had become a "pilgrim feast, centered on the Jerusalem temple." == Scholarly interpretation ==

There is a general agreement among scholars that Jesus did enter Jerusalem and was acclaimed by his supporters. All four canonical Gospels contain an account of the triumphal entry, which according to Ehrman, passes the criterion of multiple attestation in order to (re)construct the historical Jesus. As ancient histories and biographies could display flexibility when reporting events, each gospel tells separate accounts with differences while lining up with the writing practices of antiquity. Bart D. Ehrman agreed that the Gospel of Matthew misunderstood Zechariah 9:9, which states "[Your king comes] riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." This repetition is a Hebrew poetic figure of speech which says the same thing twice in different words, but Matthew accidentally turned this into two separate animals which Jesus rode simultaneously instead of one donkey which is described twice. This, of course, does not mean that the act was without consequences: Jesus was in fact arrested a few days later by the Jewish authorities and among the accusations brought against Him there was also that of having proclaimed Himself "King of the Jews" and of having incited a revolt. Paula Fredriksen underlines that "the entry and the execution fit each other precisely: Jesus parades into the city before Passover like a king (); and He is executed by Pilate as if He had, indeed, claimed to be one ()". == Religious significance ==

King of peace Bethany was located east of Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives. states that the Messiah would come to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives: refers to a passage from Book of Zechariah and states: "All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." Though Jesus had been to Jerusalem several times to celebrate the three pilgrimage festivals, his final entry into Jerusalem had a special meaning. He was solemnly entering as a humble King of peace. Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolizes arrival in peace, rather than as a war-waging king arriving on a horse. Twentieth-century British scholar William Neil stated, "Our Lord enacts his first messianic symbol by entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. This, as Zechariah had depicted, was the means by which Messiah when he came would enter Zion, not as a conqueror upon a warhorse but as the prince of peace upon a humble beast of burden." N. T. Wright has said, "Within his own time and culture, [Jesus] riding on a donkey over the Mount of Olives, across Kidron, and up to the Temple mount spoke more powerfully than words could have done of a royal claim. The allusion to Zechariah is obvious. ... The so-called 'triumphal entry' was thus clearly messianic." The Golden Gate is located in the north section of the east wall of the Temple Mount. In Jewish belief, the gate is called 'The Gate of Mercy' (''Sha'ar HaRakhamim''), and is considered to be the place from which the Messiah will enter in the end of days. According to Jewish tradition, the Shekhinah (שכינה) (Divine Presence) used to appear through the eastern Gate, and will appear again when the Anointed One (Messiah) comes (Ezekiel 44:1–3) The prophecy referred to by Matthew recalls ("Exult greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! Behold: your king is coming to you, a just savior is he, Humble, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.") At the proclamation of Jehu as King of Israel in 2 Kings 9:11–13, "in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, "Jehu is king". The triumphal entry and the use of palm branches resemble the celebration of Jewish liberation in , which states: "And entered into it ... with thanksgiving, and branches of palm trees, and with harps, and cymbals, and with viols, and hymns, and songs." Christian writers John Chrysostom commented that Jesus "had so often gone up to Jerusalem, [but] He never however had done so in such a conspicuous manner as now. 17th-century French bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet called this episode the "humble entry ... into Jerusalem". == See also ==