New Testament in Context
Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus Christ
Learn more about the city that played an important role in the Savior’s ministry.
Christ Laments over Jerusalem, by Gary Smith
The city of Jerusalem was central to Jewish life in the first century and was the location of some of the most significant events from the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.
For example, the New Testament Gospels record that Jesus often visited Jerusalem to observe the Jewish pilgrimage festivals at the temple (where He would frequently teach in the outer courtyards)1 and that He spent the final week of His mortal life in the city while preparing for a Passover celebration.2 In that setting, Jesus gave His last public discourses, came into conflict with local authorities, had His Last Supper with the disciples, agonized and prayed in Gethsemane, and suffered the trials, abuse, and crucifixion that ultimately led to His death, burial, and resurrection.
Because Jerusalem was the location of these crucial events in Jesus’s life and mission, understanding the landscape of the city during the early Roman period can greatly illuminate our reading of the Gospel accounts.
The City under Herod the Great and His Successors
The Jerusalem that Jesus would have known bears little resemblance to the city visited by modern tourists, but scriptural writings, historical sources, and archaeological excavations allow for a fascinating reconstruction of the Jerusalem’s first-century features.3
Unlike the Galilean village setting in which Jesus spent the majority of His ministry,4 Jerusalem was a wealthy and imposing city that had recently been renovated by Herod the Great and his successors to reflect the latest standards in Roman-style construction, technology, and amenities. This included:
-
The monumental Temple Mount, where Jewish pilgrims from around the Mediterranean world could worship the God of Israel at the temple. Jesus, of course, also went to the temple when He visited Jerusalem.5
-
A series of walls and fortifications (such as the Antonia Fortress) that protected the city.
-
Entertainment institutions, such as a theater and hippodrome.
-
An aqueduct system that channeled water into the city to supply the increasing needs of its inhabitants and regular influx of visitors.
-
Several pools—such as the Pool of Bethesda to the north and the Pool of Siloam to the south—for the ritual immersion of Jewish pilgrims who regularly came to the city to celebrate the festivals outlined in the Torah. Jesus Himself visited these pools.6
The Lower City and Upper City
The oldest and most transient part of Jerusalem in this period was the Lower City, just south of the Temple Mount. It contained bustling marketplaces, crowded streets, pilgrimage hostels, and clusters of non-elite houses, as well as larger dwellings for some of the city’s more prominent residents.
To the west was the Upper City—the highest and wealthiest part of Jerusalem. Here Herod built his extravagant mansion (with its two residential wings, pleasure gardens, and pools), and members of Judea’s upper-class sought to emulate the Roman aristocracy.
These elite families, which included priests who administered the Jerusalem temple, lived in urban villas adorned with Pompeian-style wall frescoes, mosaic floors with floral and geometric designs, and beautiful gardens. They also dined in Roman-style triclinia (rooms for reclining on couches during banquets) with fine dishes and imported cuisine.
Jesus’s Final Days in Jerusalem
Because much of this aristocratic lifestyle was supported by the tithes owed to priestly families and from the Jerusalem temple economy, Jesus Christ publicly condemned the city’s upper classes for their exploitation of the poor, their outward displays of wealth and power, and their treatment of the marginalized within Jewish society.7
This conflict with the local aristocracy led to the culminating events of Jesus’s life, which unfolded across Jerusalem’s landscape.
During His final night, Jesus shared His Last Supper with His disciples somewhere in the city’s residential area (which, despite the traditional location on the Western Hill, may have occurred in a modest house near the Lower City). He then retired to an agricultural facility outside the city walls on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane, or “place of the oil press,” where He suffered in agony and was arrested. He was then tried for blasphemy by local priestly authorities in one of the wealthy homes of the Upper City.
The next morning, Jesus was tried again by the Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate (which likely occurred in the palace once occupied by Herod the Great). Jesus was then forced to carry His cross outside of the city walls and was publicly crucified at a place of execution called Golgotha, or “place of the skull” (likely near an abandoned stone quarry on the northwest side of the city).8 Following His death, Jesus was buried by His followers in a nearby tomb, where His body lay until His glorious Resurrection on the third day.9
Although today we may not always know with certainty the exact locations associated with Jesus’s final week, understanding the main features and urban layout of first-century Jerusalem can offer valuable insights into our reading of the Gospel accounts, bring to life the events of Jesus’s last days, and help us come closer to Him as we feel the power of the Atonement He provided in the Holy City.