The Garden Tomb

At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb , in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby , they laid Jesus there (John 19:41-42).

According to this scripture there was a garden by Jesus’s tomb. Additionally, the tomb was near the area of crucifixion. If we can find the garden, then perhaps we can find the tomb.

Near a possible location for Calvary, a tomb was found in 1867. Around this location, evidence has been found that a garden once existed, giving it the name of The Garden Tomb. Additionally, outside the entrance of the tomb a trough was found, suggesting that a large stone was used to seal the tomb.

Above is a schematic of the Garden Tomb. This tomb is not an arcosolium nor does it contain kokhims like was suggested in our previous blog. The tomb contains troughs that would have held a sarcophagus type of container, a very different burial style than what was practiced during the 1st century. There are also Byzantine symbols on the walls of the tomb dating to the 5th or 6th century.

Archaeologists have also determined that the tomb was most likely created using older tools to chisel it out of the hillside. The tools they think were used date back to Old Testament times, making the Garden Tomb far too old to be a 1st century tomb.

With this mounting evidence, the conclusion is that the Garden Tomb is not a 1st century tomb. More and more discoveries point to it being much older, as old as the 8th or 7th centuries BC. We can say with some certainty that this is not the actual tomb of Jesus.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Some have disregarded this to be the tomb of Jesus due to its location. Scripture is clear that Christ was crucified and buried outside the city walls and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher seems to be located within the city walls. However, recent studies have brought into doubt the true location of the city walls at the time of Christ.

This church was built by the Roman Emperor Constantine around 325/326 AD. Constantine based his decision on the location of this church from Christians living in the area at the time. These Christians stated that a Jewish tomb was located under a temple to the Greek goddess Venus. After deconstructing the temple, they did indeed find a Jewish tomb. An edicule was then built over the site. Sadly, this edicule has since been destroyed and rebuilt. The current state of the tomb was rebuild in the 19th century.

Excavations under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher have revealed additional ancient Jewish tombs. In the picture above you can see one of these tombs. Notice that this tomb has two kokhim . Later excavations in 1971 found a stone with a drawing of a boat from the 4th century. This stone had latin writing saying In domum Domini ilimus which translated means “Let us go to the House of the Lord.” This suggests that early Christians held this site in high regard.

Conclusions on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

• There is an unbroken history of the site from the 4th century
• Archaeology has shown that it was a burial place in the 1st century and was outside the walls
• Perhaps the Christians kept an accurate knowledge of the site from the destruction of the city in AD 70 until Constantine came in the 4th century?

Conclusion

Is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher the actual location of the tomb of Jesus? Perhaps. Sadly, it is not possible to identify the location of the tomb of Jesus with absolute certainty. However, history and archaeology can help us get very close.

*This blog was created from a video lecture given by Christopher Gornold-Smith.

*ThoughtHub is provided by SAGU, a private Christian university offering more than 60 Christ-centered academic programs – associates, bachelor’s and master’s and doctorate degrees in liberal arts and bible and church ministries..

One way we can answer these questions is by looking at the scriptural text and then compare the text with archaeological findings. We’ll start our journey with a series of scriptures concerning the burial of Jesus. First, Matthew’s Gospel records:

There came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus…Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock . He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance and went away (Matthew 27:57, 59-60).

and also in the Gospel of John,

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in… (John 20:3-5)

From these scriptures we can infer four truths about Jesus’ tomb:

1. The tomb was cut out of the rock
2. It had a doorway/entrance
3. The doorway was low, so a person had to bend over to look in
4. The entrance was closed by a large stone that could be rolled into place

Does archaeological evidence support this? YES.

Herodian Family Tomb

This tomb in Jerusalem has a deceiving name because tomb has nothing to do with Herod or his family. Unfortunately, it was labeled as such due to the rich ornamental decorations found inside and the name has stuck ever since. What you can see here is this tomb has been cut out of the rock and has steps going down to the interior, suggesting that one might need to bend over to see inside. Also notice that it has a large stone that was used to seal the door. This tomb fits the description mentioned in Matthew very well. However, there are many tombs from the 1st century so we should not assume this was Christ’s tomb.

Let’s take a look at another scripture.

