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The Kidron Valley (classical transliteration, ''Cedron'', from (ヘブライ語:נחל קדרון), ''Naḥal Qidron''; also Qidron Valley; (アラビア語:وادي الجوز), ''Wadi al-Joz'' for the upper segment near the Temple Mount, and ''Wadi an-Nar'' for the rest of it) is the valley on the eastern side of The Old City of Jerusalem, separating the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. It continues east through the Judean Desert, towards the Dead Sea, descending 4000 feet along its 20 mile course. The settlement Kedar, located on a ridge above the valley, is named after it. The neighborhood of Wadi al-Joz bears the valley's Arabic name.〔Goffart, Walter. After Rome’s Fall. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998.〕 The Hebrew Bible calls it ''Emek Yehoshafat'', the "Valley of Jehoshaphat". It appears in Jewish eschatologic prophecies, which include the return of Elijah, followed by the arrival of the Messiah, and the War of Gog and Magog and Judgment Day.〔 The central point of reference for the Kidron Valley is its confluence of Jerusalem’s richest concentration of rock-hewn tombs. This area, located on the periphery of the village Silwan, was one of the main burial grounds of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period.〔Hachlili, Rachel. Jewish Funerary Customs, Practices and Rites in the Second Temple Period. Boston: Brill, Leiden, 2005.〕 Several of these tombs were also used later in time, either as burial or as shelters for hermits and monks of the large monastic communities, which inhabited the Kidron Valley.〔Goodman, Martin. Jews in a Graeco-Roman World. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998.〕 The ancient tombs in this area attracted the attention of ancient travelers, most notably Benjamin of Tudela. A constant source of confusion is the fact that the modern name "Kidron Valley" (''Nahal Kidron'' in Hebrew) applies to the entire length of a long wadi, which starts north of the Old City of Jerusalem and ends at the Dead Sea, while the biblical names ''Nahal Kidron'', ''Emek Yehoshafat'', ''King’s Valley'' etc. might refer to certain parts of this valley located in the immediate vicinity of ancient Jerusalem, but not to the entire wadi, and certainly not to the long segment crossing the Judean desert. Similarly, in Arabic every more substantial wadi has many names, each applied to a certain distinct segment of its course. ==Influence of the Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela== There is no general account of the Mediterranean world or of the Middle East in this period which approaches that of Benjamin of Tudela in importance, whether for Jewish or for general history. Most of his record written in the 12th century is concise and clear, presumably only a précis of the ampler material he brought back with him. He indicates the distances between the various towns he visited, tells who stood at the head of the Jewish synagogal communities, and who were the most notable scholars.〔Adler, Marcus Nathan. The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela. London: Oxford University Press, 1907.〕 He gives the number of Jews he found in each place, though it is not clear in many instances whether he is speaking of individuals or of householders, and in some cases such as Baghdad, the figures seem to be exaggerated. This may be due to the corrupt state of the text as we now have it. He notes economic conditions, describing the activity of merchants from various lands in Barcelona, Montpellier, and Alexandria, and speaking frequently of the occupations of the Jews – the dyers in Brindisi, the silkweavers in Thebes, the tanners in Constantinople, and the glassworkers in Aleppo and Tyre.〔 He was deeply interested in Jewish scholarship, and his account of intellectual life in Provence and Baghdad is of singular importance, as is his characterization of the organization of synagogal life in Egypt. Sects, too, engage his attention, not only the Samaritans in Palestine, but also the Karaites in Constantinople and a heretical sect in Cyprus, which he relates, observed the Sabbath from dawn to dawn.〔 His somewhat highly colored account of the Assassins of Lebanon and of the Ghuzz Turks are primary historical sources, and he is said to be the first European of modern times to mention China by the present name.〔 The importance of the work can be gauged from the fact that it has been translated into almost every language of Europe, and is used as a primary source book by all medieval historians. The Itinerary maintains a parallel track throughout with respect to Jewish sovereignty and the Kidron Valley area. It is the main historical document used by modern archeologists and historians to identify the Kidron Valley and its historical significance. Historians also glean information regarding cultural settlement patterns and Jewish societal norms from this text. When Benjamin narrates his travels among the Jews in Damascus, the lists of communal elders diminish. This fact would coincide with the traditions of the Middle Eastern communities that held a more hierarchic code of government. In several communities we meet individuals with the honorific title, Nasi, or “Prince.” This title seems to indicate that its bearer ascribed his family lineage to the house of King David. The function of these men was governance of the community. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Kidron Valley」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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