Page from a copy of the Damascus Document found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/scrolls/images/damasc-b.jpg, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Although the Dead Sea Scrolls have been continuously studied since their discovery in 1947, many mysteries persist. Indeed, one of these mysteries first appeared more than a quarter century before the scrolls were discovered at Qumran. Who is the Teacher of Righteousness? This enigmatic figure appears in at least two of the major works from Qumran and has, at times, been thought to be the author of many others. Yet, as discussed by Angela Kim Harkins in her article “Are We Still Searching for the Teacher of Righteousness?” published in the Spring 2025 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, we might never know the teacher’s true identity. That is, if there ever was one.

Founding the Dead Sea Scrolls Community

First identified in a text of the famous Cairo Genizah, translated and published in 1910, the Teacher of Righteousness is a central figure of the so-called Damascus Document. Among numerous details in the Damascus Document is a description of a religious leader known as the Teacher of Righteousness, who was opposed by a Wicked Priest. After several copies of the Damascus Document were discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, it became clear that the document likely originated within the Qumran community, with some scholars arguing the Teacher of Righteousness was possibly the community’s founder. Meanwhile, a second text from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Commentary on Habakkuk, describes the teacher’s dramatic rivalry with other figures who contend with him for authority.

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Despite these texts, the Teacher of Righteousness remains a mystery in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and many scholars have put forward various theories about the identity of both the teacher and his adversaries. Early on, most assumed the Teacher of Righteousness was an actual historical figure. Among the proposed identifications was the Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus and Judah the Essene. More extreme and far-fetched theories even connected the Teacher of Righteousness with early Christianity, suggesting he could have been James, the brother of Jesus, or even John the Baptist.

More recently, scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls have become less confident about identifying the mysterious Teacher of Righteousness with a real historical figure. As Harkins discusses in her article, scroll scholars “no longer read the texts about the teacher at face value, instead highlighting the possibility that the teacher was a conceptual or even mythical figure emerging from the exegesis of biblical prophetic texts.” Yet other scholars, writing in the pages of Biblical Archaeology Review, have suggested the Teacher of Righteousness was never intended by the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls to be a historical figure. That is, if there ever was such a figure.

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The dual cartouches of Ramesses III discovered in Jordan’s Wadi Rum. Courtesy Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan.

The Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of the cartouche of Pharaoh Ramesses III (1186–1155 BCE) carved into a rock face near Wadi Rum in southern Jordan. A first-of-its-kind discovery in the country, it has been hailed as “rare, tangible evidence of pharaonic Egypt’s historical presence in the region.” Although it is the first such inscription discovered in Jordan, a series of cartouches belonging to Ramesses III have been discovered elsewhere, marking out an ancient trade route between Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula.

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Leaving a Mark

Among the countless carvings found throughout Wadi Rum, the inscription features two cartouches, one with the birth name of Ramesses III and the other with his throne name. “This is a landmark discovery that enhances our understanding of ancient connections between Egypt, Jordan, and the Arabian Peninsula,” said Lina Annab, the Jordanian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.

Several other inscriptions of Ramesses III have been discovered outside of Egypt, carved along a lengthy trade route that connected Egypt with the Arabian Peninsula. These inscriptions have helped archaeologists pinpoint the route itself, with several cartouches found throughout the Sinai and Israel and one as far south as Tayma in Saudi Arabia. The Wadi Rum inscription, which is located close to the border between Jordan and Saudi Arabia, provides yet another marker on that route.

According to Zahi Hawass, the former Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, “The discovery is crucial. It could open the door to a deeper understanding of Egypt’s interactions with the southern Levant and Arabian Peninsula over 3,000 years ago.”

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Main hall of the Upper Room, located above the site suggested to be the location of the Last Supper. See The Holy Land, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Just outside Zion Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City sits a small building considered by many Christians to be the location of Jesus’s Last Supper, and by Jews and Muslims to be the place of King David’s burial. Known today as the Upper Room or Cenacle, it has been a pilgrimage site for nearly a millennium. Now, an Israeli-Austrian archaeological team has identified more than 40 medieval inscriptions and graffiti carved into the walls of the Upper Room, several of which belong to important historical figures.

