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The Archaeological Research and the Gospel of John 9:1-12

Joel Cundiff
Josemar da Silva Alves
The narrative of the Gospel of John 9:1-12 illustrates Jesus as the Light of the World (cf. 8:12) that shines in healing
beneficence on man, giving sight (6-7) and creating faith (cf. 17). At the Pool of Siloam Jesus restored vision to the
young man born blind. Siloam, which means Sent (silah, in Hebrew) is derived from the verb shlah (send). The Sent
One (gr. apestalmenos) is Gods Son. It is not the power inherent in the waters of the pool that heals, but Jesus who
gives sight to the man born blind. He is the only with authority to give spiritual sight. Grounded in the last Archeological
findings that go back 700 years before the miracle of Jesus, it is possible to rebuild and add realism to the narrative of
the Gospel, which is usually considered more spiritual than historical.
I.

History and Geography of the Site


a.
The Pool of Siloam (siloach, in Hebrew) is located on the southern slope of the City of David (the oldest part of
Jerusalem), which is believed to be the original site of Jerusalem, but is presently situated outside the walls of the Old
City. Flavius Josephus wrote in The Wars of the Jews, about the pool being located outside the city walls where the old
wall bent eastward and near a hill, which is precisely where this newly discovered pool lies. The pool was cut out of rock,
fed by the waters of the Gihon Spring (700 meters to the north), and connected by two manmade aqueducts, the Middle
Bronze Age Channel (constructed in 1800 BC) and Hezekiahs Tunnel (constructed during the reign of King Hezekiah in
700 BC). More excavation has revealed a road leading directly from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple, perhaps
connecting it with some of the Temple rituals.
b.
There are several Biblical references to the pool. Isaiah 8:6 mentions the pools gentle flowing waters, while
Isaiah 22:9 references to it and the construction of Hezekiahs Tunnel. In Nehemiah 3:15 the returning exiles from
Babylon rebuild the walls of the pool near the Kings Garden (Heb. gan hammelek), a garden area in the Kidron Valley.
However, for Christians, the most famous reference is given in John 9:1-11 as the location where Jesus sent a man born
blind to wash and be miraculously healed. As of yet, neither the location of the pool from Hezekiahs time nor the location
of the rebuilt pool from Nehemiahs day have been verified, and no one is for certain if they are located underneath the
lower pool or in another area of Jerusalem.
c.
In the 5th century an upper pool and a church was constructed by the Byzantines at the request of Empress Aelia
Eudocia (ca. A.D. 440), who wanted to commemorate the miracle of Jesus healing the man born blind. It has since been
abandoned and left to ruin. The chapel, wich was destroyed by persian soldiers under Cnosroes in 614, was replaced by
a mosque. The Bordeaux Pilgrim (A.D. 333) states that there was a four-sided colonnade above the Pool of Siloam, but
says nothing about a church. But in the 6 th century, Antoninus Martyr describes the pool and a church built by Eudocia.
However, part of the pool survives today and has only recently been rediscovered. It is surrounded by a large stone wall
and has a mosque resting beside and partially over it. It is this site that has long been visited by Christians on religious
pilgrimages and who mistakenly thought it to be the original location of the pool of Jesus miracle. However, recent
archeological evidence has discovered a more ancient site just 70 meters south of this Byzantine constructed upper
pool.
d.
Ancient records report that during the Second Temple period, there was a lower pool constructed further down the
southern slope of the City of David. An aqueduct leads from the upper pool to feed the lower pool. It is not yet
understood how much of the lower pool and its surrounding structures were the result of the monumental reconstruction
undertaken by Herod the Great between 37 and 4 BC. This is the pool that was recently discovered by archeologists in
the fall of 2004. While city workers were repairing a nearby sewer, they discovered stone steps and immediately called in
two prominent archeologists who verified the find rather quickly as being the pool of Siloam from the Second Temple
period. Yet, a portion of this pool remains unexcavated because the remaining area is situated underneath part of a lush
orchard full of figs, pomegranates, and other fruits, known as the Kings Garden, which is owned by a nearby Greek
Orthodox Church. Hopes are high that some sort of agreement will be made with the church to continue excavating the
rest of the pool.
e.
The lower pool is not a perfect rectangular, but more of a trapezoid in shape. There are three sets of five stone
steps leading to the bottom of the pool. Also, there are two landings located at varying levels, which are thought to have
been constructed to accommodate various water levels or serve as platforms to walk above the water. The excavation
has revealed that there were two phases of the pools construction. In the beginning the bottom of the pool was lined
with plaster to retain the water level, but later was remodeled and lined with all stone.
f.
What function the Pool of Siloam served in Jesus time is not entirely clear. Some scholars believe that as a
freshwater reservoir, it would have been a major gathering place for the thousands of Jews making a religious pilgrimage
to the city of Jerusalem for Passover, the Festival of Weeks, or the Festival of Tabernacles. The Talmud (Sukk. 4.9)
states that of Feast of Tabernacles, water was taken in a golden vessel from the Pool of Siloam to the Water Gate and
carried in the procession up to the Temple and the altar. In reference to the ceremonies at the Feast of Tabernacle in
John 7:37-38 Jesus, in speaking about his dispensing streams of living water, may be comparing his activity with this
ceremony of carrying the water from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple. Jews may well have camped in the adjacent
Kidron Valley and they were supplied with drinking and cooking water from the pool. Similarly, the New Testament
suggests it was probably used more as a ritual bath. Although, scholars are curious about how this naked ritual would
have been performed in such a public area. Its naturally flowing spring water would have been the highest level of
sanctity and would have met all of the requirements for a ritual bath (in Hebrew: miqweh, plural: miqwa'ot). Another
scholar, Yoel Elitzur, claims that it must have been a public swimming pool and believes that Herod the Great built it to

