Our trip into the old city of Jerusalem began at the outer wall just south of the Jaffa Gate. The grassy field in front of the wall is full of picnickers on the Sabbath, but this Sunday, it was empty of anyone but us. The lowest layers of stone have a smooth margin on all sides, marking them as Herod’s wall built before the turn of the century. Twenty feet at most remain of this wall and those remains serve as the foundation for the Turkish wall and towers that were built 16 centuries later. Businesses and neighborhoods now cover the hills that swarmed with Roman legions in 70AD. The crumbled wall through which the Romans entered still juts up through the grass. The tranquil field and trees that now surround the rubble belie the terror and violence that broke through with the soldiers. What horrible stories of destruction and judgment those inanimate stones could tell if they were able.