I have Explained this before, but quite awhile ago.
It is the Dual Stairs where Paul spoke to the Angry Mob, right after he was arrested, and that platform is now collapsed.
But in it's hay day, it was frequently used to make Speeches. It used to have tunnels under that south wall to the Roman Stables.
That was to the left of the stairs was not there during the time of JESUS. Jesus would have been lead up then RIGHT STAIR CASE when HE was to Report to PILOT. Not sure who built that add-on Wall.
Here is the STORY in question:
Acts 21:27-40 (NASB)
27 When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple,
began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, "Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."
29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30
Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.
31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
32
At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he
began asking who he was and what he had done.
34 But among the crowd some were shouting one thing
and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
35
When he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;
36 for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, "Away with him!"
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I say something to you?" And he *said, "Do you know Greek?
38 "Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?"
39 But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and
I beg you, allow me to speak to the people."
40
When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush,
he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,
Acts 22:1-9 (NASB)
1 "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense which I now
offer to you."
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.
4 "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons,
5 as also the high priest and all the Council of the elders can testify. From them I also received letters to the brethren, and started off for Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners to be punished.
6 "But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus about noontime, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me,
7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me,
'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'
8 "And I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me,
'I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.'
9 "And those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me.
That is why those Stairs are so Important. IT PROVES THE
TENTH LEGION OCCUPIED THE HIGHER GROUND. They RAN DOWN the Dual Colonnades, designed to get TROOPS as quickly as possible when a RIOT was going on in the TEMPLE. Josephus said they were approximately 600 feet long. AND THERE WERE STAIRS LEADING UP TO THE
TENTH LEGION FORTRESS. The COHORT mentioned Makes perfect sense to people who were in the Military. ONE COHORT WAS ONE DUTY to respond to an EMERGENCY at any TIME. THE OTHER 9 COHORTS were ASSIGNED other duties. Some were on Guard duty in the towers, many were on Patron, some were on KP duties, many were asleep, some were on Stable duties, some were on sharpening weapons, some were Training, etc, etc.
BUT ONE COHORT was ready for action in an emergency, and that IS THE COMMANDER YOU REPORT TO IN AN EMERGENCY.
That is a Colonnade.