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Leaving a Mark on the Upper Room

The Upper Room is one of the holiest sites in Jerusalem and has been a major feature of Christian pilgrimage since at least the fourth century, although the current building was constructed around the 12th century as part of a Latin monastery. Like many holy sites around Jerusalem, including the Holy Sepulchre, centuries of pilgrimage have left their mark on the building.

Digitally remastered black-and-white multispectral image of the “Teuffenbach” coat of arms from Styria. Directly below, the half-erased date 14.. can be seen. To the right are two further inscriptions: the monumental Armenian Christmas inscription and a Serbian inscription “Akakius”. Courtesy IAA, Shai Halevi.

Using cutting-edge multispectral and RTI photography, a joint project by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Austrian Academy of Sciences has identified and studied more than 40 inscriptions and signs around the Cenacle that are barely visible to the naked eye. Among the carvings are several that can be directly linked to famous people or events. One such graffiti is the family crest of Tristram von Teuffenbach of Styria, who traveled to Jerusalem in 1436 with the then future emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick Habsburg.

Carved Coat of Arms with the inscription “Altbach”. This image is almost identical to the coat of arms of the modern city of the same name in southern Germany. It appears to have been left by an unknown pilgrim from the local knightly family. The cut drawings above the coat of arms show elements connected to the Last Supper: a goblet, a platter, and a round piece of bread. IAA, Shai Halevi.

One particularly intriguing inscription is written in Armenian and simply reads “Christmas 1300.” Despite its terse nature, the inscription can be tied to the Mongol conquest of Syria and the Levant in 1299. Among the troops fighting on behalf of the Mongols was the Armenian king Hethum II. Alongside the Armenians and other Christian groups from the Caucasus and the Levant, the Mongols successfully drove the Mamluk forces out of the region. Internal conflict, however, made the Mongols’ success short lived. The Armenian inscription is evidence that the troops of Hethum II were among the Mongol forces that reached Jerusalem.

General View of the Hall of the Last Supper on Mount Sion. At the opposite corner, Shai Halevi can be seen documenting an Arabic inscription. IAA, Joshua Faudem.

Another inscription is the signature of one Johannes Poloner from Regensburg, Germany, who recorded his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1421/22. Several other coats of arms and inscriptions were also found that record the presence of numerous other European pilgrims. However, the largest group of inscriptions belongs to Arabic-speaking Christians; one such Arabic inscription records the pilgrimage of a Christian woman from Aleppo.

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Aerial view of Tel Megiddo in northern Israel, where the earliest evidence of the use of vanilla in the world was discovered. Courtesy Photo Companion to the Bible, Joshua.

What do you and a 3,600-year-old Canaanite have in common? You both have used vanilla. The discovery of vanilla-laced wine in Iron Age Jerusalem caused no small commotion. After all, vanilla was only domesticated in the 12th century CE, in Mesoamerica. So, how could the spice appear nearly two thousand years earlier and half a world away from where it was domesticated? This is where that 3,600-year-old Canaanite comes in. Located only fifty-five miles north of Jerusalem, and a thousand years earlier than the flavored wine found there, is the oldest known use of vanilla ever discovered, predating the plant’s Mesoamerican domestication by two and a half millennia.

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As Canaanite as Vanilla

While analyzing the chemical residue left on a series of small pots from an elite burial tomb, dating to 1650–1550 BCE, the archaeological team made a startling discovery: significant amounts of vanillin, a primary flavor and aroma compound in vanilla. They also noticed several other chemical compounds known to come from true vanilla. Although vanilla might be no more than a cliché term for “common” or “unremarkable” today, this discovery was anything but. Found at the biblical site of Megiddo in northern Israel, the discovery goes against everything we thought we knew about vanilla and its origins. To get to the bottom of this conundrum, the team set out to figure out just what they had found.

In nature, trace amounts of vanillin can come from a wide range of sources, including some yeasts, fungi, and bacteria. It can even come from different aromatic resins, a few of which are native to the eastern Mediterranean. Yet, in each case, when compared to the results of their analysis, these other sources did not match the Megiddo samples. Even if the other sources contained vanillin, none of them had the full range of compounds found in the sample, and what they did have was not in the same ratios. Double-checking that their tests had not produced a faulty chemical signal due to contamination, the team came back to the seemingly impossible option: it was real vanilla. However, proving that what they found must be real vanilla was only part of the conundrum. How did it get to Megiddo?

