Jesus’ Journeys

Jesus’ Birth Announced

     The angel Gabriel appears to Mary at Nazareth in c.6BC. Mary is engaged to Joseph, but not married yet. The angel announces she will become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and will give birth to a son to be called ‘Yeshua’ (‘Jesus’ in Greek) or ‘Joshua’ meaning ‘God saves’). Matthew explains, “you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (). The angel reveals that Yeshua will become a king like his ancestor King David, and will rule forever (see , ).

Nazareth, where Mary lived, was a small Galilean village 4 miles south of the city Sepphoris. It was a hilltop settlement looking south across the Plain of Jezreel (Plain of Esdraelon). It was close to the Jezreel Valley trade routes through the hills to the Sea of Galilee. Its name means a ‘watch-tower’ in Aramaic – a good description of its location.

Nazareth, where Mary lived, was a small village in the hills of Galilee just 4 miles / 6 km south of the city of Sepphoris (see Map 4). It was a hilltop settlement looking south across the Plain of Jezreel (also called the Plain of Esdraelon). It was close to the trade routes along the Jezreel Valleyand up through the hills to the Sea of Galilee. Its name means a ‘watch-tower’ in Aramaic – a good description of its location.

Today, Nazereth visitors can enter the Basilica of the Annunciation, built in 1966 over the remains of earlier Byzantine/Crusader churches, and above a cave believed to have formed part of Mary’s home. Behind the church, other caves dating from the time of Jesus were adapted to form houses. Above the church entrance is inscribed, ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (see ). The courtyard porticoes surrounding the church contain striking images of the Virgin Mary from many different countries around the world.

The nearby Church of St Gabriel contains an ancient well where some believe the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, while further up the hill, the Church of St Joseph, built in 1914, is believed to house the excavated remains of Joseph’s workshop.

About 500 yards to the south west of the centre of Nazareth, on a sunny south-facing hillside, is Nazareth Historical Village. This modern reconstruction of a village from Jesus’s day is built around the archaeological excavations of a 1st century vineyard, including vine terraces, three watchtowers, a winepress and an irrigation system. Visitors are given a guided tour of the working farm and the reconstructed village and synagogue. More energetic individuals can walk the ‘Jesus Trail’ linking Nazareth with Sepphoris, and on to Capernaum.

Mary & Joseph go to Bethlehem

 Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem in Judea, where Joseph’s family live (see 1 on Map 4). The journey takes four or five days as Nazareth is 65 miles north of Jerusalem, while Bethlehem is a hilltop town situated on a ridge near the edge of the Judean desert, 5 miles / 8km south of Jerusalem.

The Roman Census - Luke, writing his gospel in 60-62AD for a Roman audience (see ), gives the census ordered by Augustus Caesar (emperor 27BC - 14AD) as the reason why Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus (). He explains that, as men had to register at their home town (so they could be taxed by the Romans), Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem because Joseph was a descendent of King David and Joseph’s family came from Bethlehem (see & &13). Luke states that the census took place when Quirinius was the Roman governor of Syria.

Luke, writing his gospel in 60-62AD for a Roman audience (see ), gives the census ordered by Augustus Caesar (who was emperor from 27BC to 14AD) as the reason why Mary and Joseph travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus (see and 1 on Map 4). He explains that, as men had to register at their home town (so they could be taxed by the Romans), Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem because Joseph was a descendent of King David and Joseph’s family came from Bethlehem (see & &13). Luke states that the census took place when Quirinius was the Roman governor of Syria.

The Jewish historian Josephus confirms that a general taxation was indeed overseen by Cyrenius (Quirinius).  Cyrenius was appointed as Governor of the province of Syria when the Romans deposed Archelaus (Herod the Great’s son) as ruler of Judea in 6AD. Judea was then taken under direct Roman rule and incorporated into the Roman province of Syria. This resulted in a revolt led by Judas of Gamala (‘Judas the Galilean’), a Jewish zealot (see ).

As Jesus was born in 6 or 5BC, this Roman census occurred eleven or twelve years after his birth. As Jesus was born while Herod the Great was King of Judaea, no Roman governor of Syria would have had the jurisdiction to organise a census and general taxation in Judaea at the time of Jesus’s birth.

It appears, therefore, that Luke was mistaken when giving this Roman census as the cause of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem. Whatever the reason, Joseph made the decision to return to his family home in Bethlehem in time for his newly betrothed wife to give birth amongst his close relatives.

The birth of Jesus

 Jesus is born in Bethlehem in 6 or 5BC. He was laid in a manger – an animal’s feeding trough – as there is no room for Mary and Joseph in the accommodation available.

Bethlehem - There is no mention of an inn in Luke’s account of Jesus’s birth. It was actually no place for them in the guest-room. (). This word is also used to describe the upper room or guest-room where Jesus and his disciples shared the Last Supper in Jerusalem on the night before Jesus was crucified (see ).

Traditional nativity stories usually feature an innkeeper turning Mary and Joseph away with the words, ‘No room in the inn’. Yet there is no mention of an inn in Luke’s account of Jesus’s birth. Luke actually tells us there was no place for them in the guest-room.  The Greek word usually translated inn is ‘kataluma’, but it actually means a guest-room (see ). It is precisely the same word that is used to describe the upper room or guest-room where Jesus and his disciples shared the Last Supper in Jerusalem on the night before Jesus was crucified (see ).

Many larger family houses in Jesus’s day had family quarters on the ground floor and a guest-room (often added later) on the upper storey or roof. The family’s livestock would also be housed on the ground floor, or sometimes in an adjacent cave or underground cellar.

Luke records that Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem because Joseph’s family came from Bethlehem so It is likely that Mary and Joseph went to stay with relatives in Bethlehem. While Romans and other foreign travellers often stayed in roadside hostelries or ‘inns’ (), Jews never stayed in 'inns'. Food wasn’t kosher in inns (), and Jews were forbidden to eat with Gentiles (non-Jews) (). Instead, Jews always stayed in relatives homes or homes of other Jews when travelling ( & 10:7).

Finding that there was no place for them in their family’s guest-room – maybe because Joseph’s elder brother and his wife were already there – they were probably asked to share the lower room where animals were normally kept. As a result, the newborn baby Jesus’s makeshift crib was a manger – the feeding trough for the animals.

No one can be sure exactly where Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Hebrew, ‘Beit Lekhem’, meaning ‘house of bread’), but the Church of the Nativity marks the traditional site. The church was erected by Helena, the Roman Emperor Constantine’s mother, at the spot where Christians in the 4th century AD believed that Jesus was born. They told the Empress that, after Hadrian had expelled the Jews from Bethlehem in 135AD, he had planted a grove of trees sacred to the Roman god Thammuz (Adonis) here in order to destroy the site that was venerated by Jewish Christians in the first century AD.

The church – started in 326AD and dedicated in 339AD – is the world’s oldest church that is still in regular use today, though the present church was extended and modified in 529AD by the Emperor Justinian. Ancient mosaics dating from Byzantine times (from the Eastern Roman Empire during the 5th or 6th century AD) can still be seen beneath the present floor level.

The main altar is built above a series of caves, one of which may have served as a stable at the time when Jesus was born. Descending the steep steps behind the altar, visitors are greeted by the site of the manger, and by a silver star nearby bearing the Latin inscription, ‘Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est’ (‘Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary’).

To the south east of the church, visitors can enter the ‘Milk Grotto’, a cave hewn out of white rock where it is believed by some that Mary nursed the infant Jesus before the family escaped to Egypt to flee King Herod’s wrath.

 The gospel of Matthew, quoting the prophet Isaiah (), says "All this happened to bring about what the LORD had said through the prophet: 'The young woman will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel,' which means 'God is with us'." ()

The meaning of the birth of Jesus at Christmas time is explained beautifully in this short video called 'Loved this Christmas'

Shepherds visit the infant

   Angels appear to the shepherds in the fields near to Bethlehem, and they go to see the baby Jesus. Afterwards, they praise God and everyone they meet is amazed by what they have been told about the child.

Beit Sahur - Luke tells us that an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, and “The glory of the Lord was shining around them” (). In the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord (‘kabod’ in the Hebrew scriptures, ‘doxa’ in the ‘Septuagint’ – the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) signified the radiant, shining presence of God himself (also called the ‘Shekinah’).

Luke tells us that an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem, and “The glory of the Lord was shining around them” (). In the Old Testament, the glory of the Lord (‘kabod’ in the Hebrew scriptures, ‘doxa’ in the ‘Septuagint’ – the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) signified the radiant, shining presence of God himself (also called the ‘Shekinah’).

The glory of the Lord appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai (see ), and filled the tabernacle – the tent where the Ark of the Covenant was kept (see ). God’s glory filled the Temple in Jerusalem when the Ark of the Covenant was moved there (see ). But in Ezekiel’s prophetic vision, the glory and dazzling radiance of God’s holy presence (the ‘Shekinah’) left the Temple just before its destruction by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC (see ).

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the radiant, shining presence of God re-appeared on earth again. God’s personal presence was shown by the glory of the Lord (Greek, ‘doxa’) appearing to the shepherds in the fields on the hillside outside Bethlehem. Today, sheep are still reared on the steep hillsides known as the Shepherds’ Fields outside the village of Beit Sahur near Bethlehem.

Ever since emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman empire in 380AD, Jesus’s birthday has been celebrated in late December (or early in January in the eastern Orthodox churches), but no-one knows precisely when he was actually born. Before Christmas Day replaced the Roman mid-winter festival of the ‘Unconquered Sun’ on 25th December, the 3rd century Christian historian, Sextus Julius Africanus, who devised one of the first Biblical chronologies, believed that Jesus was born on 25th March.

Traditionally in Palestine, sheep were only kept out of doors overnight during the warmer months from March or April to November. The local sheep were not hardy enough to be left outside during the cold winter nights of December. So it’s more likely that Jesus was born between March and November. If the shepherds to whom the angels appeared were on their way to Jerusalem with sacrificial lambs for the Passover festival, then it’s quite possible that Jesus was actually born in March or April, just before the Jewish Passover festival. 

Visitors to the Shepherds’ Fields at Beit Sahur are welcomed at two churches, both claiming to be the site of the angelic visitation. The modern Greek Orthodox church at Kenisat er-Ruwat was erected on the site of a 5th century church, rebuilt in the 7th century, and again in the 14th century. An early mosaic floor shows that the cave underlying this church was revered as the resting-place of the shepherds as early as the 4th century AD. The Franciscan church built at Khirbet Siyr el-Ghanem in 1954 is on the site of a 4th century monastery.

Jewish religious rituals

 When Jesus is eight days old, he is circumcised (by cutting off the foreskin of the penis) following the Jewish tradition, as a sign of God’s covenant agreement with the Jews (see ).

 Thirty-three days later (once Mary is considered to be ‘purified’ or ‘ritually clean’ after giving birth), Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, just 5 miles / 8 km from Bethlehem. Here they consecrate their first-born son to God in accordance with the Jewish custom (see & ). As they are not a wealthy family, they offer the purification sacrifice of two doves or two young pigeons in place of a lamb (see ).

In the Temple courts, Mary and Joseph meet Simeon – a devout Jew who has been given the special gift by the Holy Spirit of recognising the promised Messiah or Christ before he dies. When Simeon takes Jesus in his arms he immediately knows that he is holding the Messiah who will save the Jewish people from their sinful ways and bring them back to God. He praises God, saying “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace as you said” (). This prayer of praise is now known as the ‘Nunc Dimittis’, the first two words of this prayer in Latin. (See the feature on Who was the Messiah? in Section 2.)

 Before leaving the Temple and returning to Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph meet an old lady called Anna – a prophetess – who tells them that Jesus will grow up to be the saviour of the Jewish people.

Wise men visit Jerusalem

 Some months after Jesus is born, in 5 or 4BC, a group of foreign merchants selling exotic goods arrives in Jerusalem from the east (see 2 on Map 4). They head to King Herod's palace to sell their exclusive merchandise to the wealthy in the royal court. The group includes 'magi' (‘wise men’ who study the stars), who congratulate the king on his good fortune. They tell him they have seen a star indicating that they will find “the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews” (). Herod is furious and intensely jealous as no child has recently been born as his heir.

Herod’s Jerusalem - Herod’s Palace was built on the western side of the Upper City, where important Roman travellers from Caesarea would have entered Jerusalem (see Map 13). The palace covered most of what is now the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was almost totally destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70AD. All that remains is one tower of the Citadel, a fortress built originally by Herod at the northern end of his palace. In addition, sections of Herod’s city wall were incorporated into the impressive walls (still standing today) erected by Sultan Suleiman in the 16th century. Herod – who relied on Roman patronage – tried to ‘hellenise’ Jerusalem, encouraging Greek customs and making it more like other cites in the Roman empire. He built a large amphitheatre, a smaller odeion (theatre) and a hippodrome (a stadium for chariot racing).

