Many critical events in Jesus’ final week (before His death) took place in the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Caiaphas’ house, and Golgotha.

The Mount of Olives

  • On the east side of the Mount of Olives was the village of Bethany and Bethpage.
  • The west side was a steep slope into the Kidron Valley.
  • The Garden of Gethsemane was a particular olive grove at the foot of the Mount of Olives.
  • The center part of the Mount of Olives, called Olivet, rises 100 feet higher than Jerusalem (2,700 ft. above sea level). From Olivet, there’s a spectacular view overlooking Jerusalem with the Temple and the City of David easily seen.
  • In ancient times, it was covered with wild olive trees and olive groves. While it is mostly developed today with streets, housing, and cemeteries, olive trees and pine trees still grow.
  • There are caves all over the mount that could be used for pilgrims’ camping and lodging.

Gethsemane

  • Gethsemane means “Oil Press.”
  • It was a garden and enclosure that likely contained an olive press on the Western foot of Mt. of Olives.
  • From Gethsemane, one looks up across the Kidron Valley and directly sees the Temple, notably the Golden Gate of the wall/Temple complex.
  • When olives were processed at presses such as Gethsemane, a fiber disk was filled with olives and then pressed three times to capture various qualities/ purities of oil.

Caiaphas’ House

  • Today the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu stands over the ruins of the courtyard and estate of the High Priest’s (Caiaphas) house. “Galli-Cantu” is Latin for “rooster crows.”
  • This is where Peter denied the Lord 3 times.
  • This is where Jesus was taken, questioned, and held on the night of His betrayal.
  • Under the church, a dungeon was discovered complete with cells, pillars to tie men up for beatings, and a deep hole that prisoners were lowered and raised by a rope.
  • Jesus was mocked and abused and likely placed in “the hole” of this place.
  • Possibly Peter, John, and the other apostles were flogged here (Acts 5:40-42).

Golgotha

  • Golgotha means “the skull.”
  • Today, it’s believed that Golgotha’s most likely site rests under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
  • The site sat due west of the Temple and was outside the city wall in the first century.
  • Jesus died on the cross, was taken down, and buried in Joseph’s new tomb in a garden nearby.