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Today, nearly all vanilla on the market can trace its origins back to a single species of vanilla orchid, vanilla planifolia. This plant was first cultivated in Mesoamerica around the 12th century, although wild vanilla was probably used in the area long before that. However, vanilla planifolia is not the only species of vanilla orchid. Indeed, various species of vanilla orchid are endemic to tropical regions across the globe, although only a handful are considered aromatic, and thus capable of producing what we know as vanilla. At least four of these are found outside of the Americas, with three species native to Southeast Asia and India, and one native to East Africa. Today, some local communities in these areas still grow or collect these vanilla orchids for use in food, medicines, and fragrances.

The orchid of vanilla planifolia, the primary species of vanilla in use today. Vanillinmacher, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

While these regions are still far away from the land of Canaan, by the second millennium BCE, many long-distance trade networks were already established, connecting the major urban centers of the day, including Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Indus River Valley. Evidence of this far-reaching trade system can even be seen in the use of peppercorns from India in the mummification of Pharaoh Ramesses the Great. While the Levant was certainly not one of the great urban centers during this period, it had the fortune of being located along the trade routes running from Africa and Egypt to the rest of the Near East and beyond.

According to Vanessa Linares of the University of Haifa, lead author of the study, “Israel’s location at the crossroads of ancient trade routes likely facilitated the importation of exotic goods, including vanilla, from regions such as Southeast Asia or East Africa. The coastal and inland trade routes in Israel, such as those passing through Megiddo, would have made it an ideal location for the introduction and exchange of rare commodities like vanilla.”

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One question remains. With vanilla discovered in several archaeological contexts in Israel, why has it not been found elsewhere? “It’s important to consider the nature of the archaeological record and the specific trade routes that existed at the time,” said Linares. “Vanilla might have been imported and used in Israel due to its proximity to Egypt and other trading centers. Furthermore, organic residue analysis is still an under-researched field and is not automatically incorporated into every archaeological discovery. As the application of organic residue analysis becomes more routine in excavations around the world, we are likely to see an increasing number of exotic commodities like vanilla being identified in other regions.”

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Canopic jars discovered in the area of the Ramesseum. Courtesy Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

A joint Egyptian-French expedition made an incredible discovery while carrying out excavations and restoration work at the mortuary temple of Ramesses II, the pharaoh often associated with the Exodus. The excavations revealed several new areas of the massive temple complex and numerous tombs dating to a few centuries after the temple’s original construction.

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Commemorating the Great Pharaoh

The mortuary temple, known as the Ramesseum or the “Temple of Millions of Years,” was one of the grandest construction projects carried out by Ramesses II (r. 1279–1213 BCE), one of the greatest pharaohs to ever reign over Egypt. Located in the Theban necropolis across the Nile from the modern city of Luxor, the temple served as a place of commemoration and worship of the pharaoh, both before and after his death. Today, the temple is recognized as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While carrying out excavations inside the temple, the Egyptian-French team uncovered the “House of Life,” an ancient scientific school that was attached to most major temples. Inside, they discovered the remains of drawings and school games. The team also identified administrative buildings, workshops, and cellars to the east of the temple. The workshops included kitchens, bakeries, and areas for stonework and textile production. The cellars served as storage for olive oil, honey, wine, and more. According to a press release by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the various buildings indicate that the temple featured a complex administrative apparatus and served as both a place of worship and a local distribution center for manufactured goods.

Ushabti figurines discovered in the area of the Ramesseum. Courtesy Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Excavations to the northeast of the temple also revealed many tombs dating to the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1070–664 BCE). Most of these were shaft tombs that contained well-preserved canopic jars, funerary tools, coffins, and ushabti figurines.

The Egyptian-French expedition has been working at the mortuary temple since 1991 and has systematically carried out excavations and restoration work. Although one of the grandest construction projects of Ramesses the Great, the temple suffered more damage through history than some of Ramesses’s other construction projects, such as the famous temple at Abu Simbel. This may be because the location of the mortuary temple near the Nile’s floodplain damaged its foundations, leading to large areas of collapse.

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The life-sized funerary monument found at Pompeii. Courtesy Pompeii Archaeological Park.

