Mount Adummin (Adomin)

Mount Adummin (Adomin).

An unsafe pass on the direct route between Jerusalem and Jericho.

Inhabitants or Natives

No known inhabitants, but this mountain is infested with brigands who do not hesitate to kill when necessary.

Description

The "Adomin ascent" is a steep pass, ravined by the Wadi Qilt, which connects the hills of Jerusalem to Jericho and the Jordan Valley. Its paths are exhausting and dangerous.

This heavily traveled route is infested with brigands who assault and sometimes kill merchants and pilgrims, especially at nightfall. The Apostle Philip was a victim of one of these assaults. This frightening reputation gave its red rocks a nickname (which is the root of the word Adumin): the "ascent of blood." Especially in a desert section that escapes any police operation.

Simon the Sanhedrist takes advantage of this reputation of impunity to attribute the murder of his father Elianna - which he commissioned - to one of these thieves.

In contrast to his apostles, Jesus is not afraid of the place: he goes there to pray or seeks to evangelize the brigands. Nevertheless, the apostolic group worries every time it must take this route to reach the region of Ephraim (where the persecuted Jesus takes refuge), or Mount Cherith.

Notable Events

Jesus, through the parable of the Good Samaritan, transforms this place of bad reputation into a venerated place for his acts of charity - Jesus receives orphans captured by thieves there.

Its Name

מעלה אדומים

"Maaleh Adummim" means "ascent of the (red) rocks," which tradition (Westphal Dictionary – Bible Dictionary (Robert Laffont 2003) – Osty Bible (footnote 473) – Jerome of Stridon (Epistola 108 – Ad Eustochium Virginem, § 12) – and others…) confuses with its nickname: "ascent of blood," for the reasons explained above.

However, Maria Valtorta seems to reserve the nickname "ascent of blood" for a section of this route and not the entire mountain:

"she had set out by herself towards mount Adummim. But they followed her and stopped her at the Bloody slope"

A unique detail for a location almost ignored by the Bible. Yet it is corroborated by the testimony of Baptistin Poujoulat (1809-1864) cited in the "Calmet's Bible Dictionary": The "place of blood" is on the slope descending toward Jericho.

Topography confirms Maria Valtorta: this place is called Tala`at-ed-Dumm (ascent of blood in Arabic) on this map made in 1880/1882 by the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.

Denominations

Adoumim means "the reds" (plural of Adom). Other names: Maale Adumim, Ascent of Adoummin, Adummim.

Where is it mentioned in the work?

GRM 224: "'I was attacked with my family and many people of Bethsaida in the gorge of Adummim' replies Philip."

GRM 281: "A man going from Jerusalem down to Jericho through the mountain gorges ran into highwaymen who, after wounding him severely, despoiled him of all his belongings and his very clothes and left him more dead than alive on the edge of the road."

GRM 379: "'Let us stop here for the night» orders Jesus. 'Or rather, you stop here. I will go up those mountains to pray…'

'By Yourself? Ah! no! You are not going by Yourself up Mount Adomin! With all those thieves who are lying in wait for You, no, You are not going!…' says Peter quite firmly.

'What can they do to Me? I have nothing!'

GRM 481: "'[...] then down to Ephraim, along Mount Adummim and Cherith and then proceed to Bethany.'

'A long and difficult road, particularly if it rains.' 'Dangerous! The Adummim…'"

GRM 482: "'Evil-doers know very well that nobody, Galileans or Judaeans, would follow them here and they take advantage of that. And nature assists them as well. All these mountains…'

'Ah! I thought that you were considering… The mountains, of course, serve their purpose. The two highest ones, particularly… yes… but… how many come from the Adummim mountains and from the gorge of Ephraim! They belong to all races, eh!… and the Roman soldiers are shrewd… They do not go to dislodge them. On­ly snakes and eagles are aware of their dens and can reach them. And dreadful things are reported.'"

GRM 522: "It was a young man. A thief. Yes, a thief. One evening, when I had gone towards mount Adummim awaiting three peers of mine, who were coming from Ephraim with some cattle purchased at a low price, I found him lying in wait in a gorge. I spoke to him…"

GRM 535: Simon the Sanhedrist hides the parricide he just committed: "But if I was able to honour the corpse, I was not able to get hold of the murderer. Certainly a highwayman, who had come down from the Adummim mountains to sell at the markets what he had stolen… Who will ever be able to catch him?"

GRM 548: Jesus comes to Bethany via En-Shemesh. They must have made a truly exhausting walk along the dangerous paths of the Adomin mountains. The apostles, out of breath, have trouble following Jesus.

GRM 550: "You will go to Ephraim. At once. Ah! it was my destiny that I should not enjoy Your company! But I will come. Across the Adummim mountains."

GRM 553: "At dawn I went towards the Adummim mountains, because I know that there are some wretches there, whose souls are affected with the leprosy of crime."

GRM 559: "She [Nike] is a strong woman and she had set out by herself towards mount Adummim. But they followed her and stopped her at the Bloody slope, and in order not to reveal Your abode and to justify the foodstuffs she had on her mount, she said: “I am going up to one of my brothers who is in a grotto in the mountains."

GRM 579: "yes. The Adummim mountains are not very safe by night…"

Learn More About This Place

Excerpt from the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel According to Maria Valtorta, by Jean-François Lavère:

This mountain overlooks the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. A steep pass connects the hill region to the Jordan Valley. It marked the border between the territory of Judah and that of Benjamin. The name appears only twice in the Bible see below. Saint Jerome speaks of a place on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho, called Adomin: place of blood, which got its name from the blood frequently shed there by the brigands who infested it. This is what some dialogues in the work evoke: “Dangerous! The Adummim…”; “This town is at the border of the desert and of the mountains of blood. [...] We will then show you a road, which only we know [...]”

Biblical References

"The border went up toward Debir from the valley of Akor and turned north toward Guilgal, which is opposite the ascent of Adoummim, south of the ravine. It passed near the springs of Ein-Shemesh and ended at Ein Rogel" "It turned north and ended at Ein-Shemesh and at Gueliloth which is opposite the ascent of Adoummim, then it went down to the Stone of Bohan, son of Ruben".

Explore

• Mount Adomin (map below): 31° 46' 51'' N / 35° 17' 48'' E
• Ascent of Blood: 31° 46' 30'' N / 35° 17' 53'' E or 31° 48' 59.29'' N 35° 21' 30.48'' E

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