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Play audio 1XChange playback rate from 1 to 1 Mute audio The cavity in the rock would later be identified as a Jewish ritual bath dating to around 2,000 years ago – about the time Jesus was active in the area, according to Christian tradition. The bath was found by archaeologists working with the antiquities authority and scholars from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, a Franciscan research institute near the modern Church of Gethsemane. Construction on that church began in 1919 and took five years. During the process the builders discovered remains of a previously unknown ancient Byzantin...

“The discovery of this bath, unaccompanied by buildings, probably attests to the existence of an agricultural industry here 2,000 years ago, possibly producing oil or wine,” archaeologist Amit Re’em, the director of site excavation, explained. He added, “The discovery of the ritual bath probably confirms the place’s ancient name, Gethsemane.” Site researchers say the baths likely had a dual purpose, however. Workers in the olive groves would have used them, but they also were likely used by those who planned to visit a nearby Jewish temple on an adjacent hill, and by visitors who...

The remains of a 2,000-year-old ritual bath have been discovered at Gethsemane — the place where Jesus Christ prayed before He was betrayed by Judas — marking the first archeological evidence linking the pilgrimage site to the New Testament era.  | YouTube/"The Watchman" The remains of a 2,000-year-old ritual bath have been discovered at Gethsemane — the place where Jesus Christ prayed before He was betrayed by Judas — marking the first archeological evidence linking the pilgrimage site to the New Testament era.  The Times of London reports that archaeologists working in collabora...

Amanda Borschel-Dan is The Times of Israel's Jewish World and Archaeology editor. Second Temple-era ritual bath that was discovered during construction work on a modern tunnel under the 1920 Catholic Church of All Nations. (Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority) Second Temple-era ritual bath that was discovered during construction work on a modern tunnel under the 1920 Catholic Church of All Nations. (Yaniv Berman, Israel Antiquities Authority) Archaeologist Amit Reem next to the ritual bath at Gethsemane on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. (Yaniv Berman/ Israel Antiquities Authority) Fr. F...