Mount of Olives
Gethsemane and the view of the Old City
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c. AD 30
- New Testament
The Passion and Resurrection in Jerusalem
One week in Jerusalem, from the entry by the Mount of Olives to the empty tomb: the heart of the four Gospels.
Credit: Beko · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Around AD 30, under the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for Passover. The four Gospels tell this last week in detail: the entry into the city from the Mount of Olives, the teaching in the Temple, the last meal, the arrest in Gethsemane, the trial, the crucifixion and the Resurrection.
Several archaeological finds shed light on this account: an inscription bearing Pilate's name found at Caesarea in 1961, the ossuary of a high priest named Caiaphas discovered in Jerusalem in 1990, and the Pool of Siloam uncovered in 2004.
- SourcesThe four Gospels, Flavius Josephus, Tacitus
- RulersPontius Pilate (26-36), the high priest Caiaphas
- Key placesMount of Olives, Upper Room, Holy Sepulchre, Temple Mount
- FindsPilate inscription, Caiaphas ossuary, Pool of Siloam
"He is not here, but is risen."
Luke 24:6
Sites from this period
5 places covered on this page. Tap a point on the map to open its guide.
Visit these places: build my tour (5 stops) →
Mount Zion
The Upper Room and David's Tomb
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Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Crucifixion and tomb according to tradition
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City of David
The kings' Jerusalem and Hezekiah's Tunnel
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Jesus at the Temple
The Gospels show Jesus teaching on the Temple esplanade, enlarged by Herod a few decades earlier. The monumental stairs of the southern wall, used by pilgrims to go up to the Temple, can still be seen today.
Old City of JerusalemMount Moriah: Abraham's Test, from the Biblical Story to the Temple MountWhere tradition places Abraham's test now stands the Temple Mount, one of the holiest sites in Judaism and Islam.View site → From the Upper Room to Gethsemane
Tradition places the last meal in the Upper Room (Cenacle) on Mount Zion; the present Gothic-style hall dates from the Crusader period. At the foot of the Mount of Olives, the garden of Gethsemane keeps very old olive trees, next to the Church of All Nations (1924).
The Holy Sepulchre
In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine had an old quarry and burial ground cleared, then outside the city walls, which the Christian community of Jerusalem identified as Golgotha. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, rebuilt by the Crusaders in the 12th century, houses the rock of Calvary and the tomb, whose Edicule was restored in 2016-2017.
Visiting the places of the Passion
- Mount of Olives: panorama over the Old City, Gethsemane, Church of All Nations.
- Mount Zion: the Upper Room, a short walk from Zion Gate.
- Via Dolorosa and Holy Sepulchre: the traditional Way of the Cross through the Old City.
- City of David: the Pool of Siloam and the pilgrims' road that led up to the Temple.
For the historical background, see the Second Temple period; for what happened next, the Apostles and the early Church.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Holy Sepulchre the real tomb of Jesus?
No proof allows us to say so, but the site has been venerated since at least the 4th century, and it did lie outside the walls in the 1st century, as the Gospels describe. Another, more recent tradition points to the "Garden Tomb", north of the Old City.
Where is the Garden of Gethsemane?
At the foot of the Mount of Olives, facing the Old City, next to the Church of All Nations, also called the Basilica of the Agony. Very old olive trees grow there.
Does the Via Dolorosa follow the real path of Jesus?
Its present route took shape between the Middle Ages and the 18th century. It starts near the Antonia fortress, but many historians think Pilate held court at Herod's palace instead, near today's Jaffa Gate.
Which archaeological finds relate to the Passion?
The Pontius Pilate inscription found at Caesarea in 1961, the ossuary bearing the name Caiaphas discovered in Jerusalem in 1990, and the heel bone of a 1st-century crucified man, Yehohanan, found in 1968, which shows how crucifixion was carried out.
How much time should you plan for the places of the Passion?
A full day: the Mount of Olives in the morning, then Mount Zion, the Old City and the Holy Sepulchre in the afternoon.