Herod’s Palace was built on the western side of the Upper City, where important Roman travellers from Caesarea would have entered Jerusalem (see Map 13). The palace covered most of what is now the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was almost totally destroyed by the Roman general Titus in 70AD. All that remains is one tower of the Citadel, a fortress built originally by Herod at the northern end of his palace. In addition, sections of Herod’s city wall were incorporated into the impressive walls (still standing today) erected by Sultan Suleiman in the 16thcentury. Herod – who relied on Roman patronage – tried to ‘hellenise’ Jerusalem, encouraging Greek customs and making it more like other cites in the Roman empire. He built a large amphitheatre, a smaller odeion (theatre) and a hippodrome (a stadium for chariot racing).

Modern travellers to Jerusalem, entering by the Jaffa Gate, can visit the medieval Citadel and enjoy the ‘son et lumiere’ presentation about the history of Jerusalem. The three original towers forming Herod’s Citadel were named after his wife Mariamne, his brother Phasael, and his friend Hippicus. The only remaining Herodian tower, the Tower of Phasael (now known as the Tower of David although it had nothing to do with King David) houses an interesting museum about the Old City.

Herod plots his revenge

 King Herod (who was not a Jew himself) consults the Jewish chief priests over the prophesies concerning the Messiah or Christ (see ), and sends the ‘wise men’ to Bethlehem (5 miles / 8 kms south west of Jerusalem) to search for this ‘rival’ to his throne.

The 'magi' find the infant Jesus with his mother Mary in a house in Bethlehem – probably the house belonging to Joseph’s relatives (see and the feature on Bethlehem earlier in this chapter). They bow before him and worship Jesus as the ‘King of the Jews’. They present him with symbolic gifts of precious gold (appropriate for a king), fragrant frankincense (burnt during worship in the Temple and signifying God’s presence) and costly myrrh (used for embalming and foretelling death), but they return home another way without informing Herod.

The Greek Orthodox Monastery of St Theodosius at the village of Ubediyyeh, 15 miles / 12 km east of Bethlehem, is believed to mark the site where the magi rested when God warned them in a dream that they should not return to King Herod.

The Star of Bethlehem

The 'magi' were probably part of a group of travelling merchants. Like many other traders selling exotic goods in Jerusalem, they came from ‘the east’ – probably from Babylonia or Persia.

Traditionally called the ‘wise men’, these 'magi' were astronomers who recorded the detailed movements of the stars, but were also astrologers who looked for ‘portents’ or ‘signs’ in the patterns and movements of the stars to predict the birth and death of kings. As Zoroastrians, they shared the Jewish belief in one God, and they also believed in a Messiah who would come down from heaven. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they congratulated Herod the Great (the ‘King of the Jews’) because they had seen a star that indicated an heir to the Jewish throne had been born.

No one is sure exactly what the magi saw in the sky signifying to them this important royal birth. But there is no doubt that whatever the Star of Bethlehem was, it also had great astrological significance.

Many theories have been proposed regarding the nature of the Star of Bethlehem. Some believe it was a comet. A ‘broom star’ (a comet with a tail) was, indeed, recorded by Chinese atronomers in the spring of 5BC. But comets were always associated with doom and disaster. Some believe it was a star exploding spectacularly in its ‘supernova’ phase. But this would have had no known astrological significance.

Others believe the ‘star’ was actually a planet – possibly Jupiter, regarded as the ‘kingmaker’ planet by astrologers in Jesus’s day.

An ancient clay tablet from Babylon – now in the British Museum – records a very rare ‘triple conjunction’ of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky in May, September and November of 7BC. As the two planets moved behind each other on three occasions, this would have looked like a bright star to observers in Babylon.

Furthermore, these conjunctions happened within the constellation of Pisces – a sign of the Zodiac associated at that time with Israel. To religious people in Babylon, the conjunctions may well have signified the birth of a new king in Israel, and they may have set out on a trading expedition to Jerusalem armed with costly gifts of gold (indicating kingship), incense (signifying deity) and myrrh (foretelling death).

The ‘star’ would have moved from east to west across the night sky, and as the planets were moving independently of the other stars in the constellation of Pisces, they might even have appeared to ‘hover’ over Jerusalem or go south towards Bethlehem for some time after the conjunctions.

The holy family flee to Egypt

Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt to escape King Herod’s wrath (see 3 on Map 4). They escape by night, just before Herod orders the murder of all baby boys born in and around Bethlehem during the last two years.

The ‘massacre of the innocents’ was typical of Herod’s extreme behaviour recorded independently by the Jewish historian Josephus. Herod was intensely jealous and chronically insecure. He had suffered a severe breakdown in 29BC after he murdered his wife Mariamne and his brother-in-law Joseph after falsely accusing them of having an affair.

As recently as 7BC, Herod had executed his own sons Aristobulus and Alexander (whom he accused of plotting to take the throne) and the following year, around the time of Jesus’s birth, he tortured each of his slave-girls in turn to reveal any further threats to his authority. In 4BC Herod executed his own son Antipater.

               Egypt in 5BC

Egypt in 5BC - When Joseph and Mary escaped with the baby Jesus to Egypt in 5 or 4BC, it was a friendly neighbour of Judaea with a large Jewish community. Following the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII (the last Ptolemaic (Greek) ruler of Egypt) by Octavian (Augustus Caesar) at the Battle of Actium in 31BC, Egypt had become part of the Roman Empire.

When Joseph and Mary escaped with the baby Jesus to Egypt in 5 or 4BC, it was a friendly neighbour of Judaea with a large Jewish community. Following the defeat of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII (the last Ptolemaic (Greek) ruler of Egypt) by Octavian (Augustus Caesar) at the Battle of Actium in 31BC, Egypt had become part of the Roman Empire.

Its large Jewish community dated from the fall of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians in 587BC. Six months after the appointment of Gedeliah as Governor of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, Ishmael (a descendent of the King of Judah) had assassinated Gedeliah at Mizpah and had escaped to Egypt. Fearing reprisals, all the Israelites at Mizpah had fled to Egypt, taking with them the prophet Jeremiah (see , &16-18 & 43:1-5). The Jews settled at Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis in the Nile Delta region of Lower Egypt (see and Map 4).

After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332BC, the Jewish community prospered under the Ptolemaic (Greek) pharaohs, and adopted Greek as their native language. As new generations grew up unfamiliar with Hebrew, a Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures (the ‘Septuagint’) was made for the Greek-speaking Jews of Egypt in the 2nd century BC.

After the sacking of Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes in 167BC and the erection of the ‘abomination of desolation’ (a statue of Zeus) in the Temple (see & 12:11), the Jews in Egypt built their own Jewish temple near Memphis, in fulfilment of the prophesy of Isaiah (see ). This Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in 72AD, at a time of intense hostility towards the Jews following the Romano-Jewish War of 66-70AD and the fall of Masada – the last Jewish stronghold – in 73AD. But this temple would have been the centre of a large Jewish community when Mary and Joseph arrived in Egypt in c.5BC.

Although the route followed by the holy family is not recorded in the Bible, Coptic (Egyptian) Christians have identified about twenty five places where they believe that Mary, Joseph and Jesus stayed during their sojourn in Egypt (see 1-7 on Map 4a). The ruins of an ancient church at Farma, and four monasteries in the Wadi Natrun are said to mark stages in their journey across the Nile Delta. At Deir al-Suriani (the ‘Monastery of the Syrians’ at Wadi Natrun), a 6th century fresco shows Mary nursing the infant Jesus.

The holy family return to Nazareth

Some time after the death of Herod the Great in March 4BC, Mary and Joseph journey north to Nazareth in Galilee, as they are afraid to return to Bethlehem in Judea where Herod's son Archelaus is now ruling over Judea (see 4 on Map 4). Jesus is brought up in Galilee (ruled by another of Herod’s sons) and becomes known as ‘Jesus of Nazareth’.

Sepphoris - During Jesus’s childhood, the most important town in Galilee was Sepphoris, located 4 miles / 6 km to the north of Nazareth (see Map 4). Traditionally, Sepphoris is said to be the home of Joachim and Anna (believed to be the parents of Jesus’s mother Mary) and therefore Mary’s childhood home.

During Jesus’s childhood, the most important town in Galilee was Sepphoris, located 4 miles / 6 km to the north of Nazareth (see Map 4). Traditionally, Sepphoris is said to be the home of Joachim and Anna (believed to be the parents of Jesus’s mother Mary) and therefore Mary’s childhood home.

Sepphoris was an important trading centre, situated on the main route inland from the Mediterranean port of Ptolemais (Akko / Acre) to Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. As a result, it was a very cosmopolitan city that grew rapidly after Herod the Great’s death in 4BC, around the time of Jesus’s birth. During Jesus’s childhood, Herod Antipas (Herod the Great’s son), the tetrarch (ruler) of Galilee, restored and redeveloped Sepphoris as a Romanised city (known as Diocaesarea), locating his palace there before building a new residence at Tiberias between 18 and 20AD.

Sepphoris had impressive colonnaded streets, a large forum (market place), several synagogues and a huge four thousand seater amphitheatre built into the eastern side of the hill on which the city was perched like a bird. Its Hebrew name – Zippori, meaning ‘a bird’ – reflected its lofty position looking out across Cana, Nazareth and the Bet Netofa Valley.

It is quite possible that Joseph first met Mary when he came to work in Sepphoris. The local people of Nazareth later called Jesus ‘the carpenter’s son’ (see ). The Greek word ‘tekton’ – usually translated ‘carpenter’ – really means a craftsman or artisan, denoting a skilled worker in the building trade, who would have worked in wood and also in stone. Joseph may well have moved from Bethlehem to Sepphoris as a young man, in search of work on one of the biggest building sites in the whole of Palestine. Having met Mary, a local girl, he may have settled in nearby Nazareth – a much quieter and more ‘Jewish’ village – a short distance away from the cosmopolitan (and more expensive) Sepphoris.

As Jesus was probably taught the same trade as Joseph, it is highly likely that he served at least part of his apprenticeship in the highly Romanised atmosphere of Sepphoris. This might well explain Jesus’s familiarity with Roman customs and the Roman theatre (see, for example, & 22:18 where Jesus calls the Pharisees ‘hypocrites’ – the Greek word ‘ypokritae’ – meaning stage-players who wear masks and act out a role, as Roman actors did in the theatre).

After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, Sepphoris became an important centre of Jewish learning where the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) met and the traditions of the Jewish elders, so often challenged by Jesus (see, for example, ) were codified into the ‘Mishnah’.

Today, visitors to Sepphoris can see extensive 1st century remains including a colonnaded street, the ruins of a large Roman amphitheatre, and a huge water cistern nearby that supplied the city. A later Roman mansion dating from c.400AD has a beautiful mosaic floor depicting the luxuriant landscape of the Nile Valley. The excavated remains of a 6th century synagogue include well-preserved mosaics showing Abraham entertaining three visitors (), the sacrifice of Isaac (), the consecration of Aaron () and the signs of the Zodiac.

Jesus grows up

 As a child, Jesus grows in wisdom and in stature, close to God and popular with all those he meets. Every year, his parents follow the Jewish custom of going up to Jerusalem for a religious festival. They live too far away to visit Jerusalem three times a year, but always manage to get there for the Feast of Unleavened Bread (the ‘Passover Festival’) (see ) and Jesus no doubt goes with them.

 As in Jesus’s day, Jewish boys are traditionally considered to become adults at the age of thirteen – when they become a ‘Bar Mitzvah’ (a son to whom the commandments apply). They become responsible for their own actions, and play a full role in Jewish religious ceremonies. They are usually invited to read publicly from the Jewish scriptures, having been taught Hebrew as a child at their local synagogue.

Just before his thirteenth birthday, in c.7AD, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem, as usual, with his family for the Passover festival, and soon becomes totally engrossed in discussing the Jewish scriptures with the teachers in the Temple courts. It’s quite possible that Jesus celebrates his thirteenth birthday during the Passover festival (see the feature on Beit Sahur earlier in this section for a discussion on the date of Jesus's birthday). It’s quite normal for a Jewish boy like Jesus to be invited to read the scriptures in public on his thirteenth birthday, but the rabbis are amazed and fascinated by the maturity of Jesus’s questions and his understanding of the Jewish law.

 When it’s time to leave after the festival, Mary and Joseph travel a whole day before realising that Jesus isn’t with their relatives and friends from Nazareth. The women and children (who travel more slowly) set off before the men, and when the men catch up with them later in the day, Jesus’s absence is noticed. Jesus had travelled with Mary and the other children on previous occasions, but as he is fast approaching manhood, Mary probably assumes that he is travelling with Joseph and the other men.

Eventually, Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the courtyards of the Temple in Jerusalem, and are astonished when he says to them “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” () Jewish parents would have been surprised to hear that a lively teenager was so keen to spend time discussing his heavenly Father’s words with the teachers in the Temple.

The spot where Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus was missing on the journey home is believed to be the town of Al-Bireh near Ramallah, a full day’s journey north of Jerusalem. The site is marked today by the Church of the Holy Family, a church built by the Crusaders in the 12th century.

Jesus's Journeys around Galilee - Jesus starts his ministry

Jesus starts his ministry

            Jesus spends his early adult years at Nazareth in Galilee with his family. He learns the skills of a carpenter from Joseph, and enjoys the company of his younger brothers James, Joseph, Judas (Jude) and Simon, as well as his sisters and other close relatives (see ). In 26AD, around the age of thirty (), and with several younger brothers now old enough to look after his mother and sisters, Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth and journeys south (see 1 on Map 5).

