Researchers may have found the tomb of Jesus – a 2,000-year-old garden reveals its exact location
During excavations beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Italian researchers uncovered the remains of 2,000-year-old olive trees and grapevines. These findings align with remarkable precision with the Gospel of John’s description of a garden, offering a new perspective on what we know about the tomb of Jesus.
Italian archaeologists have made an extraordinary discovery during excavations carried out beneath the floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The investigation of the Iron Age quarry lying under the church revealed, among other things, the remains of 2,000-year-old olive trees and vines. These findings correspond strikingly well with the description found in the Gospel of John, which mentions a garden next to the site of the crucifixion, according to Popular Mechanics.
Research only became possible a few years ago
According to Christian tradition, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre encompasses both Golgotha – the site of the crucifixion – and the tomb of Jesus, where he was laid after being taken down from the cross. Unsurprisingly, millions of pilgrims have visited the site for centuries.
Due to the constant crowds, any major archaeological research had long been extremely difficult to carry out. Moreover, decades-long disputes between the three religious communities overseeing the church – the Orthodox Patriarchate, the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, and the Armenian Patriarchate – further hindered archaeological work.
The turning point came in 2019, when the parties finally agreed to renovate the 19th-century floor. Alongside the renovation, researchers were granted permission to conduct excavations beneath the flooring. The work was carried out by experts from Sapienza University of Rome.
A vineyard may hold the key
Francesca Romana Stasolla and her team uncovered an Iron Age (1200–586 BC) quarry beneath the 19th-century building. In the time of Jesus, the site had been used as a burial ground, and several rock-cut tombs were identified.
However, the most remarkable findings did not relate directly to the quarry itself but to later use of the area. Archaeological layers show that after quarrying ceased, the site was used for agricultural purposes. Low stone walls were erected, the spaces between them were filled with soil, and olive trees and vines were planted.
These archaeobotanical finds directly echo one of the most significant statements in the Gospel of John, which notes that a garden existed at the place of Jesus’s crucifixion. According to the researchers, the author of the text may have been closely familiar with Jerusalem of that era, and the new findings suggest that the description could be literally accurate.
Does the discovery prove that this is truly the tomb of Jesus?
The lead researcher expresses caution. Their primary aim is not to provide irrefutable proof of the precise location of Jesus’s tomb; far more important is the historical and religious significance of the site.
She also emphasises that regardless of whether one believes in the historical authenticity of the Holy Sepulchre, it is an objective fact that the faith and reverence of many generations have shaped this place.
Other sites have also been proposed
There are several other locations around the world that some believe may be the true tomb of Jesus. According to Bible Archaeology Report, for example, the Talpiot family tomb was uncovered in 1980 in the southern part of Jerusalem and became widely known after the 2007 documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus.
Ten ossuaries were found inside, some bearing inscriptions such as “Jesus, son of Joseph”. The filmmakers claimed that the tomb may have been the final resting place of Jesus and his family. However, scholars have pointed out that these names were extremely common in 1st-century Jewish society and therefore prove nothing on their own.
The DNA and chemical analyses referenced in the documentary also provide no reliable basis for such sensational conclusions. The origin of the ossuaries remains disputed, and several archaeologists outright reject the idea that they came from the Talpiot tomb.
Researchers also highlight that Jesus came from a poor Galilean family, who would not have used an expensive rock-cut tomb in Jerusalem. As such, the Talpiot tomb cannot be credibly linked to the tomb of Jesus and was most likely the burial place of a middle-class Judean family in the 1st century.
Since Hungary is very CHRISTIAN!!, What would be a proper and proportionate response to the spitting, misbehavior with Christian pilgrimages who visits the holy land and treated badly from the Israelis!!!
The Christian answer to your question is profoundly simple…….forgiveness and turn the other cheek. Jesus himself was a Jew who was mistreated by the Jews unto death. What do you think Jesus would do?
Just one of those typical bullshit stories fed to mushrooms always at around this time of the year, in order to keep them perpetually imprisoned in their jewish fairy tale world!