While carrying out excavations in the Porta Sarno necropolis of ancient Pompeii, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a first-century BCE tomb, partially destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. Depicted in high relief on top of the tomb were two life-size statues of a young married couple, presumably the tomb’s owners.

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Commemorating the Dead at Pompeii

The tomb at Porta Sarno is one of more than 50 cremation burials discovered in the necropolis that served the ancient city. Consisting of four separate niches for cremation burials, the tomb was partly destroyed in the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, when earthquakes caused part of the structure to collapse. The two stone reliefs were damaged during the collapse, causing the head of the relief of the woman to break off.

A cluster of laurel leaves marking the woman as a priestess. Courtesy Pompeii Archaeological Park.

The reliefs, positioned over two of the niches that likely housed the couple’s remains, were both elegantly carved out of separate stone slabs framed in carved stone, presumably by a master sculptor. Likely true to life, the relief of the man stands 5 feet 7 inches tall, while the wife stands slightly taller at 5 feet 8 inches. The height, however, was not the only lifelike detail, as the man wears a toga, signifying his position as a Roman citizen, while the woman is adorned with rings, bracelets, and earrings. Most remarkable is the cluster of laurel leaves the woman holds in her hand, known as an aspergillum. The aspergillum was a ceremonial instrument used by priestesses to disperse incense inside sacred spaces.

Based on the aspergillum and other details, archaeologists identified the woman as a priestess of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture and motherhood. Priestesses held a prestigious position in Roman society, possibly the highest to which a Roman woman could aspire. It had previously been unknown how important the cult of Ceres was in Pompeii itself. Based on the impressive tomb sculpture, however, it is clear that the cult was an official part of Pompeii’s religious practices.

In front of the tomb, excavators found numerous ceramic and glass vessels for ointments, a mirror, and a coin. Although all of these items had a place in funerary rituals, the many ointment vessels demonstrate that there had been frequent visits to the tomb for the pouring of libations to the dead. While Pompeii has provided many incredible archaeological discoveries over the years, these funerary reliefs are remarkably rare and provide new insight into the religious and funerary life of the city a century before its destruction.

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Egyptian scarab discovered at Azekah. Courtesy Emil Aladjem IAA.

While on a walk with her family at the site of Azekah in central Israel, three-year-old Ziv Nitzan made a remarkable chance discovery: a nearly four millennia-old Egyptian scarab seal. As recounted by her older sister, Ziv bent down to look at rocks while walking along the path of the archaeological site. Picking up a stone, the toddler began to rub off some of the dirt when her sister suddenly realized it was something special. “I called my parents to come see the beautiful stone, and we realized we had discovered an archaeological find!”

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Identifying a Scarab

After chancing upon the incredible find, the family contacted the Israel Antiquities Authority. According to Daphna Ben-Tor, an expert in ancient seals, the scarab dates to the Middle Bronze Age (c. 2000–1550 BCE) and is approximately 3,800 years old. “Scarabs were used in this period as seals and amulets. They were found in graves, in public buildings, and in private homes. Sometimes they bear symbols and messages that reflect religious beliefs or status.”

Typically, scarab seals were small stone objects carved in the shape of the scarab dung beetle. The beetle, considered sacred in the eyes of the ancient Egyptians, was a symbol of new life, since the insect creates a dung ball in which to lay its eggs. In Egyptian, the beetle’s name derives from the verb “to come into being” or “to be created.”

Ziv Nitzan and her sisters with the certificate of appreciation from the IAA. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

Although scarab seals are distinctly Egyptian, at various periods in history they spread far outside Egypt’s borders. Hundreds have been discovered in Israel over the years. Many of these scarabs were imported from Egypt, while others were the work of local craftsmen copying Egyptian styles. In recent years, a number of scarab seals have been discovered by chance near archaeological sites, with many being found by small children like Ziv.

According to Achia Kohn-Tavor, an archaeologist who frequently partners with Israeli middle schools in educational activities, there are pros and cons of working with little kids. One of the pros is that in their excitement to find something, they look closely at every single rock. The con is that most of the things they find are just that—rocks.