Mk 1:9 Jesus spends his early adult years at Nazareth in Galilee with his family. He learns the skills of a carpenter from Joseph, and enjoys the company of his younger brothers James, Joseph, Judas (Jude) and Simon, as well as his sisters and other close relatives (see ). In 26AD, around the age of thirty (), and with several younger brothers now old enough to look after his mother and sisters, Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth and journeys south (see 1 on Map 5).

 Jesus is baptised by John in the River Jordan near Bethany (see ) in the summer of 26AD. As he emerges from the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove (see ) and God’s voice is heard saying, “You are my Son, whom I love” () (see ).

 Over the next couple of days, John and his followers spot Jesus several times among the crowds. John calls out, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (). Andrew – one of John’s followers – rushes to find his brother Simon, exclaiming, “We have found the Messiah” (the ‘Christ’) (). When Jesus meets Simon, he calls him ‘Petros’ or ‘Peter’ (meaning, in Greek, ‘a rock’) (see the feature on Who was the Messiah? in Section 2).

Jesus is tempted

     Soon afterwards, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the Judaean Desert where his resolve to follow God’s will is severely tested by the ‘satan’ (a Hebrew word meaning the ‘accuser’). The ‘satan’ (or the ‘devil’) is the one who accuses people at the final judgement, and who tempts people to follow man’s ways instead of God’s ways (see , , and 2 on Map 5).

     Soon afterwards, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the Judaean Desert where his resolve to follow God’s will is severely tested by the ‘satan’ (a Hebrew word meaning the ‘accuser’). The ‘satan’ (or the ‘devil’) is the one who accuses people at the final judgement, and who tempts people to follow man’s ways instead of God’s ways (see , , and 2 on Map 5).

 Jesus is baptised by John in the River Jordan near Bethany (see ) in the summer of 26AD. As he emerges from the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him like a dove (see ) and God’s voice is heard saying, “You are my Son, whom I love” () (see ).

 Over the next couple of days, John and his followers spot Jesus several times among the crowds. John calls out, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (). Andrew – one of John’s followers – rushes to find his brother Simon, exclaiming, “We have found the Messiah” (the ‘Christ’) (). When Jesus meets Simon, he calls him ‘Petros’ or ‘Peter’ (meaning, in Greek, ‘a rock’) (see the feature on Who was the Messiah? in Section 2).

The Temptations - After forty days and nights fasting without food (like Moses on Mount Sinai – see ), the devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread (see ). The Judaean Desert is a barren, rocky desert (see Map 5). Some stones are coated in soft lime and curiously resemble loaves of bread – making the temptation doubly painful. Although Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread, he resisted the satan’s suggestion by quoting from the Jewish scriptures: “A person does not live by eating only bread, but by everything God says” () (see ).

After forty days and nights fasting without food (like Moses on Mount Sinai – see ), the devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread (see ). The Judaean Desert is a barren, rocky desert (see Map 5). Some stones are coated in soft lime and curiously resemble loaves of bread – making the temptation doubly painful. Although Jesus had the power to turn stones into bread, he resisted the satan’s suggestion by quoting from the Jewish scriptures: “A person does not live by eating only bread, but by everything God says” () (see ).

The devil then transported Jesus to Jerusalem and tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the Pinnacle – the highest point of the Temple. He also quoted from the scriptures: “If you are the Son of God”, he said, the angels “will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock” () (see ). Jesus again resisted the temptation to glorify himself and responded again from scripture, “It also says in the Scriptures, ‘Do not test the Lord your God’” () (see ). Following the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, the Pinnacle of the Temple (its highest point) was incorrectly identified by medieval Christian pilgrims as the south east corner of the Temple Mount (the highest point of the ruins of Jerusalem at that time).

The devil then took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. The Judean Hills reach up to 2447ft / 746m and offer extensive views westwards towards the Mediterranean coast and eastwards across the Dead Sea. The satan tempted Jesus by offering him all the wealth of these kingdoms if Jesus would bow down and worship him. Jesus resisted the lure of wealth by following the word of God. “Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him’” () (see ).

The place where Jesus was tempted by the devil is traditionally regarded as Jebel Qurantal (the ‘mountain of temptation’), overlooking the Jordan Valley near the site of Ancient Jericho. Today, the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Temptation, built originally in the 6th century, provides a magnificent viewpoint across the Jordan Valley for visitors who walk from the foot of the cliff or take the cable car up to the restaurant.

Jesus returns to Galilee

  After his time of contemplation and prayer in the Judean Desert, Jesus returns north to Galilee (see 3 on Map 5). In the autumn of 26AD, he performs his first miracle at a family wedding at Cana in Galilee by turning water into wine. Six large stone jars had previously been filled with water for the Jewish guests to wash their hands so they would be ritually ‘clean’ before eating the wedding banquet (see ).

Heavy stone jars were used because they could be washed out to ‘cleanse’ them and then be re-used. Lighter earthenware jars would have had to be regularly replaced as they were slightly porous and therefore became ritually ‘unclean’ when handled by anyone who was ‘unclean’ (see ).

Jesus tells the servants to fill the jars again and to serve this ‘water’ to the guests – who are amazed that the host has kept the best wine until last.

Cana - Cana of Galilee was a village within walking distance of Nazareth (see Map 5). When Jesus and his family attended the wedding at Cana – where Jesus preformed his first recorded miracle – the water for ritual washing would have been stored in stone jars before being miraculously turned into wine.

Cana of Galilee was a village within walking distance of Nazareth (see Map 5). When Jesus and his family attended the wedding at Cana – where Jesus preformed his first recorded miracle – the water for ritual washing would have been stored in stone jars before being miraculously turned into wine.

Traditionally, ever since the purchase of property here in 1641 by Franciscan monks, the site of Biblical Cana has been identified as the hill top village of Kafr Kana, about 3 miles / 5km north east of Nazareth. Today, visitors to Kafr Kana are welcome at the Franciscan Shrine of Cana that commemorates Jesus’s first miracle and the sanctity of Christian marriage.

Also in the village of Kafr Kana is St Bartholomew’s Chapel, which commemorates the home of Nathanael (Bartholomew) “from Cana in Galilee” ().

Archaeological and historical evidence, however, identifies the site of Biblical Cana (the ‘place of reeds’) as the uninhabited mound at Khirbet Kana (meaning ‘ruins of Cana’), about 5 miles / 8 km north of Kafr Kana on a hillside overlooking the Bet Netufa valley. (The marshy valley floor here would have been filled with reeds in Jesus’s day).

Excavations at Khirbet Kana have revealed Roman and Byzantine pottery, underground cisterns to store rain water, a cross carved inside a cave, and other evidence that the first century village on this site became an early Christian pilgrimage site commemorating Jesus’s first miracle at Cana. Theodosius, writing in 530AD, reported that it was five miles from Diocaesarea to Cana of Galilee. Dioceasarea was an earlier name for Sepphoris, and this description fits the location of Khirbet Kana precisely. This location is confirmed on two Florentine maps dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. These place Sepphoris between Cana and Nazareth.

Jesus goes back to Nazareth

     One Sabbath day, according to his usual custom, Jesus goes to the local synagogue in Nazareth where he was brought up (see 4 on Map 5). When asked to read from the scriptures, he picks up the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, unrolls it, and begins to read, “The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again… to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness” () (see ).

All eyes in the synagogue are fixed on him as he says, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!” (). Many are impressed by Jesus’s teaching, but others, realising he is a local boy – ‘Joseph’s son’ – dismiss his words as arrogant nonsense, and they threaten to throw him down the steep cliff below the brow of the hill on which Nazareth is located.

 Following this rejection in his home town, Jesus goes down to Capernaum, by the lakeside (see 5 on Map 5). On the Sabbath, he begins to teach the people. In the synagogue, a man with an evil spirit shouts out, “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us?” () Jesus commands the evil spirit to leave the man, and after throwing him to the ground, it leaves him without harming him. The crowds are amazed that Jesus has the authority to drive out evil spirits.

Jesus travels to Jerusalem

 After spending some time in Capernaum, Jesus goes to Jerusalem for the Passover festival in the spring of 27AD (see 1 on Map 6). He performs many miracles and many people believe in him.

 While Jesus is in Jerusalem, one of the members of the Jewish council (the Sanhedrin) – who is impressed by the miracles Jesus is performing – comes to see Jesus secretly under cover of darkness. Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot be in God’s kingdom” (). Jesus points out that he is referring to spiritual re-birth, not physical re-birth. To enter the kingdom of God, Jesus explains, people must have a powerful new experience of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

 Jesus tells Nicodemus that the ‘Son of Man’ – a title that Jesus adopts to show he is the Messiah, the Christ (see ) – will be killed in order to save mankind from wrongdoing and death. “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life” ().

Nicodemus becomes a secret follower of Jesus, and when Jesus is crucified three years later, Nicodemus – together with his fellow Jewish councillor Joseph of Arimathea – asks Pilate’s permission to bury the body of Jesus (see ).

      Jesus and his disciples move into the Judean countryside where they baptise in the River Jordan during the summer of 27AD (see 2 on Map 6). John is also baptising in the Jordan at Aenon.

Jesus passes through Samaria

 After John is arrested by Herod Antipas (in 27AD), Jesus goes north to Galilee (meaning ‘the circle’ – an apt name for the roughly circular lake and the surrounding hills). The Hebrew name for the lake, Yam Kinneret, means a ‘harp’ – again describing the shape of the lake. The lake is quite small – roughly 13 miles / 21km long by 7 miles / 11km wide and lies in the Jordan Valley about 650 feet / 200 metres below sea level.

 En route to Galilee, Jesus stops at Sychar on the south east slope of Mount Ebal in Samaria (see 3 on Map 6). Here he talks with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well – a well dug by the Jewish patriarch Jacob on land he purchased near Shechem and gave to Joseph (see & 48:21-22). Jacob’s Well was typical of the deep wells at numerous settlements in this area. The Samarian Hills are limestone – a permeable rock that allows water to percolate down through the cracks. Consequently, there is little surface water and deep wells are dug to reach the water stored underground.

Samaria - Jesus took the direct route north from Jerusalem to Galilee through Samaria, in contrast to most Jews who took the longer, indirect route east of the River Jordan through Peraea because of their hatred for the Samaritans (see Map 6). The Samaritans were descendants of the Israelites of the northern kingdom who had intermarried with foreign settlers after the fall of Samaria (the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) in 722 BC.

Jesus took the direct route north from Jerusalem to Galilee through Samaria, in contrast to most Jews who took the longer, indirect route east of the River Jordan through Peraea because of their hatred for the Samaritans (see Map 6). The Samaritans were descendants of the Israelites of the northern kingdom who had intermarried with foreign settlers after the fall of Samaria (the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) in 722 BC.

As a result of this racial intermarriage, they were no longer considered to be truly Jewish and were hated by most Jews. The Samaritans continued to worship as the Jews did, but took only the first five books of the Old Testament as their spiritual authority. They built a ‘rival’ temple on Mount Gerizim – which they believed to be the site of the altar where Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (see ) – but this was destroyed by the Hasmonean king John Hyrcanus in 128 BC.

At the time of Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman, Mount Gerizim was still a holy place, and even today, the Samaritan community offers lambs as a ritual sacrifice on the slopes of Mount Gerizim at Passover time.

The site of Jacob’s Well, on the eastern side of Nablus, is now part of a Greek Orthodox monastery. The monastery was built in the 1860s on the site of a late 4th century Byzantine church, which was itself succeeded by a Crusader church. Today, visitors can enter the modern church built in 2007 around what is believed to be the original well, restored by the Crusaders in the twelfth century.

Jesus offers ‘living water’  The Samaritan woman asks Jesus how he – a Jew – has the nerve to ask her – a despised Samaritan – to draw some water from the well. In exchange for a drink, Jesus offers to give her ‘living water’ – the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that will give her eternal life. Whoever “drinks the water I give will never be thirsty,” he says (). Water is vital for life but is difficult to obtain in the limestone hills around Sychar. Instead, Jesus promises her “a spring of water flowing up inside … giving eternal life” (). Springs rarely run dry, so Jesus’s offer is to give her the life-giving ‘water’ of the Holy Spirit that will never run out (see ).

        The Samaritan woman asks Jesus how he – a Jew – has the nerve to ask her – a despised Samaritan – to draw some water from the well. In exchange for a drink, Jesus offers to give her ‘living water’ – the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that will give her eternal life. Whoever “drinks the water I give will never be thirsty,” he says (). Water is vital for life but is difficult to obtain in the limestone hills around Sychar. Instead, Jesus promises her “a spring of water flowing up inside … giving eternal life” (). Springs rarely run dry, so Jesus’s offer is to give her the life-giving ‘water’ of the Holy Spirit that will never run out (see ).

