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On the western hill of Jerusalem, just outside the Zion Gate of the old city near the crest of Mt. Sion or Mt. Zion, lie the partial remains of a small Judeo-Christian synagogue, dating to about CE 75, known as the Tomb of David. This structure became known later as the Holy Church of God and the mother of all the Churches of God. Even though this synagogue is now in the possession of religious Jews, who venerate it as the traditional site of King David’s tomb, its ancient worked stone remains a perpetual monument to its builders, the Judeo-Christians of the ancient Church—the first Christians. Above the remains of the ancient synagogue lies the Crusader Room of the Last Supper. Within the synagogue's antechamber is a massive Crusader cenotaph, draped with a velvet cloth with embroidered stars of David and inscriptions from the Hebrew Scriptures, in front of the original niche. According to I Kings 2:10 the interment of the Davidic line of kings from David through Ahaz was within the city of David on Jerusalem’s eastern hill. Herod the Great partially looted the tomb of David but, on becoming fearful of his act, built a propitiatory monument made of white stone at the mouth of David’s sepulcher. The last person reported to know the actual location of the tomb of David was Rabbi Akiva. His testimony places the tomb on the eastern part of the eastern hill. From there the impurity of the graves flowed out of the city of David into the Kidron River. In the Late Roman Period, this Judeo-Christian synagogue was not known as the Tomb of David nor was the western hill understood to be the location of the tomb of David. During the Byzantine Period, Bethlehem was understood to be the site of the tomb of David. In the tenth century, a Christian tradition developed that erroneously placed David's tomb on the western hill. The western hill became known as Mt. Zion due to its erroneous identification by medieval pilgrims as the "City of David".
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