Azekah is an important archaeological site near the modern (and ancient) city of Beth Shemesh. Through excavations, archaeologists have discovered evidence for the site’s long settlement history, including during the Bronze and Iron Ages. “The scarab found by Ziv joins a long list of Egyptian and Canaanite finds discovered [at Azekah], which attests to the close ties and cultural influences between Canaan and Egypt during that period,” said Oded Lipschits, director of the Azekah excavations.

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The Early Islamic period camel jug from Horvat ‘Anim. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

While excavating an ancient olive press in southern Israel, excavators with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered a beautifully painted jug that depicts one of the marvels of the ancient world—the camel. Discovered at the site of Horvat ‘Anim, about 20 miles northeast of Beer Sheva, the small clay jug opens a window onto life in the Middle East 1,300 years ago.

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During efforts to make the site accessible to the public, the IAA carried out renewed excavations and restorations of a number of ancient buildings, including a magnificent Byzantine-period synagogue (c. 324–634 CE), first excavated more than 40 years ago. However, it was the site’s early Islamic olive press, which dates to the eighth to ninth centuries, that revealed the remarkable jug. The vessel was decorated with geometric patterns painted in red with a depiction of a caravan of animals, including two camels along with what may be an ostrich or a donkey.

Aerial view of the site of Horvat ‘Anim. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

“In the early Islamic period, camels served as the primary mode of transportation,” explained IAA archaeologist Oren Shmueli. “The fact that camels appear in the jug’s illustrations highlights their significance at the time. Camels transported goods across the empire and were essential to the economy.

The camel jug. Courtesy Dafna Gazit, IAA.

In the Roman and Byzantine periods, goods were typically transported by sea via ships or by land using carts, but in the Islamic period, the camel took precedence as the dominant land transport, replacing the Roman ship with the ‘ship of the desert.’” Domesticated camels appeared in the Holy Land by the tenth century BCE if not earlier. They feature prominently in ancient art throughout the region, including at the Nabatean site of Petra in southern Jordan.

The olive press where the jug was discovered was built into a natural cave that was not fully excavated until the start of recent conservation work. In addition to the jug, archaeologists uncovered two pressing stones that were used to extract the oil, which was then collected in a central basin. “The uniqueness of the olive press lies in its well-organized and advanced construction. Essentially, it was an ancient factory equipped with a sophisticated and expensive machine for its era,” said Shmueli.

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Pyramid structure in the Judean Desert north of Nahal Zohar. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

What is a pyramid doing in the Judean Desert? While certainly not a pyramid of the type found in Egypt, the pile of stones sitting on a lonely hilltop north of Nahal Zohar that overlooks the Dead Sea is certainly a mystery.

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Originally dated to the First Temple period (c. 1000–586 BCE), recent excavations of the site by the Israel Antiquities Authority have redated it to the Hellenistic period (c. 332–37 BCE) based, in part, on coins discovered at the site. “What we have here is one of the richest and most intriguing archaeological excavations ever found in the Judean Desert,” said the excavation directors. “This pyramidal structure we discovered is huge and made of hand-hewn stones, each one weighing hundreds of kilograms.”

Although the excavation team was able to get new insights into the dating of the site, the structure’s original purpose remains a mystery. “We still do not know for certain what the building’s purpose was: Is this a guard tower, guarding an important commercial route through which the Dead Sea resources of salt and bitumen were transported to the coastal ports? Or at some point was this enormous structure on the mountaintop marking a grave, or serving as a monument in ancient history?”

Aerial view of the Judean Desert site near Nahal Zohar. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

Among the discoveries at the site were fragments of papyrus documents written in Greek, bronze coins from the time of the Ptolemies and Antiochus IV, weapons, wooden tools, and fabrics. Although some of these artifacts would typically have disintegrated over the 2,000-plus years between the Hellenistic period and today, the dry climate of the Judean Desert is well suited for preserving organic materials, such as the famed Dead Sea Scrolls.

Papyrus fragment discovered in the pyramid. Courtesy Emil Aladjem, IAA.

The excavations at Nahal Zohar are part of an ongoing project by the IAA, in conjunction with the Ministry of Heritage and the Civil Administration, to document and excavate sites throughout the Judean Desert. During the course of the project, the IAA has systematically surveyed the entire Judean Desert region—including 110 miles of cliffs—and located about 900 caves. With the help of rappelling equipment, digital technologies, and unique documentation methods, thousands of rare items have been uncovered, including scrolls, papyrus fragments, wooden utensils, weapons, leather items, and coin hoards.