 When Jesus displays a miraculous knowledge of her marital affairs, she realises he is a prophet. She points out that her ancestors worshipped in the temple on Mt Gerizim while the Jews worship in the Temple at Jerusalem. Jesus tells her that a time is coming soon when true worshippers will not be restricted to worshipping in any one place as they will worship anywhere “in spirit and truth” (). The woman says the promised Messiah – the Christ – will explain everything when he comes. Jesus replies, “I am he” () (see the feature on Who was the Messiah? in Section 2).

 When Jesus’s disciples return from the village, they are surprised to find him speaking to a Samaritan, especially a woman! The woman leaves her heavy water jar and rushes back into town telling everyone about her encounter with Jesus. As a result, people flock to hear Jesus and many believe his message of repentance and forgiveness. They urge him to stay, so he teaches here for two days.

Jesus performs healing miracles

 Jesus arrives in Galilee during the autumn of 27AD. He tells the crowds, "The right time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Change your hearts and lives and believe the Good News" (). In this way, Jesus announces a 'kairos moment' - God's appointed time (Greek, 'kairos', means 'an opportune moment').

 Jesus is welcomed by people who have seen him earlier that year when they were in Jerusalem for the Passover festival (see 4 on Map 6).

 At Cana, a royal official from Herod Antipas’s court at Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, begs Jesus to come and heal his dying son in Capernaum – some 18 miles / 29 km away. Jesus tells him that his son will not die.

 The official is met on the way home to Capernaum by his servants who tell him his son has already been healed. As a result of this miracle, the official and his family become believers.

 Jesus raises the only son of a widow from Nain from the dead. Her son was probably the widow’s only source of financial support, so his death was a terrible blow. As a result of this miracle, people are filled with awe and praise God. Nain (meaning ‘pleasant’) is situated to the south east of Nazareth, on the lower slopes overlooking the Vale of Jezreel (see 5 on Map 6). Its name aptly describes the area and its views.

Jesus calls his first disciples

Jesus moves back to the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee – an area where he is now well known (see 6 on Map 6). On the lakeside near Bethsaida  (meaning ‘house of the nets’) Jesus calls the fishermen Simon and Andrew (whom he had met earlier by the River Jordan) (see ) and James and John to follow him. Jesus probably knew these local fishermen well and, as a skilled carpenter, may even have repaired their wooden fishing boats. The Galilee fishing industry was very important in Jesus’s day – as it still is. Pickled fish – mainly the Tilapia (now also known as St Peter's Perch) – were exported around the Mediterranean world.

Bethsaida

The exact site of Bethsaida was uncertain until recent archaeological excavations near to where the River Jordan enters the Sea of Galilee uncovered the remains of the fishing village that was the birthplace of Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, four of Jesus’s closest circle of friends (see Map 6). Near Bethsaida, Jesus restored the sight of a blind man (see ), though he later criticised the inhabitants of the town for their lack of faith (see ).

The town was first fortified in c.1000BC, but was destroyed when King Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria attacked Galilee in 733BC (see ). The settlement was rebuilt in the 2nd century BC and became part of the tetrachy of Philip on the death of Herod the Great in 6BC. Philip, whose position relied on the support of the Romans, renamed the town Julias, probably in honour of the mother of the reigning emperor, Tiberias Caesar (14-37AD).  He considerably romanised the town, which may help to explain why Simon, Andrew, James and John – all religious Jews – were eager to leave the town and follow Jesus.

In Jesus’s day, Bethsaida stood on a small promontory, jutting out into the northern part of the Sea of Galilee. An earthquake in 363AD caused a landslide that blocked the River Jordan to the north of here. The river ponded up behind the newly-created dam of earth, but when it eventually burst through, the resulting wall of water smashed through the town, destroying the settlement and filling in the harbour. The town was never rebuilt, and the site is now on the east bank of the River Jordan, 1 mile / 2 km north of where it joins the Sea of Galilee.

Today, visitors to the site of Bethsaida can pass through a re-constructed gateway and climb the settlement mound (El Tell / Tel Bethsaida) on which the ancient Bronze Age / Iron Age settlement stood. Excavations on the lower-lying site of 1st century Bethsaida have uncovered remains of a paved street, a fisherman’s house built around a courtyard (where lead weights, hooks and anchors were found), and another house belonging to a vine-grower (where wine jars were uncovered in the cellar). 

Jesus teaches in Capernaum

They arrive at the lakeside town of Capernaum (meaning ‘village of comfort’) where Jesus teaches in the synagogue and casts an evil spirit out of a man. Afterwards, Jesus is invited to the home of the Barjonas family (meaning ‘Son of Jonah’ or ‘Son of John’ – see ) where Simon and Andrew now live with Simon’s wife and other members of the prosperous family fishing business. Many people are brought to Jesus, who heals the sick and drives out many demons.

Capernaum - Jesus made Capernaum his base from the autumn of 27AD (see Map 6). He preached here, and performed many healing miracles – including the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever. Capernaum is situated at the foot of the Galilean Hills, where hot springs rich in minerals, bring naturally warm water to the surface. The town is situated on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in the Jordan Valley and lies at about 700 feet / 200 metres below sea level. As a result, the climate is much warmer than in Jerusalem or on the Judaean Hills, and it would have been pleasant for crowds to sit outside in the sunshine listening to Jesus – even during the autumn and winter. Jesus – significantly – spent his time in Galilee during the winters of the first three years of his ministry (26-28AD).

Jesus made Capernaum his base from the autumn of 27AD (see Map 6). He preached here, and performed many healing miracles – including the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law from a fever. Capernaum is situated at the foot of the Galilean Hills, where hot springs rich in minerals, bring naturally warm water to the surface. The town is situated on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in the Jordan Valley and lies at about 700 feet / 200 metres below sea level. As a result, the climate is much warmer than in Jerusalem or on the Judaean Hills, and it would have been pleasant for crowds to sit outside in the sunshine listening to Jesus – even during the autumn and winter. Jesus – significantly – spent his time in Galilee during the winters of the first three years of his ministry (26-28AD).

Modern-day visitors to Capernaum can visit the synagogue built in the 3rd century AD on the site of the one that stood here in Jesus’s day. The black basalt blocks forming the foundations of the earlier synagogue built by a Roman centurion (see ) can be clearly seen. A modern Franciscan church – in the shape of a boat – was built in 1990 over the remains of a house believed to be the home of Simon Peter – where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. The original house had been converted into an octagonal church in the 5th century.

Jesus travels round Galilee

During the winter of 27/28AD, Jesus goes to the nearby villages of Galilee, preaching and casting out demons. In one village he heals a man with leprosy and sends him to the priest to offer a sacrifice in accordance with the Jewish custom (see ).

Jesus's teachings on a hillside

   In the spring of 28AD, Jesus goes up onto a hillside overlooking the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee (see Map 7). He uses a natural amphitheatre above the lakeside to address the crowds who have gathered from Galilee, Jerusalem, Judaea and the Decapolis (the ten towns on the eastern bank of the River Jordan). His teachings become known as the ‘Sermon on the Mount’.

The Mount of Beatitudes

Jesus teaches people how to be blessed by God:

Blessed are those who are humble before God for they will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who are saddened by immorality and dishonesty for they will be comforted by the Holy Spirit.

Blessed are those who are compassionate and forgiving for they will realise that the whole world belongs to God.

Blessed are those who hunger after honest and sincere relationships for they will have all their needs met.

Blessed are the merciful who forgive others for God will forgive them.

Blessed are those with pure motives in their heart for God will be their inspiration.

Blessed are the peacemakers for God will welcome them into his family.

Blessed are those who are persecuted as a result of being honest for they walk in the ways of God.

These eight ‘blessings’ have become known as the ‘Beatitudes’ (from the Latin for ‘blessed’). Jesus’s teaching of the Beatitudes was commemorated at the end of the 4th century by a small Byzantine chapel built beside the main road at En Tabgha near Capernaum. This chapel and a small adjoining monastery were abandoned in the 7th century. The remains of a Byzantine mosaic floor from the chapel can be seen on display at Capernaum (see Map 7).

The hillside where it is believed that Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount and taught the Beatitudes – overlooking the Sea of Galilee above En Tabgha near Capernaum – is now occupied by the modern Church of the Beatitudes, built by the Italian Franciscan architect Bertalucci in 1938. The octagonal shape of the modern building reflects the number of blessings taught by Jesus. The eight ‘blessed’ sayings are inscribed (in Latin) on a series of plaques in the attractive gardens surrounding the church.

On the slope below the Mount of Beatitudes, above the lakeshore between En Tabgha and Capernaum, a wide natural hollow is thought to be the place where Jesus often taught parables such as the Parable of the Sower to the large crowds who flocked to hear him. The excellent acoustics of this natural amphitheatre have led to the area becoming known as the Sower’s Cove.

The salt of the earth

 Jesus tells the crowds, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again” (). Salt was highly valued in former times as a preservative as well as for flavouring. Salt that loses its saltiness may refer to salt from the south west corner of the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea - The Dead Sea lies on the floor of the Jordan Valley (see Map 1 & Fig 1). At 1378 feet / 420 metres below sea level, it is the lowest point on earth. The water in the Dead Sea is very salty because rivers, such as the River Jordan, carry dissolved salts into the sea but there is no outlet. Consequently, as the water evaporates due to the high temperatures, what liquid remains becomes exceptionally salty.

               The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea lies on the floor of the Jordan Valley (see Map 1 & Fig 1). At 1378 feet / 420 metres below sea level, it is the lowest point on earth. The water in the Dead Sea is very salty because rivers, such as the River Jordan, carry dissolved salts into the sea but there is no outlet. Consequently, as the water evaporates due to the high temperatures, what liquid remains becomes exceptionally salty.

On the southern shore of the Dead Sea, the water was completely evaporated in salt pans, while the remaining salty deposits were shovelled into heaps or ‘pillars’ of salt in order to dry (see ).  Because of impurities and chemical changes, the outer layer of the salt had to be discarded because it had lost much of its salty taste.

Light for the world - Jesus tells his followers, “You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden” ().

There are many hilltop towns in Samaria and Galilee. Safad, for instance, situated on top of a hill to the north west of Capernaum is clearly visible from the north west shore of the Sea of Galilee. When lamps are lit in the houses at night, they can be seen from a great distance and cannot easily be hidden.

Jesus teaches that he has come to fulfil the prophesies in the Jewish scriptures (the ‘Old Testament’). He says it is useless to make an offering aiming to put things right with God unless you have first put things right with your neighbour. He speaks against immorality, lust, divorce and swearing.

7th century Byzantine oil lamps,   St Peter's Castle, Bodrum

  7th century Byzantine oil lamps,   St Peter's Castle, Bodrum

He urges a peaceful resolution to disputes. “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth’” () (see ). In contrast, Jesus advocates ‘turning the other cheek’. “If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek as well” (). And if a Roman soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile (the maximum permitted under Roman law), “go with him two miles” (). The Jewish law taught people to love their Jewishneighbours (see ). But Jesus added, “love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you” ().

The Lord’s Prayer

   Jesus teaches his followers how to pray to God. Believers should pray using simple words and without any ostentatious display. Jesus offers a ‘model’ prayer – which has become known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ (see the feature on The Lords Prayer).

Jesus urges his followers not to worry about the future. “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth … But store your treasures in heaven where they cannot be destroyed...”. Jesus is indicating that God is preserving these ‘treasures’ until the time comes when he renews the whole of creation ().

“Look at how the lilies in the field grow. They don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers” (). Galilee has ample rain during the winter, so the hillsides are covered with a multitude of wild flowers when Jesus talks to the crowds in the spring of 28AD.

   Jesus teaches his followers not to judge others, “or you will be judged” (). He tells them to expect good gifts from God. If they give willingly to their children, “How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!” (). Jesus warns that it is necessary to stick to God’s path in order to gain eternal life, for “The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell” (). He warns people not to be led astray by those who do not tell the truth. These ‘false prophets’ will be recognised by their ‘fruit’ – their dubious lifestyle that is not in keeping with God’s ways.

The parable of the house builders

Jesus tells a story about two very different people who build their faith in God on what they hear. They are like two housebuilders – a wise man who builds his house on solid rock and a foolish man who builds his house on sand. Sand is loose and unconsolidated, and any house built on it can easily be washed away by a heavy downpour. Rock, on the other hand, is resistant to erosion, so it provides a firm foundation for a house. So too with faith – it must be built on the solid foundation of God’s word, not the fanciful ideas of ‘false prophets’.

Lakeside Teaching and Miracles

 Arriving back home in Capernaum, Jesus heals a paralysed man who is lowered on a mat through the roof of his house. Jesus tells him, “Young man, your sins are forgiven” (). The crowds are amazed when the crippled man walks away, but some of the teachers of the Jewish law are furious and accuse Jesus of blasphemy. They point out (correctly) that only God can forgive sins.

Homes in Jesus’s day - In the dry climate of Palestine, most simple houses were constructed with a flat roof where people could escape the smoke from the fire and the noise of children, or sleep outside in the cool breeze on a hot summer night (see ). The roof of the house would consist typically of thin wooden poles laid across more substantial crossbeams. It would not have been too difficult a task to remove these wooden poles in order to lower the crippled man through the roof (see ).

