This year, Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on April 2, which, according to Christian tradition, marks the return of Jesus to Jerusalem and ends on April 9, Easter Sunday.
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Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have identified the ornately decorated ruins of a Christian church built towards the end of the Byzantine period. The sixth-century house of worship was unearthed near the Garden of Gethsemane, which sits at the foot of the Mount of Olives next to Jerusalem s Old City. The location is of incredible significance to Christians as according to the Gospels, Gethsemane is where Jesus Christ prayed to God to be relieved of the burdens and the suffering he was about to endure - his crucifixion.
Ancient Olive Oil Production Artifact Found in Gethsemane
Archaeologists found a 2,000-year-old ritual bath, known as a Mikveh. The finding underscores the importance of olive oil production in Gethsemane during the time of Christ.
Photos: Nadim Asfour.
A 2,000-year-old ritual bath used for the production of olive oil was discovered during excavations conducted in the Gethsemane area, in Jerusalem. The discovery was announced during a press conference organized by the Custody of the Holy Land on the site.See Also: New Insights Into the World’s Oldest Bottle of Olive Oil
A building project in the Garden of Gethsemane led to the discovery of an ancient find. For the first time, archaeologists have uncovered evidence from Second Temple times linking the area to Jesus day.
For generations, the Garden of Gethsemane has been revered as the place where Jesus prayed (Matt. 26:36) on the night he was betrayed before his crucifixion as related in Matthew 26:36.
The church that stands (also called The Church of All Nations and The Basilica of the Agony) there now was built at the foot of the Mount of Olives between 1919 and 1924. When the foundations were laid remains from the Byzantine and Crusader periods were found, but nothing from Second Temple times when Jesus would have been there.
The Tablet December 23, 2020
Photo of the excavation of a Byzantine Church in the Garden of Gethsemane carried out jointly by the Israel Antiquities Authority and students from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum. (Photo: Yaniv Berman/Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.)
By Charles Collins
(CRUX) A ritual bath dating to the time of Jesus has been uncovered on the Mount of Olives at the site tradition says is the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus experienced the Agony in the Garden before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
Gethsemane means “oil press” in Hebrew, which archeologists said might explain the find.
“According to the Jewish law, when you are producing wine or olive oil, you need to be purified,” said Amit Re’em of the Israel Antiquities Authority during a press conference on Dec. 21.