Steps leading to the Pool of Siloam, where the Bible explains that Jesus sent a man born blind to wash after he was healed, have been excavated in an unfolding project to unearth the pool and its surroundings.
The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation began excavations to build upon discoveries made in 2004.
Archeologists have now revealed eight steps descending into the pool, according to Fox News.
“The ongoing excavations within the City of David — the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem — particularly of the Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road, serve as one of the greatest affirmations of that heritage and the millennia-old bond Jews and Christians have with Jerusalem,” Ze’ev Orenstein, director of International Affairs for the City of David Foundation said, noting the excavations allow the Bible to be embraced “not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact.”
Pool of Siloam excavated in Jerusalem–evidence of the scriptures where Jesus healed the blind man. John 9.https://t.co/nXebUlrLsR
— K Park (@KerryLPark) September 7, 2023
“The half-mile running through the City of David, from the Pool of Siloam in the south, continuing along the Pilgrimage Road, up to the footsteps of the Western Wall, Southern Steps and Temple Mount, represents the most significant half-mile on the planet,” Orenstein said.
“There is no half-mile anywhere on Earth which means more to more people — not to millions, but to billions — than the half-mile that is the City of David,” he said.
American Pastor John Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, noted the significance of the pool, according to Fox News
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“The Pool of Siloam’s excavation is highly significant to Christians around the world. It was at this site that Jesus healed the blind man (John:9), and it is at this site that, 2,000 years ago, Jewish pilgrims cleansed themselves prior to entering the Second Temple. The Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road, both located within the City of David, are among the most inspiring archeological affirmations of the Bible,” he said.
The Pool of Siloam – @JewishPress – https://t.co/UGgJdmTPdO pic.twitter.com/8DQht5wEQj
— JewishPress.com (@JewishPress) September 4, 2023
According to CBN, the pool was a reservoir for water from the Gihon Spring that was developed under the reign of King Hezekiah, which dates back about 2,700 years. During the Second Temple period, the pool served as a ritual bath for pilgrims going to the temple.
Efforts to excavate the site began in 1880, after an inscription concerning Hezekiah was found in the water tunnel. Later excavations expanded the site. In 2004, an infrastructure project uncovered some steps to the pool.
Since then, part of the pool area has been open to the public. The goal of the new project is to open the full area.
“In the Pool of Siloam, we find evidence of history preserved for us, revealed at just the right time,” Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News earlier this year as work on the latest phase of the project was beginning.
“Theologically, it affirms Scripture, geographically it affirms Scripture, and politically it affirms Israel’s unquestionable and unrivaled link to Jerusalem. Some discoveries are theoretical. This one is an undeniable. It is proof of the story of the Bible and of its people, Israel,” he said.
Additional info on the Pool of Siloam https://t.co/zE87JJoK8I
— HistoryandBeauty (@education_fun1) September 7, 2023
“The Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem is a site of historic, national and international significance. After many years of anticipation, we will soon merit being able to uncover this important site and make it accessible to the millions of visitors visiting Jerusalem each year,” Moshe Lion, the mayor of Jerusalem, said, according to the Jerusalem Post.
