Tophet (hamlet)
Southern district of Jerusalem, infamously known. It was beyond the city wall, at the confluence of the valley of Gehenna (or Hinnom) and the Kidron.
Description
During his stays in Jerusalem, Jesus passes several times through this district, whose location Maria Valtorta perfectly situates in her descriptions. It is in a vision of Jesus’ arrest (received at the beginning of 1945) that she mentions this place for the first time:“under the moonlight that still shines before disappearing behind the hill beyond the walls, and I hear Caller Tofet by the henchmen who have captured Jesus”[1].It is a passage place, to go visit the lepers[2].
“They cut the road to Bethany and Jericho, the southernmost one that ends between Tophet and Siloam”[3].It is also an access point to enter Jerusalem coming from the south.
“Jesus comes back from Bethany by the lower road (this said to indicate the longer route, which does not pass by the Mount of Olives, and that enters the city passing through the suburb of Tophet)”[4].
Significant events
It is at the junction with the valley of Hinnom that Haceldama is located, the potter's field where Judas will hang himself[5]. It is at the junction towards the valley of the Kidron that the spring of En-Rogel is found, where the magi stopped[6].
Its name
Tophet, Tofet. Although the precise etymology of the word "Tophet" remains uncertain, it is clear that this term is associated with ancient Religious Practices and often with negative connotations, such as the horror of human sacrifices.
Where is it mentioned in the work?
GRM 69 GRM 604.
Learn more about this place
According to the Bible, this was the spot in the valley of Ben-Hinnom (near Jerusalem) where children were offered in sacrifice to Molek[7]. It was there that all the city’s refuse was thrown, the scapegoat was cast down, and the bodies of the executed were left to rot.
Explore
- 31° 46’ 09’’ N / 35° 13’ 46’’ E /
- +705m
Notes and references
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.
Article partially written from the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel, by Jean-François Lavère.