Golgotha Location – The Place of the Skull
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Drive Thru History
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The Gospel texts identify the location where the Romans carried out crucifixions as Golgotha – which, in Latin, translates as, “Calvary.” In Aramaic, Golgotha means the “place of the skull.”
The location for Golgotha was identified in ancient writings as a hill resembling a skullcap -- the top of a skull -- rather than the face of a skull. Additionally, all four Gospels refer to the hill using the Greek word “kranion,” meaning cranium or upper part of the skull. Therefore, it was probably a rounded hill. The mistaken understanding of the place referring to the face of a skull has lead to misidentifications over the centuries.
According to the Gospels, the Golgotha location was near the city, but outside the city walls, outside “the gate.” It was a location that was accessible to people walking by on a road, and it could be seen from far away. The traditional location of Golgotha and the crucifixion of Jesus was established when Helena of Constantinople came to Jerusalem in the 4th century AD and stated that the crucifixion had occurred on a specific hill, which was supposedly “about a stone’s throw” from where the tomb of Jesus was situated.
Today, this site is known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which was built over Jesus’ tomb, and eventually the complex was expanded to include the traditional Golgotha location.
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Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus (please observe where the North arrow is)
1. The Temple 2. Southern Wall and Royal Stoa
11. The Mount of Olives 13. The Kidron Valley 15. City of David (Mt. Ophel)
17. The Pool of Siloam 18. The Tyropoean Valley 20. Lower City (Poor section) 23. Upper City (Wealthy section)
24. David's Tomb 27. The Theater 28. The Market Place
29. Herod's Palace 36. Antonia Fortress (NT - Castle)
Ariel view (below) of the modern location of the City of David (Ophel) -
Looking from South to North. The white broken-line is where the ancient city of David was located (which is outside the city wall today). The gold domed building is the Muslim shrine called the Dome of the Rock. It is surrounded by ancient retaining wall of the Herodian Temple mount. This picture gives distance perspective. The Kidron valley can be seen on the left side.
http://emp.byui.edu/satterfieldb/rel211/jerusalem.htm