Shrine from the Bible sealed up by Jesus' ancestor is OPENED for the first time in 3,000 years
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A place of worship sealed up by the ancestors of Jesus has been discovered in the ancient heart of Jerusalem, frozen in time for nearly 3,000 years. Carved into the rock near Temple Mount, the structure comprises eight rooms, containing an altar, a sacred standing stone, and presses for olive oil and wine.
![[Carved into the rock near Temple Mount, the structure comprises eight rooms, containing an altar, a sacred standing stone, and presses for olive oil and wine]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94158395-14291409-image-a-57_1737021260978.jpg)
And experts believe its destruction may have featured in the Bible, which describes how Hezekiah – one of Jesus' ancestors – smashed idolatrous places of worship. This was one such place, according to Eli Shukron, exacavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), who dated it to Hezekiah's reign.
![[Experts believe its destruction may have featured in the Bible, which describes how Hezekiah – one of Jesus' ancestors – smashed idolatrous places of worship]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94158397-14291409-image-a-58_1737021270631.jpg)
He said: 'The structure ceased to function during the 8th century BC, possibly as part of king Hezekiah's religious reform. 'According to the Bible, Hezekiah sought to centralise worship at the temple in Jerusalem, abolishing the ritual sites scattered across the kingdom.
![[This was a place of worship, according to Eli Shukron, exacavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), who dated it to Hezekiah's reign]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94158389-14291409-image-a-61_1737021340234.jpg)
'The Bible describes how, during the First Temple period, additional ritual sites operated outside the temple. 'It says two kings of Judah – Hezekiah and Josiah – implemented reforms to eliminate these sites and concentrate worship at the temple.'. A place of worship sealed up by the ancestors of Jesus has been discovered in the ancient heart of Jerusalem , frozen in time for nearly 3,000 years.
![['The Bible describes how, during the First Temple period, additional ritual sites operated outside the temple,' Eli Shukron said]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94158393-14291409-image-a-59_1737021287529.jpg)
Carved into the rock near Temple Mount, the structure comprises eight rooms, containing an altar, a sacred standing stone, and presses for olive oil and wine. Experts believe its destruction may have featured in the Bible, which describes how Hezekiah – one of Jesus' ancestors – smashed idolatrous places of worship.
![[Archaeologists also found a hoard of artifacts from the 8th century BC, sealed behind a stone wall in a cave. These included cooking pots, jars with fragments of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, loom weights, scarabs, stamped seals with decorative motifs, and grinding stones used for crushing grains]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/16/09/94158387-14291409-image-a-60_1737021302444.jpg)