[The other disciple] bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. (John 20:5-7)

Looking at this scripture, we can add a fifth observation to how Jesus’ tomb must have been, that the burial cloths could be seen.

Tomb of Annas

Just south of Jerusalem is a place called Akeldama. At this location there are many 1st century tombs which have also been cut out of the rocks. One very important tomb located here is the Tomb of Annas.

This is believed to be the tomb of the priest who was mentioned in the Gospel of John, one of the most powerful and wealthy men in Judea during the time of Christ. This tomb has also been cut out of the rock.

This tomb has small doors along the walls known as kokhim . During burial, the body was pushed head first into the tomb into the kokhim and a small slab would then be placed at the entrance with the person’s name written on it.

The body would be left there for about a year. After that, the bones would be removed, washed in wine and deposited in a bone box known as an ossuary box . This was because the kokhim were very expensive to produce. The ossuaries could then be stacked in the tomb and the kokhim could be used again.

Was Jesus buried in this type of tomb? To answer this, let’s look at another scripture.

[Mary] saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot (John 20:12).

From this scriptural description, Jesus could not have been buried in a tomb like this. Angels could not have sat at the head and at the foot in a kokh , there would not have been enough room.

So what type of tomb could he have been buried in? Well, let’s look at another 1st century tomb.

Tomb of Ariston arcosolium

This tomb is in the same area as the tomb of Annas but we can see from the picture that this is a very different type of burial chamber. This type of burial place is known as an archosolium , which means “an arched recess.” The body would have been laid in sideways on the shelf. This type of burial was a very popular type of burial during the time of Christ and was the preferred type of burial used by early Christians in Rome. Was this type of tomb used to hold Jesus’ body? Perhaps.

The burial cloths could have been seen if the tomb where Jesus was buried was an arcosolium , or a shelf of rock where the body could be placed before being put in a kokh for burial, and if it was in line of site from the entrance. A strong case can be made for the arcosolium .

Lets summarize what we have learned:

• The details about the tomb of Jesus described in the New Testament fit precisely with what we know from archaeology about Jewish burial customs in the first century.
• These archaeological findings help us to understand the New Testament and visualize what it is saying.
• Lastly, it affirms the historical accuracy of the New Testament, and shows it could not have been composed long after the events it describes.

Now that you have a good understanding of 1st century Jewish tombs, make sure you check out our accompanying blog Have Archaeologists Found the Tomb of Jesus where we explore possible locations for this historic event. Before you do that tell us what you think about this? Do you think Jesus was buried in an arcosolium or in another type of ancient tomb? Let us know your thoughts by commenting below.

*This blog was created from a video lecture given by Christopher Gornold-Smith

*ThoughtHub is provided by SAGU, a private Christian university offering more than 60 Christ-centered academic programs – associates, bachelor’s and master’s and doctorate degrees in liberal arts and bible and church ministries.

Summary of Cherubim

By looking at archaeological evidence of the Ancient Near East (Israel, Samaria, Assyria, Edom, and Persia), Christopher Gornold-Smith shows that the strange biblical creatures known as cherubim should not be considered as literal angels, but rather as creatures of art that show the majesty of great kings. These creatures were used by many cultures in this geographic area and time period.

Summary of Archaeology of Ancient Corinth

Corinth was a metropolitan port city whose patron goddess was Apphrodite, the goddess of love. Recall from The Geography of Ancient Corinth that the city of Corinth was a Greek city that was conquered and rebuilt by the Romans in New Testament times. In this video, Christopher provides a background to the old Corinth by exploring the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and of the temple of Asklepieion, the god of healing. Understanding this ancient city, brings to light the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

…Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Cherubim and the Four Faces

Cherubim are described in the Bible as having four faces: a face of an ox, a lion, an eagle and a man. Christopher shows through historical evidence how these faces depict different aspects of a king’s power, majesty, and intelligence. He then concludes by providing an application of what cherubim can teach us about the character of God.

Summary of Geography of Ancient Corinth Video

One cannot understand the history or archaeology of an ancient city without first having an understanding of the city’s geography. The ancient city of Corinth was a port city that connected the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea, allowing Corinth to become a cultural melting pot of the ancient world. Special attention in the video is given to the diolkos , which allowed cargo to be moved through Corinth, making the city very rich.