In the dry climate of Palestine, most simple houses were constructed with a flat roof where people could escape the smoke from the fire and the noise of children, or sleep outside in the cool breeze on a hot summer night (see ). The roof of the house would consist typically of thin wooden poles laid across more substantial crossbeams. It would not have been too difficult a task to remove these wooden poles in order to lower the crippled man through the roof (see ).

Reconstructed houses built in this fashion can be seen today at Ancient Qasrin, a Jewish village dating from the 4th century AD near Qasrin (Katzrin) on the Golan Heights to the northeast of the Sea of Galilee (see Map 7). In addition to entering a partially reconstructed synagogue from the 6th century AD, visitors can use a hand-operated quern to grind corn and can observe an early olive press and an olive crusher.

Remains of early Jewish Christian houses from the 1st century AD have been uncovered at Er Ramtaniyya near Qasrin. Lintels on the door show a combination of both Jewish and Christian symbols. These include the menorah (a Jewish seven-branched candlestick), a lulav (a palm branch), a fish (the Greek word for fish, ‘Ichthus’ represented the initial letters of ‘Jesus Christ, Son of God and Saviour’ in Greek) and the cross. Excavated remains from the Qasrin area and nearby Gamla can be seen at the Golan Archaeological Museum in Qasrin.

Reconstructed houses similar to those built in the 1st century AD can also be seen at Nazareth Historical Village, 500 yards / 500 metres south west of the town centre of Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood days.

Jesus upsets the Pharisees

     Jesus teaches in and around Capernaum during the spring of 28AD. He calls Levi (or ‘Matthew’ – meaning ‘gift of the Lord’) - a despised public official (or ‘publican’) who collects taxes on behalf of the Romans – and is accused by the Pharisees of eating and socialising with tax collectors (‘publicans’) and sinners who are ritually ‘unclean’.

His disciples pick ears of corn to eat on the Sabbath – just before the wheat harvest in early May – to the consternation of the Pharisees who believe he is breaking the Jewish Sabbath laws (see & ). Jesus replies that even King David ignored the Jewish laws when he and his men ate the consecrated ‘showbread’ that only the priests were allowed to eat (see & ).

Jesus adds, “The Sabbath day was made to help people; they were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day” ().

 Jesus heals a man with a shrivelled hand in the synagogue at Capernaum on the Sabbath. The Pharisees (who were very strict in their interpretation of the Jewish law) begin to plot Jesus’s death as they are convinced that he has broken the law forbidding ‘work’ on the Sabbath (see ). Jesus points out that it is quite in keeping with the spirit of the law to do good and to save life on the Sabbath.

 Crowds flock to see Jesus from all over the region – from Judaea, Jerusalem and Idumaea to the south, from the Decapolis (the ten cities founded by the Greeks) on the eastern side of the Jordan, and from the western coastal areas around Tyre and Sidon. Jesus teaches them from a boat anchored just offshore.

The Decapolis - The Decapolis was a loose confederation of ten cities that, in the time of Jesus, were centres of Greek and Roman culture. The cities were given some degree of political autonomy by the Romans, who hoped they would encourage the adoption of ‘civilised’ Greek culture by the surrounding population.

The Decapolis was a loose confederation of ten cities that, in the time of Jesus, were centres of Greek and Roman culture. The cities were given some degree of political autonomy by the Romans, who hoped they would encourage the adoption of ‘civilised’ Greek culture by the surrounding population.

With the exception of Damascus, they were all founded as Greek cities between the death of Alexander the Great in 323BC and the Roman conquest of Syria in 63BC. Except for Scythopolis, they were all situated to the east of the River Jordan (see Map 6).

The ten cities (Greek ‘deka polis’) were:

Philadephia (Amman, the capital of modern-day Jordan) Gerasa (Jerash in Jordan) Pella (Tabaqat Fahl in Jordan) Scythopolis (on the site of Beth Shean in Israel) Gadara (Umm Qais in Jordan) Raphana (Abila in Jordan) Hippos (Susieh near the south east shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel) Canatha (Qanawat in Syria) Damascus (the capital of modern-day Syria)

In addition, Arabella (Irbid in Jordan) was sometimes included in the Decapolis, while Damascus was sometimes considered to be an ‘honorary’ member.

Today, impressive remains of classical Greek and Roman architecture can be found at most of these sites, especially at Gerasa (Jerash) and Scythopolis (Beth Shean).

Jesus appoints twelve apostles

  On a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee, Jesus appoints a group of twelve ‘apostles’ (close followers who are to be ‘sent out’ to spread the Good News). They are Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, Philip, Nathaniel (Bartholomew), Levi (Matthew), Thomas, Thaddaeus, James (the son of Alphaeus), Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot (see the feature on Who were Jesus’s Followers? in Section 7).

 Jesus goes back to his home in Capernaum. His mother and brothers arrive from Nazareth(about 30 miles / 48 km away) as they think he is out of his mind. Some teachers of the Jewish law from Jerusalem think that he is possessed by the prince of demons, ‘Beelzebul’ (see , where the evil spirit Baal-Zebul (‘Prince Baal’) is referred to in mockery as ‘Baal-Zebub’ (Hebrew for ‘Lord of the Flies’). Jesus responds that they are insulting the Holy Spirit – an unforgivable sin.

 Jesus is busy teaching parables (stories with an underlying spiritual meaning) by the Galilean lakeside during the summer of 28AD.

The Parable of the Sower

Galilee has warm, wet winters and hot, dry summers. It is a fertile area where a variety of crops (e.g. wheat, barley, olives, figs and vines) grow well, and farming is an important activity. In the Parable of the Sower (see ), Jesus compares the way God’s word is received by different people to the way in which plants grow in the ground:

Some seed is sown on the path – on hard, compacted soil - so the seeds can’t take root and the birds eat it.

Some seed is sown amongst the rocks where the seeds start to grow; but there isn’t enough soil so the plants easily wither due to the hot sun and lack of water.

Other seedlings are choked by thorn bushes competing with the seedlings for water, light and food.

Only good soil provides plants with all they need – water, air, nutrients and space for the roots to develop. The seed sown on good soil produces a good crop, giving thirty, sixty or even a hundred times more grain than what has been sown as seed.

The meaning of the parable is that the word that Jesus sows in peoples’ hearts only grows into faith if the listeners are receptive to the message. Only then will their faith in God grow like the seed in the good soil.

The Parable of the Growing Seed - Jesus tells another story about how seed grows day and night without the farmer doing anything more until the harvest is ready. It’s like this when God’s word is spread abroad and the Holy Spirit works in someone’s life to deepen their faith and love for God (see ).

Jesus tells another story about how seed grows day and night without the farmer doing anything more until the harvest is ready. It’s like this when God’s word is spread abroad and the Holy Spirit works in someone’s life to deepen their faith and love for God (see ).

The Parable of the Mustard Seed - In a third story about seeds, Jesus compares the effect of preaching God’s word with the planting of a mustard seed. Although it’s a tiny seed, the mustard seed produces a huge plant. In the same way, planting the word of God in someone’s heart has a huge effect on their life (see ).

          The Parable of the Mustard Seed

In a third story about seeds, Jesus compares the effect of preaching God’s word with the planting of a mustard seed. Although it’s a tiny seed, the mustard seed produces a huge plant. In the same way, planting the word of God in someone’s heart has a huge effect on their life (see ).

Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee

     One evening in the autumn of 28AD, Jesus and his disciples set off across the Sea of Galilee in a wooden fishing boat in order to escape from the crowds (see 1 on Map 7).

     The lake is subject to sudden squalls, especially during the autumn. Winds blow from the west, funnelling between the hills and whipping the lake up into a fury of waves. A sudden storm threatens to sink the boat while Jesus is asleep. The disciples are terrified and wake Jesus. They’re even more amazed when he rebukes the waves and the storm calms down.

The Jesus Boat at Magdala

In 1985, when the lake level was particularly low during a time of drought, the remains of a wooden fishing boat were discovered on the bed of the Sea of Galilee near Magdala, to the north of Tiberias (see Map 7). Radiocarbon dating confirmed that the boat was built in the 1st century around the time of Christ. The boat was immediately dubbed the ‘Jesus Boat’ as it’s likely to be similar to the fishing boats that Jesus and his disciples used on the Sea of Galilee.

The boat was almost 27 feet / 8 metres long and nearly 8 feet / 2.4 metres wide – so it was much larger than a small rowing boat and more the size of a small ocean-going yacht. It was powered by a large sail, and would have had plenty of room for seine nets that could have been drawn round into a circle to catch a shoal of fish (see ).

The remains of the original hull have been preserved, and a replica of the boat can be seen at the Yigal Allon Centre at Ginnosar on the western shore, near the site of Magdala. Today, other replica boats built in the same style as the ‘Jesus Boat’ take visitors across the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias and En Tabgha.

Magdala, a small fishing village in the 1st century AD, was the home of Mary Magdalene, one of Jesus’s close circle of friends. Remains of a public building (possibly a synagogue) with heart-shaped columns and Doric capitals have been excavated near the lakeshore.

Jesus visits Gerasa

 Jesus and his disciples arrive on the eastern side of the lake in the non-Jewish territory of Gerasa (or Gadara) (see 1 on Map 7). Jesus casts out a whole ‘legion’ of evil spirits from a man and they enter a herd of pigs. The pigs rush down the steep slope into the lake and are drowned.

Gerasa - The healing of the man with a ‘legion’ (a large number) of evil spirits took place in, or close to, the Decapolis - an area of ten semi-autonomous Greek cities on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee which had been given the freedom by the Romans to conduct most of their own affairs. Gerasa (modern-day Jerash in Jordan) was one of these ten cities (see Map 7).

The healing of the man with a ‘legion’ (a large number) of evil spirits took place in, or close to, the Decapolis - an area of ten semi-autonomous Greek cities on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galileewhich had been given the freedom by the Romans to conduct most of their own affairs. Gerasa (modern-day Jerash in Jordan) was one of these ten cities (see Map 7).

The healing could only have taken place in a Gentile (non-Jewish) area as the herd of pigs (into which the evil spirits were sent) would not have been found in a Jewish territory such as Galilee. This is because orthodox Jews consider pigs to be ritually ‘unclean’ (see ) and therefore don’t rear pigs or eat pork.

The steep slope above the Sea of Galilee where this healing is believed to have occurred is on the eastern shore of the lake in the Kursi National Park to the north of Ein Gev (see Map 7). In 1970, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a large Byzantine monastery and church built here in the 5th century AD to commemorate the healing of the Gadarene man. Today, visitors can sail across the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias to Ein Gev before catching a local bus to see the mosaics and reconstructed remains of the church building at Kursi.

Jesus returns to Galilee

 The man who has been healed goes through the Decapolis (the territory of the ten Greek cities on the south eastern shore) telling people what has happened.

 Jesus and the disciples sail back across the lake to Capernaum (see 2 on Map 7), where they are approached by a distraught leader of the local synagogue whose twelve-year-old daughter has just died. Jesus miraculously brings Jairus’s daughter back to life and heals a sick woman who dares to touch his coat in faith, even though she is regarded by most Jews as ritually ‘unclean’ (see ).

 Jesus and his disciples leave Capernaum and walk to Nazareth (see 3 on Map 7) where Jesus is rejected in the synagogue in which he grew up by those who see him as ‘just a local boy’. Jesus is amazed at their lack of faith and is unable to perform many miracles – apart from healing a few sick people.

Korazin - Jesus was frequently disappointed by the lack of faith shown in the villages and towns of his home area. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus denounced the towns of Galilee that would not repent of their wrongdoings even though they had witnessed the miracles he had performed: “How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida … And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to the depths” ().

Jesus was frequently disappointed by the lack of faith shown in the villages and towns of his home area. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus denounced the towns of Galilee that would not repent of their wrongdoings even though they had witnessed the miracles he had performed: “How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida … And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to the depths” ().

Korazin (Chorozain) was one of three small towns situated just north of the Sea of Galilee (seeMap 7). Unlike the other two lakeside towns, it was situated in the Galilean Hills about 2 miles / 3.5 km from the shore. Being nearly 900 feet / 280 metres above the level of the lake, it had a good view south across the Sea of Galilee.

Remains of the 1st century Jewish settlement at Korazin can still be seen today, including several small stone-built houses and a synagogue. The town expanded considerably in the 2nd century after the Roman Emperor Hadrian expelled the Jews from Judaea in 135AD. It was extensively rebuilt in the 4th century, and remains of larger Byzantine houses, surrounded by courtyards, can be identified as well as steps leading down to a large bath for ritual cleansing. The 2nd century synagogue has been partially restored, and contains an inscribed basalt ‘Seat of Moses’ on which the rabbis and Pharisees sat (see ).

The twelve apostles are sent across Galilee -        Jesus leaves Nazareth and teaches in the villages of Galilee. He sends out his twelve ‘apostles’ to preach, heal and cast out demons during the winter of 28AD. They spread Jesus’s message, and many people respond by being sorry for their wrongdoings and turning back to God.

 Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee and Peraea, is disturbed when he hears about Jesus’s popularity. Some people think that Jesus is John the Baptist, raised from the dead, as Herod Antipas had beheaded John some months earlier at Machaerus (see Map 3).

