1. Jesus’ Ministry and
Last Days in Judea
Chapter 6
Archaeology & the New Testament
John McRay

2. The Pool of Bethesda
John 5:1-15 tells us about one of Jesus’
visits to Judea
Jesus went to a festival in Jerusalem
and healed an individual who had been
invalid for thirty eight years at the Pool
of Bethesda

3. The Pool of Bethesda
The Bible tells us that many disabled
individuals hung out at the Pool of
Bethesda

4. John 5:2 poses some questions
about the location of the miracle
What was the name of
the city?:
Bethesda
Bethzatha
Bethsaida

5. Where did the miracle at the Pool of
Bethesda occur?
Some believe it is a pool near the
sheep gate
Others believe it happened in a
near by building

6. Pool of Bethesda

7. Evidence of The Pool of Bethesda?
The Copper Scroll from the Qumran
written between A.D. 25 and 68
it lists places in Jerusalem fitting the
description of the Pool of Bethesda
Hebrew name: Beth Eshdathayin
(House of the Twin Pools)

8. Evidence of The Pool of Bethesda?
this may also be the pool, “in the poured
out waters,” mentioned in the
Oxyrhynchus as the Pool of David where
people would bath for purification

9. Other evidences of The Pool of
Bethesda
Archaeologists found two large pools
that had been cut into the rock and
plastered
the two pools were found about 100
yards north of the Temple Mount’s
Northern Wall and about 100 yards
from west of Lion Gate (Stephen’s
Gate)

10. the excavations were done by the White
Fathers
Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa of
Alegeria

11. The White Fathers

12. Excavations began near the Church of
Saint Anne
the pool on the south side s 215 feet wide
on the southern side and 190 feet across
at its northern edge, east and west sides
measure 160 feet
the smaller northern pool is 175 feet on
the southern side, 165 feet on the north
side, and 130 feet east and west

13. around the pools excavators found many
fragments of column bases, capitals,
and drums
probably belonging to the five porches
the Pool of John mentions

14. Wilkinson argues that the miracle
didn’t happen in a pool but in a nearby
building
The Gospel of John says the invalid was
near a pool with steps around where
people gathered.
There haven’t been any remains of the
building found

15. The Pool of Siloam
John 9:1-41 tells us of when Jesus put
clay on the eyes of a blind man then
told him to wash his eyes in the pool
the pool is the Pool of Siloam

16. The Pool of Siloam
Greek= Shiloah
built by King Hezekiah in the 18th
century B.C.
King Hezekiah built a tunnel to bring
in water from the Gihon Spring to the
pool

17. The Pool of Siloam
In 1897 F. J. Bliss and A. C. Dickie
uncovered the 75 square feet court, in
the center of it was the Pool of Siloam

18. Pool of
Siloam

19. Hezehiah’s
tunnel
Brought water from the
Gihon Spring to the Pool of
Siloam

20. Which pool is the Pool of Siloam?
Josephus locates the Pool of Siloam
outside the city wall
a second pool was found south of the
first pool
this is the modern day Birket el- Hamra
Wilkinson believes this is the pool
Josephus speaks of

21. Problem?
the directions don’t match up in
Josephus’ other statements
Josephus mentions the Solomon Pool
the Solomon Pool is between the Siloam
Pool and the Temple Mount
this reference is possibly referring to the
Gihon Spring

22. Solomon made an aqueduct from the
Gihon Spring
†he rock basin of Gihon is possibly what
Josephus refers to as Solomon’s Pool

23. Tyre and Sidon
Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30
tell us that Jesus visited the Gentile
lands of Tyre and Sidon towards the
end of his ministry
this is modern day Lebanon

24. Tyre and Sidon
Jesus went to preach to Jews but instead
healed a woman’s daughter because of
the woman’s faith

25. Tyre and Sidon
In 1947 Roman remains were found
beneath the ruins from Byzantine
period.
none of the remains dated back to New
Testament times
remains from the second century A.D.

26. Tyre and Sidon
some of the remains included a
monumental arch that had been
partially restored
excavators found a Roman road that was
lined with tombs which was typical of
Roman highways

27. Tyre and Sidon
Sidon was twenty eight miles north of
Tyre and 31 miles south of Beirut
around 1900 tombs were found dating
to the fourth century B.C. to the
Byzantine period
they found many white marble
anthropoid sarcophagi

28. The Corban Vow
Mark 7:9-13 tell us that the Pharisees
had forsaken their obligation to support
their parents
they claimed the money that would be
used for this purpose was corban
corban- “an offering” to God

29. Understanding the Corban
Vow
a sarcophagus from the early Christian
period was found in a Jewish tomb in the
Kidron Valley
the Hebrew inscription warns potential
grave robbers that the money is an
offering only for God

30. Understanding the Corban
Vow
at the Double Gate in the Southern Wall
of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem there
was found a stone vessel with the
‘corban” inscribed on it

31. Bethany
Jesus went to Bethany six days before the
final Passover
he raised Lazarus from the dead
Bethany is modern day village of
el-‘Azariyeh

32. Tomb of Lazarus