7. The 'Finger of Og' or the 'Herod's Pillar' (1st century BC?)

In the heart of downtown Jerusalem near the Russian compound, but not far from the Jaffa Gate of Old City there is an impressive artifact. A colossal 12 m (40 ft) long monolithic column made of Jerusalem Stone dating from the Second Temple Period lies there in a fenced trench. This cracked column was discovered in 1871. Archaeologists believe that the site used to be a quarry in ancient times and the column was abandoned since it was cracked during quarrying.

It is widely presumed that the column was meant for one of King Herod’s (1^st century BC) colossal building projects in Jerusalem, probably for the colonnades of Jerusalem Temple itself. Alternate views suggest the column was meant for a building in the time of Theodosius I (4^th century AD) or to support the roof of the magnificent 6^th century ‘Nea Church’ of Jerusalem built by Justinian I.

An interesting legend associated with the pillar is that it represents the ‘finger bone of Og', King of Bashan. In Bible, Og was an Amorite giant-king of Bashan killed by Joshua (9:10). “King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah” (Dueteronomy 3:11, NLT). Some assume that "the Amorite" mentioned in the Book of Amos refer to Og, “whose height was like the height of the cedars and whose strength was like the oaks” (Amos 2:9).

Location: At Shne’ur Kheshin Street, between the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral and the Regional Police Headquarters of Jerusalem. The pillar is inside a trench just in front of the Police Headquarters. It takes only 10 minutes to walk from Jaffa Gate to the Russian Compound which lies approximately 1 km North West.

Date: December 17, 2009