Jesus's entry into Jerusalem

The order of events here is from . Luke and Matthew have similar accounts, but the exact order of events varies slightly.

        Jesus and his disciples approach Jericho en route for Jerusalem in the spring of 30AD (see 1on Map 11).Jesus's entry into Jerusalem

Jericho - Situated on the floor of the Jordan Valley, Jericho (meaning, the ‘city of palm trees’) is a lush oasis surrounded by desert, watered by a spring that never runs dry. Consequently, it has lush vegetation in an otherwise dry and arid area.

Situated on the floor of the Jordan Valley, Jericho (meaning, the ‘city of palm trees’) is a lush oasis surrounded by desert, watered by a spring that never runs dry. Consequently, it has lush vegetation in an otherwise dry and arid area.

It is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, and excavation of the ancient tell, to the north of the modern city, has revealed twenty layers of civilisation dating back thousands of years to c.9000BC.

The order of events here is from . Luke and Matthew have similar accounts, but the exact order of events varies slightly.

        Jesus and his disciples approach Jericho en route for Jerusalem in the spring of 30AD (see 1on Map 11).Jesus's entry into Jerusalem

In Old Testament times, it is remembered as the city defeated by the Jewish people under Joshua, following their exodus from Egypt (see ).

The order of events here is from . Luke and Matthew have similar accounts, but the exact order of events varies slightly.

A few years before the birth of Jesus, King Herod the Great built a winter palace and gardens here, and constructed an aqueduct to bring water into the town (see the feature on Herod’s Palaces in Section 2). The city had groves of date palms which brought Herod considerable income.

        Jesus and his disciples approach Jericho en route for Jerusalem in the spring of 30AD (see 1on Map 11).Jesus's entry into Jerusalem

    Passing through Jericho, Jesus meets Zacchaeus – a wealthy Jewish public official who collects taxes on behalf of the Roman government. Because he is too short to see over the crowds, Zacchaeus climbs a sycamore fig tree – a type of fig tree common in Palestine. Jesus calls up to him and is invited to stay in his house. Zacchaeus shows remorse for having cheated the poor, and promises to pay back four times the amount to those he has cheated.

The order of events here is from . Luke and Matthew have similar accounts, but the exact order of events varies slightly.

   On the way out of Jericho, Jesus heals a blind man – Bartimaeus – who is begging by the roadside as he is unable to work.

       Jesus and his disciples climb up along the road from Jericho and approach Jerusalem from the east across the Mount of Olives (see 2 on Map 11). Before reaching the hilltop villages of Bethphage (meaning ‘place with young figs’) and Bethany (where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived) Jesus sends two disciples ahead to collect a donkey from its owner. Jesus rides down the hillside from Bethany towards Jerusalem (see 3 on Map 11).

        Jesus and his disciples approach Jericho en route for Jerusalem in the spring of 30AD (see 1on Map 11).

Jesus weeps over Jerusalem

        Jesus weeps as he looks down over Jerusalem. As the Pharisees in the crowd voice their opposition to Jesus’s teaching once again, Jesus is saddened that they cannot recognise what would bring peace to the city. He goes on to prophesy the siege and destruction of Jerusalem that occurred forty years later in 70AD (see the feature on The Romano-Jewish War in Section 21).

Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem

The Mount of Olives – also called Olivet – is a small range of four hills (the highest at 2750 ft / 838m above sea level) which reaches about 250 ft / 75 m above Jerusalem to the east of the Kidron Valley (see Map 11). The name derives from the dense woodland of olive trees that covered the area in Jesus’s time.

Today, visitors to the Mount of Olives can look down over Jerusalem from the same place as Jesus did two thousand years ago. Walking down the hillside on the path followed by Jesus, visitors can enter the tear-shaped Chapel of Dominus Flevit(meaning ‘The Lord wept’) built in 1955 by the Italian architect Bertolucci on the site of a 7th century chapel. The four stone jugs on each corner of the building resemble ‘tear jugs’ in which the tears of mourners were collected at a Jewish funeral.

()

Dominus Flevit Chapel, Jerusalem ()

The slopes of the Kidron Valley facing the Temple are covered by an extensive Jewish graveyard. Many Jews ask to be buried at this spot as they believe they will be the first to rise from the dead when the Messiah defeats his enemies on the Mount of Olives and judges them in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the Kidron Valley) (see & ).

Beyond the grey onion domes of the 19th century Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene, visitors can look across to the Golden Gate (also called the Gate of Repentence). This gateway, rebuilt in the 7th century, is where Christians believe that Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey in order to fulfil the Messianic prophesies (see Map 12).

Jesus enters the city on a donkey

     Jesus enters the Old City of Jerusalem riding on a donkey – a symbol of meekness – to fulfil the Old Testament prophesies about the Messiah – the Christ (see ). The crowds assembling for the Passover festival spread palm leaves on the road and greet him by singing a popular pilgrim song “God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord!” () (see ). Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on 2nd April 30AD will be commemorated by Christians over the next two thousand years as Palm Sunday.

        After a brief visit to the courtyards of the Temple, Jesus and the twelve disciples spend the night at Bethany (see 4 on Map 11).

Jesus curses a fig tree

   The next morning, Monday, they return to Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus is hungry and tries to find some fruit on a fig tree. (Fig trees were common alongside roads and houses where they provided shade from the hot sun.)

The tree was covered in leaves as the new growth was flourishing during the warmer spring days leading up to the Passover festival. Jesus expects to find green (unripe) figs. But when he looks in amongst the leaves, he can’t find a single fruit – so he condemns the tree as useless!

Jesus sees the fig tree as a parable representing the Jewish people. They, like the tree, make a fine outward show; but they fail to bear the fruit of righteous living. So, like the tree, they are condemned to destruction (see & ).

   When Jesus and the disciples pass the tree the next day, it has withered and died. The disciples are amazed. But Jesus tells them that they will see far more amazing things than this when they learn to pray with greater faith about accomplishing difficult deeds.

Jesus heralds the end of the sacrificial system

   Meanwhile, on the Monday morning, Jesus enters the outer courtyard of the Temple (see and Map 12) and begins driving out the merchants who are selling birds to be offered as sacrifices. His symbolic actions – destroying the sacrificial system of the Temple for a short time – point towards the coming destruction of the Temple. With the ultimate sacrifice about to be paid by the death of Jesus – the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” () – the Temple has outlived its purpose as the place where Jews offered sacrifices to gain God’s favour.

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Map 12  Herod's Temple

The courtyard merchants are making huge profits selling their overpriced doves and pigeons (see ). They’re exchanging currency at inflated rates so the Jews can pay their temple tax in pure silver coins that don’t bear the name of any earthly king. The temple tax has to be paid in shekels or half shekels, minted originally in Tyre, but later issued by the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, as these are the only coins acceptable to the Jewish priests because they don’t carry the portrait of an earthly ruler.

This payment of half a shekel of silver is equivalent to two silver drachmas (see ). Jesus is exasperated that the Jewish Temple authorities are ignoring this exploitation of the pilgrims who have come to worship God. He shouts out, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations.’ But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers’.” () (see & ). Once again, the chief priests look for a way to kill Jesus because the crowds are amazed at his powerful teaching.

The Jewish crowds would also have been well aware that Jesus, by his actions, was fulfilling Zechariah's prophesy about the start of the 'End Times': "At that time there will not be any buyers or sellers in the Temple of the LORD All-powerful." ()

   The following day (Tuesday), Jesus teaches beneath Solomon’s Porch in the Temple courtyards in Jerusalem (see Map 12). The chief priests and rabbis demand to know by whose authority Jesus is teaching, but Jesus replies with a counter-question (a typical form of rabbinic debate) and refuses to say anything that will give them the opportunity to arrest him.

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A colonnaded portico on the Temple Mount  ()

The Temple in 30AD

Colonnaded porticos stretched round all four sides of the outer wall of the Temple (see Map 12). They formed wide, open-sided walkways with a roof, supported by rows of columns, providing welcome shade from the intense heat of the sun. The impressive Royal Porch (or Royal Portico) extended across the southern side of the outer courtyard (the Court of the Gentiles) where most pilgrims emerged after climbing up the internal steps from the Hulda Gates into the Temple. This is where the moneychangers had their stalls, and where pilgrims bought doves and pigeons to be offered as sacrifices.

Solomon’s Porch (or Solomon’s Portico) was situated on the eastern side of this outer courtyard. The porch was named after King Solomon who built the First Temple. By Jesus’s day, the SecondTemple had been re-furbished and enlarged by Herod the Great. Solomon’s Portico was used by the teachers of the Jewish law, who sat here in the shade, surrounded by their disciples. The early Christians also met here (see ).

The outermost courtyard was called the Court of the Gentiles because Gentiles were only allowed to go this far into the Temple. They were not allowed into the inner courtyards which were were surrounded by screens to form a barrier (see ). During the Passover festival, the Court of the Gentiles became a rowdy market place frequented by unscrupulous moneychangers and numerous merchants selling religious souvenirs.

Today, the site of Herod’s Temple is occupied by the beautifully decorated octagonal Dome of the Rock completed in 691AD above the rocky summit of Mount Moriah (see ). Visitors to the Temple Mount can shelter from the intense heat of the sun by pausing underneath the arched porticos on the inside of the present walls, built by Sultan Suleiman in the 16th century. Only on the lower parts of the retaining wall on the western side of the Temple Mount (the Kotel or Western Wall, where Jews come to pray) are there substantial visible remains of the original Herodian structure that supported the Second Temple. Visitors can, however, climb a restored section of Herodian steps that led to the Hulda Gates at the south entrance to the Temple Mount (see photograph on previous page).

Anyone wishing to see what the Temple and its surroundings looked like in Jesus’s day can walk around a large scale model of Jerusalem in 66AD at the Israel Museum (formerly in the grounds of the Holy Land Hotel).

Jesus in Jerusalem during Passover week

During the days immediately before the Passover festival begins (on Friday 7th April in 30AD), Jesus teaches in the Temple courts.

Jesus mounts a scathing attack on the Pharisees and the teachers of the Jewish law – the ‘religious establishment’ of his day. He attacks them for ‘showing off’ their religiosity with conspicuous ‘phylacteries’ (containing the commandments) worn on their foreheads and long, expensive tassels on their garments – intended, originally, to help them remember the commandments (see & ). He also criticises their love of public attention and ‘celebrity’ status.

Tombs in the Kidron Valley

Jesus condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees by likening them to ‘whitewashed tombs’ that look beautiful on the outside, but contain dead bodies that make them ritually ‘unclean’ (unacceptable to God) on the inside.

In Jesus’s day, Jewish tombs were whitewashed so that they could be seen at night. This was considered necessary by the Pharisees, not to avoid accidental injury, but because any Jew who touched a tomb would become ritually ‘unclean’ and would then have to undergo ceremonial washing (see ).

Jews attending the Passover festival were required to undergo ceremonial cleansing before entering the Temple. Ritual baths for this purpose were located to the south of the Temple Mountnear the Hulda (‘mole’) Steps leading up under the Royal Portico into the Temple courtyards (see and Map 12).

Today, a number of ancient rock-cut tombs can still be seen in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (the upper part of the Kidron Valley) on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives below the south east corner of the Temple Mount (see Map 12). These include the pyramid-topped Tomb of Zechariah(believed by some to belong to the father of John the Baptist – see & 57-80) and the classically fronted Tomb of James. Early Byzantine Christians believed the latter tomb belonged to James, the brother of Jesus, the first leader of the Christian church in Jerusalem (see & ). They built a 5th century church to commemorate James, fragmentary remains of which can still be seen on the hillside near the doric columns of this funerary monument.

In fact, both tombs date from c.100-200BC, and therefore were built for neither Zechariah nor James. An inscription on the architrave of the Tomb of James suggests that it was, in fact, the tomb of the Ben Hezir family of Jewish priests, descended from Hezir (see ).

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The Tomb of Absalom in the Valley of Jehoshaphat  ()

The distinctive bottle-top shaped Tomb of Absalom is also incorrectly named. Absalom was the rebellious son of King David who died in c.984BC having erected a pillar as a monument to himself in the Kidron Valley (see ). The Tomb of Absalom, however, dates from the 4th or 5th century BC.

Prophetic tradition suggests that the Valley of Jehoshaphat (meaning ‘God judges’) will be the site of the ‘Last Judgement’ on the ‘Day of the Lord’ (see & ). This accounts for the many ancient and modern tombs that can be seen today on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives. Those who are buried here intend to be the first to be judged and raised to life again on the ‘Day of Judgement’.

The Parable of the Sheep & the Goats

Jesus tells a parable about sheep and goats. He says that, when the ‘Son of Man’ returns in glory on the ‘Day of Judgement’, all people will be gathered together and will be separated into those who have pleased and offended God, “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (). This will not be an easy task simply from outward appearances, as long-eared sheep and goats look very similar in Palestine. Jesus says that the ‘sheep’ he will lead and whom God will bless (see ) are those who have fed and clothed the hungry and the poor, while the ‘goats’ (who are rejected from God’s eternal kingdom) are those who have ignored the needs of others.