embellish Jerusalem with an opulent feature of Roman culture. If it is a ritual bath, it is certainly the largest and most
significant one ever found, measuring over 225 feet on one side.
g.
Whether the Pool of Siloam in Hezekiah and Nehemiahs time was located in the same place as in Jesus time
remains to be confirmed. Further excavations need to be undertaken beneath the recent discovery to find out if there is
Iron Age pottery below.
II.

Excavators
a.
Eli Shukron: Archaeologist of the Israeli Antiquities Authority. When two ancient steps were revealed, he
immediately halted the work and notified his colleague Ronny Reich.
b.
Ronny Reich: Archaeologist of the University of Haifa. He was the first to identify the steps as part of the Pool of
Siloam from de late Second Temple Period (first century A.D.). He is a leading archaeologist specializing in Jerusalem
and an expert on miqwaot (ritual baths). The title of his doctoral thesis is Miqwa'ot (Jewish Ritual Baths) in Eretz-Israel,
in the Second Temple, Mishnah and Talmud Periods."
c.
Jon Seligman: Jerusalem regional archeologist for the Antiquities Authority. As soon as Reich identified the
steps as part of the Pool of Siloam from de time of Jesus, he took a few pictures and wrote a report to Seligman and then
authorized the excavation.

III.

Significant Evidence
a.
Coins from two different time periods have been discovered during the course of the excavation, which leads to
the conclusion that it was being used during the time of Jesus. Coins dating from the time of Alexander Jannaeus (10376 BC) were found within the plaster underneath the stone floor of the pool. However, these coins are the most
widespread of all Jewish coins and were in use for many years after this time as well, even in the time of Jesus. A
second collection of coins, which date from the Jewish War (AD 66-70), were also discovered within some soil in one
corner of the pool. This reveals that the pool was being used up until the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Shortly after
the destruction, the pool was abandoned and began to be covered over with mud that the winter rains carried down the
valley. When archeologists finally excavated the site, they found the pool underneath 10 feet of mud in places.
b.
Similarly, late Second Temple pottery dating to the 1st century has been discovered near the edge of the pool,
which had its end when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. An ivory pomegranate with a dove on top of it was
discovered near the pool, which gives evidence of prosperity and suggests that a profitable trade with Phoenicia or other
foreign countries was common. Numerous salt water fish bones were found as well, confirming widespread trade in the
area.

IV. Importncia da Escavao para a Narrativa Bblica (Importance to the Biblical Narrative)
a.
Some scholars have debated that the pool of Siloam never existed and have argued that John was just using it
to demonstrate a religious point. Now, grounded in Archeological findings, this site reveals the history of the Gospel of
John to be true. Therefore, this discovery has received substantial international media attention for its importance to
Biblical Archeology. It has been heralded as the archaeological discovery of the decade because it confirms the pool
existed during Jesus time.
b.
The large size of the pool, its close proximity to the Temple, and its free running waters all help to confirm and
add useful knowledge to the Biblical description of the pool of Siloam being a ritual bath. It also helps Biblical readers
understand more about the religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem, which were required of the Jews in the Bible.
c.
While this find does not prove Jesus miracle, the discovery helps bring more clarity to the question of why
Jesus would have chosen such a location of public and religious significance to heal the man born blind and why the
Jewish authorities would have been so offended by such an act.
V. Bibliography
Bolen, Todd. Pool of Siloam: Revealed. August 12, 2005. <www.bibleplaces.com/poolofsiloam.htm> (October 21, 2008).
Fischel, Marion. June 24, 2004. History unearthed: An archeological discovery sheds light on the Second Temple-period
water system. The Jerusalem Post.
Freeman, David Noel (editor-in-chief). Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Vol. 6
Mare, W. Harold. The Archaeology of the Jerusalem Area. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1987.
Maugh, Thomas H. August 9, 2005. Biblical Pool of Siloam uncovered in Jerusalem. Los Angeles Times.
Molitvenik, Yuliya. February 18, 2007. Pool of Siloam Excavations Report. OT Archeology. 1-2. IBEX.
<www.ibexsemester.com>
MSNBC. December 23, 2004. Archaeologists identify traces of miracle pool: Siloam Pool was where Jesus was said to
cure blind. <http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6750670/>
Roehrs, Walter R. Concordia Self-Study Commentary. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971.
Rudd, Steve. Pool of Siloam. <http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-pool-of-siloam.htm>. (October 21, 2008).
Shanks, Hershel.Ritual Bath or Swimming Pool?. Biblical Archeology Review. (May/June 2008): 18-19. Biblical
Archaeology Society
Shanks, Hershel. The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Cured the Blind Man. Biblical Archaeology Review 31, no. 5
(September/October 2005): 1623. Biblical Archaeology Society

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