Devotional Trip – Day 8, Site 6 ... Lions Gate & Herod’s Gate

Read: Acts 6:8–8:1 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/acts/6.html)
Sing: Lift Up Your Head, Ye Mighty Gates, UMH 213
 
Lions Gate (Saint Stephen’s Gate)
The Lions Gate is the only open gate facing east toward the Mount of Olives. It stands adjacent to the Muslim Quarter of The Old City. The "lions" carved on both sides of the gate are actually panthers, the symbol of the Mamluk Sultan Baybars (1223-1277). The panthers were believed to have been part of a Mamluki structure and placed at the gate by Suleiman to commemorate the Ottoman victory over the Mamluks in 1517.
 
This is also called Saint Stephen’s Gate because tradition says that Stephen was taken through this gate in order to be stoned. During Jesus’ time the gate in this area was known as the Sheep Gate because this is where the sheep sacrificed in the Temple were brought into the city.
 
Herod’s Gate                                                                 
 Herod's Gate is located at the northeast corner of Jerusalem's Old City between Damascus Gate and Lion's Gate, adjoining the Muslim Quarter. It is also called the Flower Gate because of the intricate stone design above the gate, and the Sheep's Gate because of the animal market held outside of the gate.
 
The name "Herod's Gate" was based on the belief that King Herod's palace was located near the site. In fact, the gate was a modest entrance until the 1870s when the Turks built the more impressive gate to give access to neighborhoods north of the Old City.