The parable of the tenants in the vineyard

     Jesus tells another parable about tenants in a vineyard. “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress and built a tower” ().

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The watchtower in a vineyard  ()

In Jesus’s day, vineyards were protected from animals, thieves and strong winds by a sturdy wall or hedge – often strengthened by fig trees. When the vines developed fruit-bearing branches, they were raised above the ground on wooden supports, and pruned each spring to promote new growth. A watchtower was often built on the highest point to keep a lookout for thieves. The tenants paid the owner by giving him a share of the crop – sometimes as much as half the grapes (see the feature on Vineyards later in this section).

Jesus tells how the owner of the vineyard rented it out and went away on a long journey. When he sent a servant to collect his share of the crop, the farmers abused the servant. They killed other servants, and when the owner sent his son, they killed him too.

The Pharisees were furious as they realised that Jesus was telling a story about God (the ‘owner’ of the vineyard), and how the Jewish religious leaders (the ‘farmers’) had killed the prophets sent by God (the ‘servants’) and were plotting to kill Jesus himself (the ‘owner’s son’).

Paying taxes to Caesar

   The Pharisees and supporters of Herod Antipas try to trick Jesus by asking him, “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ()

Some years earlier, in 6AD, Judas the Galilean – a rabbi with his own group of followers (see ) – had led a rebellion against the Romans claiming that truly religious Jews shouldn’t pay taxes to Caesar, an earthly king who was worshipped as a god. His views were still widely held by Jewish nationalists.

Jesus asks the Pharisees to produce a denarius – a small silver coin with the Roman emperor’s head on it, worth about a day’s wages. Jesus shows them the portrait and says, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s” ().

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A silver denarius ()

Jews were used to paying the Temple tax in pure silver coins that did not bear the name of any earthly king. Half shekels or shekels (the equivalent of two Roman denarii and four denarii), minted originally in Tyre, but later issued by the Jewish authorities themselves, were the only coins acceptable to the priests, because they didn’t carry the portrait of an earthly ruler. Jewish pilgrims had to change their denarii (showing Caesar’s head) into shekels in order to pay their half shekel Temple tax (see ). Jesus is making the point that coins bearing the Emperor’s head can be used legitimately by Jews to pay Roman taxes, but coins without an earthly ruler’s portrait (the silver shekels used to pay the Temple tax) belong to God.

Loving your neighbour

   One of the teachers of the Jewish law asks Jesus which is the most important commandment? Jesus replies, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” () (see ). “The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’.” () (see ). The teacher congratulates Jesus, adding, “These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God” ().

Teaching about giving

   Jesus watches the crowds throwing their offerings for the upkeep of the Temple into the collection chests by the steps in the Court of the Women (see Map 12).

Many rich people throw in large amounts, but a poor widow puts in two tiny copper coins (leptas) worth very little. Jesus observes that the widow has put more into the treasury than all the others – for they’ve given just a little of their great wealth; but she’s given “all she had to live on” ()

Jesus is betrayed

   On the Tuesday – three days before the Passover festival – the chief priests and Jewish elders meet at the palace of the High Priest and plot how they can arrest Jesus away from the crowds.

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       That evening, Jesus is anointed with expensive perfume by a woman at Bethany. John, in his gospel, tells us that the woman was Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus (see ). This pure ‘nard’ was an extravagant luxury – an expensive import from Northern India – costing as much as three hundred denarii (a year’s wages), and the ointment was kept in an expensive alabaster jar carved out of stone (not a cheap pottery jar).

An alabaster jar ()

Some – including Judas Iscariot – are indignant at the apparent waste, as the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus points out that there will always be poor people “and you can help them any time you want” () (see ). He then commends the woman for using the perfume “to prepare me for burial” ().

   Following this incident, Judas Iscariot – one of Jesus’s close group of twelve disciples – goes to the chief priests and offers to betray Jesus when the opportunity arises.

The Last Supper

   At the start of the Preparation Day for the Festival of Unleavened Bread (the Passover festival) – on the Thursday evening – Jesus and his disciples return to Jerusalem to eat their Passover meal in a house with a large upper room or guest room.

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The room was probably provided by one of Jesus’s followers. The house had several storeys, and the owner was wealthy enough to have servants who collected the water from one of the wells or ‘pools’ in heavy stone jars.

Jesus had sent two of his disciples in advance to make final preparations, and they had been able to identify the correct house as they had followed a man carrying a jar of water. This would have been an unusual sight as it was generally regarded as women’s work to collect water (see & 28).

Outside the Old City of Jerusalem ()

The Upper Room

It is not known exactly where Jesus celebrated the Passover meal that has become known as ‘The Last Supper’. The Coenaculum or Cenacle, an upper room above the supposed Tomb of David, in the area now called Mount Zion, resembles the sort of ‘guest room’ where the disciples met. This room was re-built by the Franciscans in 1335, but is unlikely to be the actual site of the Last Supper.

It is more likely that the disciples shared their Passover meal at the home of John Mark and his mother Mary, where the early church met shortly after Jesus’s death and resurrection (see ). St Mark’s Church, in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, is believed to mark the site of the house belonging to John Mark’s family (see 1 on Map 13).

      As they arrive for the Passover meal, Jesus acts like a servant, washing the dust off his disciples’ feet to welcome them and to teach them humility by his own example.

Jesus’s Last Supper

    As they recline on a semi-circular couch (a 'stibadium') surrounding a low table, the disciples rest on their left elbow and eat with their right hand. Jesus then tells the disciples that one of them will betray him, and that he will die.

He then performs a traditional Jewish custom used to welcome the most important guests at a feast. He dips a piece of unleavened bread into the meat course and puts this ‘sop’ into the mouth of Judas Iscariot.

The most honoured guests at a feast always sit to the right and left of the host. John’s gospel records that John himself is reclining to the right of Jesus (see ), so it is quite likely that Jesus asks Judas to sit beside him on his left, where he can dip his hand in the same bowl (see ). Shortly after, Judas leaves under cover of darkness, to betray Jesus.

     Jesus comforts his disciples about his approaching death, promising that they will join him “in my Father’s house” (). Thomas says he doesn’t understand where Jesus is going, to which Jesus replies, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me” (). Philip says, “Lord, show us the Father” (), to which Jesus responds, “Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?” ().

    Jesus promises that, after his death, God the Father will give them another helper – the Holy Spirit – who will live in them. “But the helper will teach you everything and will cause you to remember all that I told you. This helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name” ().

        Jesus uses the image of a vine to explain his disciples’ relationship with God the Father. “I am the true vine; my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. And he trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit” ().

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Vines are pruned to encourage new growth and plentiful fruit. If branches are not producing fruit, they are cut out and burnt.

      Jesus continues, “A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine” (). He is likening his disciples to ‘branches’ that can only ‘produce fruit’ (live fruitful lives) if they get nourishment from the vine (from Jesus himself).

Vineyards

Vineyards were a common feature of Palestine in the time of Christ. Hillsides were often dug up, cleared of stones and planted with vines in an age when wine – the ‘fruit of the vine’ – was regularly consumed at mealtimes because of a lack of clean, unpolluted water.

Having planted a vineyard, the owner would build a watchtower to protect his crop from thieves (see ). He would also dig out a winepress where the harvested grapes could be trampled underfoot (see ) before being transferred into new wineskins (see ).

When Jesus taught his disciples, “A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine” (), he was referring to the practise of having a main ‘stock’ on the vine with the branches growing from it. After the harvest, branches are cut back almost to the stock, and for much of the year the stock grows round the branches. The branches ‘remain’ in the stock, while new branches grow out. In the same way, Jesus’s disciples must remain together and grow in fellowship and love for one another.

Today, visitors to the Biblical Landscape Reserve at Neot Kedumim near Lod (Lydda) can see a re-constructed vineyard and watchtower, and can taste samples of the seven Biblical species promised by God to the settlers of the ‘promised land’ – wheat, barley, vines, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey (see ).

Jesus gives new meaning to the Bread and the Wine

  While Jesus and his disciples are eating the Passover supper, Jesus takes some unleavened bread, gives thanks and breaks it. He gives it to the disciples as a symbol of his own body, which is to be broken on the cross, and says “Take it; this is my body” ().

Then he takes the cup, gives thanks and passes it round his disciples, saying, “This is my blood which is the new agreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many” ().

The Passover Supper

At a Passover meal (a Seder ceremony), Jewish families celebrate God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt, when God passed over the houses of the Israelites without killing their firstborn sons (see ). Blood is seen as a sign of protection (see ), and a roasted lamb shank is eaten to represent the Passover lamb whose blood was smeared on the door frames to protect the Israelites from death.

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Family members and guests dip their hands in a dish of haroseth – a sugary mixture of apple, walnuts and cinnamon, shared symbolically with friends at Passover to sweeten the bitter memories of slavery in Egypt. Pieces of unleavened bread (matzos) are also eaten to remember that, at the first Passover, the Israelites didn’t have time to let their bread rise before escaping from Egypt.

Passover plate with haroseth and a lamb shank (Gilabrand) The bowl of salted water represents bitter tears

During the Passover supper, three pieces of unleavened bread are broken symbolically. The middle piece (the Aphikomen) – representing the Passover lamb – is broken and shared towards the end of the supper. Jesus probably broke and shared this piece of bread to show that he would be killed (just like the Passover lamb) to save people from death and to give them eternal life (see ).

During the supper, four cups or ‘chalices’ of wine are symbolically passed round, reminding people of God’s four promises to rescue the Jews from Egypt (see ). The first cup – the Cup of Holiness – is accompanied by an opening blessing (the Kiddush) and by ceremonial hand washing. After a dish of bitter herbs (Karpas) is passed round, the second cup – the Cup of Instruction – is accompanied by reading the Biblical narrative of the Passover (the Maggid) and by singing the Little Hallel ().

When Jesus took the cup after supper, this probably refers to the third cup (the Cup of Redemption) which symbolises God’s promise to rescue his people from wrongdoing, to forgive them and to restore a loving relationship with them.

The Seder ceremony concludes by drinking from the fourth cup – the Cup of Hope – which looks to the coming of the Messiah – and the singing of the Great Hallel ( to 118).

Throughout the supper, another cup – the Cup of Elijah – stands at the centre of the table. This cup is only to be drunk when the prophet Elijah appears as a forerunner of the Messiah, the Christ (see & and the feature on Was John the new Elijah? in Section 2).

Jesus crosses the Kidron Valley

   Immediately after finishing supper, Jesus and his disciples leave the Old City and cross the Kidron Valley heading towards the Mount of Olives (see 1 on Map 13). En route, Jesus tells the disciples that he will rise from the dead and go ahead of them to Galilee. He also predicts that, before the morning, Peter will deny knowing him three times.

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Map 13  Jerusalem: The Last 24 Hours

   In the Garden of Gethsemane – an olive grove on the east side of the Kidron Valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives – Jesus prays in great anguish for several hours while the disciples fall asleep. “Abba, Father!” he says, “Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want” ().

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Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane  ()

The Mount of Olives

The Mount of Olives, where Jesus was arrested, is a prominent hill lying to the east of the Old City of Jerusalem on the opposite side of the Kidron Valley (see Map 13). The lower slopes, known as Gethsemane (meaning ‘olive press’), were covered by olive groves in the time of Jesus, and provided a welcome retreat from the noise and bustle of the Old City.

Today, there are still olive trees at this spot, close to the Church of All Nations (also called the Church of the Agony at Gethsemane) which commemorates the events that occurred in the Garden of Gethsemane in 30AD.

This modern church, erected in 1924 with donations from people of many nations, was built on the site of two earlier churches. These were an ‘elegant’ church described by a pilgrim in 382AD (that was destroyed in an earthquake in c.785AD), and a later Crusader church built in c.1170 and abandoned in 1345, over the rock where Jesus is said to have prayed.

Higher up the hillside, the Church of the Ascension (and the nearby Mosque of the Ascension)mark the spot on the summit of the Mount of Olives from which it is believed that Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection from the tomb (see ).

Jesus is arrested

   Judas leads the temple guards – armed with swords and clubs – to arrest Jesus. In the darkness, Judas identifies Jesus with a kiss – a sign of friendship used when a disciple greets a Jewish rabbi. A fight ensues and the disciples flee. Jesus is led back across the Kidron Valley and up the slope into the old City of David (see 2 on Map 13).

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The Sacred Steps (Scala Sacra) – which can be climbed today near the reputed site of the High Priest’s house – may well mark Jesus’s final route up into the city.

The Scala Sacra (Sacred Steps) leading up from the Kidron Valley ()

    Jesus is led before Annas, one of the chief priests and the father-in-law of the High Priest, to decide what charges will be brought against him when the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) meets early in the morning.

The Church of the House of Annas, just inside the Zion Gate in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, was built in the 14th century on what is believed to be the site of Annas’s house (see Map 13).

Jesus appears before the Sanhedrin

  At dawn on the Friday morning, just before 6.00am, Jesus is brought before Caiaphas – the Jewish High Priest who is the leader of the Jewish council (the Sanhedrin) (see 3 on Map 13).

