- Feb 5, 2002
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From Christ’s ‘city on a hill’ to the ‘pilgrim’s road’ from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount, archaeological endeavors in Israel hold historical promise for contemporary believers.
JERUSALEM — Christians have been making pilgrimages to the Holy Land since the time of St. Helena in the fourth century, and the most significant sites of Christian interest — from the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem — are already well-known.
But despite this ancient familiarity with the land where Christ carried out his earthly life and ministry, new sites of interest to Christian pilgrims continue to be uncovered in Israel, with the goal of soon opening them to the interested public.
Perhaps the most remarkable instance lies beneath the streets of contemporary Jerusalem, where archaeologists with the Israeli Antiquities Authority are slowly unearthing an ancient urban thoroughfare that Christ himself likely walked.
The road in question, which dates to the time of Roman occupation of Jerusalem, leads from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount. In ancient times, Jewish people coming to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to God would’ve entered the city near the pool, where they would’ve ritually purified themselves before heading up the hill to the Temple. Small shops along the wide, stepped street likely sold animals for sacrifice.
Continued below.
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JERUSALEM — Christians have been making pilgrimages to the Holy Land since the time of St. Helena in the fourth century, and the most significant sites of Christian interest — from the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem — are already well-known.
But despite this ancient familiarity with the land where Christ carried out his earthly life and ministry, new sites of interest to Christian pilgrims continue to be uncovered in Israel, with the goal of soon opening them to the interested public.
Perhaps the most remarkable instance lies beneath the streets of contemporary Jerusalem, where archaeologists with the Israeli Antiquities Authority are slowly unearthing an ancient urban thoroughfare that Christ himself likely walked.
The road in question, which dates to the time of Roman occupation of Jerusalem, leads from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount. In ancient times, Jewish people coming to Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to God would’ve entered the city near the pool, where they would’ve ritually purified themselves before heading up the hill to the Temple. Small shops along the wide, stepped street likely sold animals for sacrifice.
Continued below.
In Ancient Holy Land, Biblical Wonders Are Still Being Uncovered
From Christ’s ‘city on a hill’ to the ‘pilgrim’s road’ from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount, archaeological endeavors in Israel hold historical promise for contemporary believers.
