Is this the site of Jesus' trial?
Joel Baden is professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale University.
(CNN)Every
few years, it seems, an archaeological find of major biblical
significance is announced, almost always to do with either Jesus or King
David. This week, it's Jesus, and it's a big one.
Just
inside the western walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, beneath the tall
Ottoman-era fortification known misleadingly as the Tower of David,
archaeologists this week proclaimed the discovery of the site of Jesus'
trial by Pontius Pilate, at which he was condemned to die by
crucifixion.
More accurately: They
proclaimed the opening to visitors (read: tourists) of the site, which
has now been excavated and prepared for public viewing.
Without
pinpointing the precise location, scholars have known for a long time
that the trial must have taken place somewhere in this general vicinity
-- despite the fact that tradition has put the spot of the trial on the
very opposite side of the Old City, in the Antonia Fortress.
First, the background:
According
to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' trial before Pilate happened in a
place called the praetorium. Originally a term used to signify the tent
of the general when encamped for war -- and thus the place where the
important military decisions were made -- praetorium came to signify the
palace or administrative center for very high-ranking officials.
In
Jerusalem, this was the palace of Herod the Great, and according to
ancient witnesses, it was at Herod's palace that visiting Roman
prefects, like Pilate, would hold any necessary trials during their
visits to the capital city.
These same ancient writers declared that Herod's Palace was in the western part of Jerusalem -- near the Tower of David.
On
these grounds scholars have long doubted, indeed outright rejected, the
notion that the Antonia Fortress on the northeastern side of the city
was where the praetorium was located and the trial occurred.
This
most recent announcement is being hailed as a blockbuster, in large
part because the Antonia Fortress is the first station of the cross on
the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus is thought to have taken from his
trial to his crucifixion and burial at Golgotha, ending at the Church of
the Holy Sepulchre.
The Via Dolorosa
is an important pilgrimage site and a massive tourist attraction. But if
its first station is on the completely wrong side of the city, then the whole thing is cast into doubt.
The
Tower of David museum, which is housing the exhibit of the newly
discovered trial site, is openly hoping to draw pilgrims and other
interested visitors, and it is certain to get them.
What
should not be overlooked, however, is that an important archaeological
revelation about the life and death of Jesus was effectively kept under
wraps for nearly 15 years -- the discovery of Herod's Palace beneath the
Tower of David was first made in 2001 as part of a museum expansion
project.
The timing of the announcement
is linked entirely to the potential for tourist dollars, rather than to
the remarkable historical and religious significance of the discovery
on its own terms.
This may sound
cynical, but it is par for the course, especially in Jerusalem, where
the integration of history, religion, archeology, and tourism is at the
very heart of the city's economy.
It is
a safe bet that this discovery will not significantly diminish interest
in walking the Via Dolorosa --customs and traditions are awfully hard
to break, even with the best historical evidence.
What
is more likely to happen is that there will be two sites of Jesus'
trial, happily coexisting, just as there are two sites of Jesus' burial:
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb.
Jerusalem,
despite being riven by conflict, remains one of the most religiously
pluralistic places on Earth, and that pluralism is nowhere better
exemplified than in the sharing, duplicating, and often just plain old
creating of religious sites.
From a
scholarly perspective, however, it is nice that in this case, the
significance for the tourism industry of an archeological discovery
really does match up with its significance in history.
Better 15 years late than never.
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment