Skull of Golgotha
Skull of Golgotha or Skulls of Golgotha?
This photo, which is of a photo taken in the late 19th century, is of a
cliff facing a major road just outside Jerusalem, the type of place where
the Romans used to crucify criminals so that their handiwork could deter future criminals.
Here's a question for those who've read the Bible: does "Golgotha" mean "place of skulls" or does Golgotha mean "place of a skull"? I thought Golgotha meant "place of skulls" (plural) due to the skulls of past victims of crucifixion that must have been strewn about. But when I saw this photo next to the cliff itself, I dialed my iPod to the Gospels and realized that Golgotha means the place of "a" skull (singular).
Westerners began to trickle back into Jerusalem in the 19th century. Among them were Christians whose eyebrows lifted when they saw this skull-faced cliff. Excavations inevitably began in its vicinity and soon enough, they unearthed a first century wine press and underground water cavern, both evidences of a garden having been present during the time of Jesus. And at the other end of this garden, about 100 yards from the skull faced cliff of Golgotha, they found a first century tomb that had been cut out of a rock, exactly as described in the Bible.
Travel Tip
One of the best thing I did to prepare for this trip was to load an audio Bible, which takes up only 1.1 gigabytes, into my iPod. You can download it for free here.
Here's a question for those who've read the Bible: does "Golgotha" mean "place of skulls" or does Golgotha mean "place of a skull"? I thought Golgotha meant "place of skulls" (plural) due to the skulls of past victims of crucifixion that must have been strewn about. But when I saw this photo next to the cliff itself, I dialed my iPod to the Gospels and realized that Golgotha means the place of "a" skull (singular).
Westerners began to trickle back into Jerusalem in the 19th century. Among them were Christians whose eyebrows lifted when they saw this skull-faced cliff. Excavations inevitably began in its vicinity and soon enough, they unearthed a first century wine press and underground water cavern, both evidences of a garden having been present during the time of Jesus. And at the other end of this garden, about 100 yards from the skull faced cliff of Golgotha, they found a first century tomb that had been cut out of a rock, exactly as described in the Bible.
Travel Tip
One of the best thing I did to prepare for this trip was to load an audio Bible, which takes up only 1.1 gigabytes, into my iPod. You can download it for free here.