Golgotha = Psephinus Tower on western hill ?

[Erik Nelson]

After viewing numerous reconstructions of Jerusalem in the 1st century AD, I offer that...

1. Golgotha / Calvary = western hill outside of the Old City wall (the 3rd Wall was begun about the time that St. Peter was imprisoned by Herod Agrippa)
   1. The strategically high hill became the site of the 12-story tall Psephinus Tower, which may have been about the last thing built by Agrippa prior to suspending construction of the wall to appease Claudius, with the northern & eastern sections completed just prior to the Jewish uprising in 67 AD
2. Church of the Holy Sepulcher = Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea

Please view the following annotated images. Note that the Romans entered the city near to the site of the Sepulchre.

 

[Erik Nelson]

Apparently the western hill may have stood outside even the 3rd Wall. Titus may have encamped upon the hill at the beginning of his siege of Jerusalem.

Note that the Caiaphas Ossuary was found in a tomb -- presumably belonging to (the family of) High Priest Caiaphas -- in the Peace Forest, just south of the Hill of Evil Counsel, where Judas supposedly met in secret to betray Jesus. If so, then the High Priests met Judas near their own family necropolis.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

A quick search into this brought up a question about Josepheus ... was he the son of the great Matthias that was chosen as the fillin for Judas?

3 Joseph, the son of Matthias, by birth a Hebrew, a priest also, and one who at first fought against the Romans myself, and was forced to be present at what was done afterwards, [am the author of this work].

Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book I, Whiston chapter pr.

 

[Traveling teacher]

every one should go to the garden tombe in jerusalem
there is a peace in that place like no other place on earth