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The Via Dolorosa, the Christian processional path in Jerusalem’s Old City. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer.

According to many Christian traditions, the Via Dolorosa (Latin for the “Way of Suffering”) marks the processional route taken by Jesus of Nazareth on his way to be crucified.

Although the route was first mentioned in the records of Byzantine pilgrims, the modern route was only established in the 18th century. Over the years, the Via Dolorosa has shifted numerous times, as the city around it has transformed and control of the city’s Christian holy sites passed from faction to faction.

Beginning at the Antonia Fortress, the path winds its way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a journey of roughly 2,000 feet. The current route consists of 14 stations, marking various locations along Jesus’s journey. Nine of the stations lie along the way to the Sepulchre, while the final five are within the Holy Sepulchre itself.

Not only is the Via Dolorosa an important pilgrimage destination for Christians, but its winding history also sheds light on the ways that the city itself has evolved over the last 2,000 years.

Explore this wonder for yourself with this short video tour of the Via Dolorosa, led by Biblical Archaeology Review assistant editor Nathan Steinmeyer.

The Via Dolorosa: Byzantine Period (c. 324–634 C.E.)

Jerusalem’s modern Old City. Courtesy Biblical Archaeology Society.

The earliest references to the Via Dolorosa come from the records of Christian pilgrims who visited Jerusalem towards the end of the Byzantine period. During this time, the processional route began on the Mount of Olives, where pilgrims would make their way from the Eleona Church to Gethsemane, and then into the city via St. Stephen’s Gate (modern Lions’ Gate). Once inside the city, the route followed a very similar path to the route used today, although there were no formal stops or stations until one reached the Holy Sepulchre.¹

The Early Islamic and Crusader Periods (c. 634–1291)

By the eighth century, the processional route had changed. Instead of traveling straight from Gethsemane to the Holy Sepulchre, pilgrims would instead go around the city to the south. The route then led to the house of Caiaphas, located near the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary, before heading to Calvary. Eventually, control over Jerusalem’s Christian sites was divided between various Catholic factions. This meant that competing routes for the Via Dolorosa emerged, each taking pilgrims past holy sites controlled by one or another Christian faction.

Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa. Courtesy Biblical Archaeology Society.

The Late Islamic and Ottoman Periods (c. 1291–1917)

This situation would come to an end in the 14th century, when Pope Clement VI declared the Holy Land to be under the custody of the Franciscan order. At this time, the Franciscan route ran from their monastery on Mount Zion to the Holy Sepulchre. After this, the route led back out through Lions’ Gate to Gethsemane and finally back to Mount Zion. It was not until the early 16th century that the path would change once again to reflect the general sequence of events related to Jesus’s final walk and crucifixion. Over the centuries of Franciscan control of the Via Dolorosa, stations have gradually developed, often with disagreement on the number or location of specific stations. Finally, in the 18th century, the route and most stations received their modern form, although some stations were not finalized until a century later.

Entrance to the Church of Our Lady of the Spasm. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer.

The Path of Jesus?

Although the Via Dolorosa has been in use for more than a thousand years, many biblical scholars and historians doubt that the modern route follows the path described by the Gospels. As discussed, Christian tradition has shifted the route several times over its history. Beyond the modern disagreement on the true burial place of Jesus of Nazareth, many scholars have also argued that Jesus would not have been tried and sentenced at the Antonia Fortress. Instead, it is more likely that such an event would have taken place at Herod’s Palace, located near the present Tower of David to the west of the Holy Sepulchre.

Walking along the Via Dolorosa. Courtesy Nathan Steinmeyer.

Notes

1 Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide, fifth edition (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008).

This article was first published in Bible History Daily on April 1, 2024.

Related reading in Bible History Daily

The Terra Sancta Museum: A New Stop on the Via Dolorosa

OnSite: The Walls of Jerusalem

OnSite: Caesarea Maritima

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library

A Look Inside the Antonia

Does the Holy Sepulchre Church Mark the Burial of Jesus?

Easter and the Death of Jesus

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