False witnesses testify against Jesus but their stories conflict. Jesus remains silent and refuses to answer any questions (see ), but he agrees that he is the Christ (the Messiah) when asked directly by the High Priest. Jesus adds that they will all see ‘the Son of Man’ (a name for the Messiah, used by Jesus – see ) sitting in glory at the right hand of God and coming on the clouds of heaven.

The High Priest is furious and tears his clothes – although he is breaking the Jewish law by doing so (see ). Jesus is convicted of blasphemy by the Jewish elders of the Sanhedrin, and is deemed to deserve the death penalty (which can only be authorised by the Roman procurator). (See the feature on Who was the Messiah? in Section 2.)

  Meanwhile, Peter is in the courtyard below, following at a safe distance, but his Galilean accent betrays him as a follower of Jesus. He denies any knowledge of the condemned prisoner three times. Then the cock crows as morning dawns – and Peter breaks down in tears as he remembers Jesus’s words spoken just a few hours earlier (see ).

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The reputed site of Caiaphas’s House is marked today by the modern church of St Peter in Gallicantu (meaning ‘where the cock crowed’) (see 3 on Map 13). Inside, a striking series of colourful mosaics depicts the trial of Jesus and his betrayal by Peter. Beneath the church, an arched room hewn out of the rock is believed to be the cell where Jesus was kept prior to appearing before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin at dawn.

Jesus is taken to the Praetorium

       At around 7.00am, Jesus is taken to Herod’s Palace, which serves as the Praetorium (the Roman governor’s residence) when he is visiting Jerusalem (see 4 on Map 13).

The Praetorium

Pilate was the Roman procurator (governor) of Judaea, appointed by the emperor in Rome. He lived in Caesarea, the capital of the Roman province of Judaea, but when he was in Jerusalem he resided at Herod’s Palace, which served as the ‘praetorium’or governor’s palace after Judaea came under direct Roman rule in 6AD (see Map 13). 

Early Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem believed that Pilate lived in the Antonia Fortress – which had been erected at the north west corner of the Temple Mount by Herod the Great (and named after the Roman general Mark Antony who had granted him favours). The Antonia Fortress served as the barracks for Jerusalem’s Roman garrison. The fortress was destroyed by Titus with the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD.

The Citadel, near the Jaffa Gate, contains the only remnants of Herod’s Palace still standing today. Visitors can see a number of excellent displays about Herod’s Palace and the history of Jerusalem.

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Convent of the Flagellation, Jerusalem  ()

Many pilgrims also visit the Franciscan Convent of the Flagellation built on the site of the Antonia Fortress, and the Ecce Homo Convent which commemorates the moment when Pilate presented Jesus to the crowds with the words ‘Behold the man’ (Latin, ‘Ecce homo’). Beneath the convent, visitors can see remains of the Struthian Pool – a Roman cistern used to store water for the Antonia Fortress – and part of the Lithostratos – a pavement from the forum built by the Emperor Hadrian in 135AD, re-using paving stones from the courtyard of the Antonia Fortress. An inscription scratched onto one of these stones is thought to be a gaming board for the ‘Game of the King’ – the popular game that Roman soldiers played when they ‘cast lots’ to divide up Jesus’s clothing (see ).

As the Jews knew that the Romans would not agree to execute a man for a Jewish religious crime such as blasphemy, the Jewish leaders claimed they had found Jesus guilty of a political crime – opposing the emperor and Roman rule. Pilate asked Jesus if he was ‘the King of the Jews’ – a title used in mockery, as the Kingdom of Judaea had been abolished when the Romans deposed Archelaus in 6AD. Pilate told the chief priests that he thought Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against him.

Jesus is taken before Herod Antipas

     When Pilate learns that Jesus is a Galilean, he sends him to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea (who had executed John the Baptist two years earlier). Herod is visiting Jerusalem for the Passover festival and staying nearby at the Hasmonaean Palace (see 5 on Map 13). Jesus refuses to talk to Herod, whose soldiers mock him and dress him in a splendid robe.

Jesus is tried by Pilate

    At around 7.30am, Jesus is taken back to Pilate’s residence at Herod’s Palace (see 6 on Map 13). The chief priests refuse to enter the palace – the home of a Gentile – as they will become ritually ‘unclean’ and unable to celebrate the Passover festival.

Pilate is perplexed by the truth when Jesus says, “My kingdom does not belong to this world” (). He can find no basis for the anti-Roman charge brought against Jesus, so he offers to release him.

The Jews, however, are furious that Pilate calls Jesus, ‘the King of the Jews’ and demand the release of Barabbas, a nationalist rebel – a not-so-subtle threat that they, too, are prepared to rise up against the authority of Rome. (See the feature on Jewish Nationalists in Section 21).

      Pilate has Jesus flogged and continues to argue with the Jews. He has already angered the Jews on several previous occasions.

He’d used the Temple Tax to build a new aqueduct to bring water to Jerusalem, and when Jewish objectors had shouted him down, he’d ordered his soldiers to club them to death (see ).

Pilate had also offended the Jews by setting up Roman standards (‘signa’ – staffs adorned with symbols) in Jerusalem, some bearing an image of Tiberius Caesar who was worshipped as a god. Forced to back down on that occasion, Pilate is now in danger of provoking a Jewish rebellion and a complaint about him to Caesar.

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He eventually gives way when the Jews threaten his authority by chanting “you are no friend of Caesar” (). Pilate washes his hands of the whole affair, and condemns Jesus to death from his judgement seat at Gabbatha, the raised platform above the Stone Pavement outside Herod’s Palace.

The death of Judas

   Judas Iscariot hears about the death sentence and is filled with remorse. He tries to return his ‘betrayal money’ to the chief priests at the Temple, but they won’t have it (see ).

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The Hinnom Valley, Jerusalem ()

This field had previously been known as the ‘Potters’ Field’ because of a seam of clay used by local potters (see ).

The Valley of Hinnom

In the 6th century BC, the Valley of Hinnom (see Map 13) had been the site of Topheth (‘the fireplace’) where children were sacrificed to the god Molech. The Greek name for this valley, Gehenna, had become the common Jewish name for ‘hell’ by this time, symbolising a place of eternal punishment (see & , where the Greek word usually translated ‘hell’ is Gehenna).

While the Temple Mount was the highest point in Jerusalem (and therefore closest to God’s 'home' in the heavens), Gehenna, in contrast, was at the lowest point of the city (and therefore closest to Sheol, the ‘underworld’ or world of the dead) (see & ).

Jesus is executed by crucifixion

The Roman soldiers take Jesus inside the governor’s residence. They mock Jesus as ‘the King of the Jews’ and dress him in a scarlet robe (a symbol of Roman imperial power) and a crown made of thorns.

     Simon from Cyrene is forced to help carry Jesus’s cross to the place of crucifixion, outside the city walls. Cyrene was a port in Cyrenaica (modern-day Libya), rich in wheat, wool and dates. It had a Jewish settlement and had become a Roman province in 74BC (see Map 16).

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Shortly after 8.00am (during the ‘third hour’) Jesus is crucified at Golgotha (Aramaic, meaning ‘Place of the skull’) on the hill of Calvary (Latin, also meaning ‘Place of the skull’), just outside the walls of Jerusalem (see 7 on Map 13).

This Friday – 7th April 30AD – is commemorated each year by Christians as ‘Good Friday’ - the day when Jesus died as the ultimate sacrifice, rendering the system of sacrifices in the Temple redundant, and making faith in Jesus as God’s ‘anointed one’ the only way to be put right with God. (See the feature on When was Jesus crucified? later in this section.)

A cross at the Biblical Resources Institute, En Kerem.

Jesus’s Death

Roman prisoners were forced to carry their own cross (or usually just the heavy crossbar) to the place of execution where the crossbar (the ‘patibulum’) was attached horizontally to a permanent upright stake (the ‘crux’). If a condemned man was too weak to carry the heavy cross or the crossbar on his own, a passing civilian would be forced to carry it for him (see & ).

Jesus was probably forced to carry the crossbar of his own cross through the city steeets from Pilate’s residence in Herod’s Palace, roughly along the line of what is now David Street leading east from the Jaffa Gate (see 7 on Map 13). Turning north along what would become the Cardo Maximus, the main throroughfare of Roman Jerusalem (now Suk El-Attarin), he’d have left the city by a gateway located in the 1st century wall, near the Alexander Hospice. He was crucified on a rocky outcrop on the eastern side of an old disused quarry, just outside the city wall.

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3rd Station of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem  ()

Today, pilgrims walk the Via Dolorosa (the ‘Way of Sorrow’) along the route medieval pilgrims believed Jesus carried the cross. They pause at thirteen ‘stations of the cross’ to remember key events on the route from the Antonia Fortress – where the Crusaders believed Jesus was condemned by Pilate – to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – built on the site of the old quarry where Jesus was crucified and buried.

When Jesus reached Golgotha, the place of his crucifixion, the Roman soldiers nailed a written charge on the cross above Jesus’s head (a ‘titulus’ or ‘title’). It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews’ in Aramaic (the local language that Jesus spoke), in Latin (the official language of the Roman Empire) and in Greek (the universally spoken language of the eastern Mediterranean world). The letters ‘I.N.R.I.’ – often seen on western medieval paintings of the crucifixion – stand for the words of the Latin inscription ‘Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum’ – ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of Judaea’ (the land of the Jews). In Greek and other Orthodox churches, icons often bear the letters ‘I.N.B.I’ representing the words of the Greek translation (the ‘B’ stands for ‘Basileos’ – ‘King’).

Two robbers are crucified beside Jesus, one on his right and one on his left. The Roman soldiers gamble by casting lots to divide up Jesus’s clothing (see ), while passers-by hurl insults at Jesus and tell him to save himself “if you are really the Son of God” () (see ).

From the ‘sixth hour’ (beginning just before 11.00am) until the ‘ninth hour’ (starting a few minutes after 2.00 pm), dark stormclouds cover the land. Shortly after two in the afternoon, Jesus calls out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (), quoting the very psalm, written by King David, that others have just hurled at him in abuse (see ).

Some think he is calling Elijah – who was believed to help the godly in times of need and was expected to re-appear when the Messiah or Christ came to earth (see and the feature on Was John the new Elijah? in Chapter 2).

Finally, Jesus cries out again in a loud voice, then gives up his spirit and dies. At that moment, there is a huge earthquake and the curtain of the Temple – separating The Most Holy Place (the symbolic dwelling place of God) from God’s people – is torn in two (see Map 12).

From now on, believers will be able to enter directly into God’s presence because Jesus – by shedding his blood and dying on the cross – has paid the price of mankind’s rejection of God and has put those who believe in him right with God (see & 10:19-22).

  Before the evening approaches, Jesus’s body is removed from the cross and his corpse is buried nearby in a new tomb belonging to Joseph from Arimathea, a wealthy man who was a member of the Jewish council (the Sanhedrin). Arimathea (meaning ‘city of the Jews’) was a town 20 miles / 32km north west of Jerusalem (see Map 15).

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The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem  ()

The Tomb of Jesus

It was normal Jewish practice to take down the bodies of those who had been crucified and to bury them before sunset (see ). Jesus’s dead body was placed in a tomb cut into solid rock with a stone rolled across the entrance to prevent jackals and thieves getting in.

At burial, a corpse was usually washed and anointed with spices such as aloes and myrrh. Aloes are known to have come from India or China (though suggests they may also have been grown in the Jordan Valley). Myrrh is a resin extracted from trees grown in Arabia and North Africa.

Joseph, with the help of Nicodemus (another member of the Jewish council – see ), took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in a linen cloth – even though this activity would have made both of them ritually ‘unclean’ for seven days (see ). They then placed the body on a stone ledge (a ‘loculus’) inside the tomb.

The exact location of Golgotha (where Jesus was crucified) and Jesus’s tomb is not certain. However, the traditional sites now located close together inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were so revered by Christians during the first century that the Emperor Hadrian attempted to obliterate any memory of the site of Jesus’s resurrection when he re-built Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina in 135AD. He infilled the old quarry, levelled the site and built his Capitoline Temple in honour of Venus – the goddess of love – over what was then believed to be the site of Jesus’s tomb.

This location was identified by Macarius, the Bishop of Jerusalem, who attended the ecumenical Council of Nicea in 325AD. He asked the emperor, Constantine, to excavate Christ’s tomb. Consequently, the pagan temple was demolished, the infil removed, and a church built on the site of Calvary and Christ’s tomb in 326AD. The site of the present Crusader church, begun in 1012AD, would have been just outside the walls of Jerusalem in Jesus’s day, as the dead were always buried outside the city walls (see Map 13).

In 1849, General Gordon (a British army general) identified a rocky outcrop to the north of the Old City – resembling a skull with two eye sockets and a nose – as another possible site of Jesus’s crucifixion.

The site of Gordon’s Calvary is located close to the Damascus Gate, near to the Garden Tomb – a rock tomb situated in a peaceful garden. This tomb contains a ‘loculus’ (a stone ledge for the body) and an adjacent ‘weeping chamber’ where professional mourners led the lamentations (weeping and wailing) for the dead. The tomb has features similar to those constructed around the time of Christ, though it is thought to date from the 7th or 8th century BC.