Geography of the Holy Sepulcher

This past Sunday Christians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is thought to have died sometime between 30 and 36 AD. A document at the University of Chicago has the actual date as Friday, April 3, 33 AD, and of course at 3 pm in the afternoon. I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in April 2013, eleven years ago, or 1,980 years after Christ's death (if in 33 AD), burial and resurrection. I did not realize, until that trip, that his tomb was so close to the place of his crucifixion. Of the stations of the cross, numbers 10 through 14 occur in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher itself and number nine just outside it. This post will be about the geography of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 

First century Jerusalem

Being a geographer, I like to understand the geography of an area, and the larger picture. With GPS in our Jeep, I miss the large view when travelling to an unknown area that one can get from a printed map of getting from point A to point B. Viewing a paper map allows me to better wrap my mind around where I am going. I have become reliant on the GPS, and it can provide useful information, like current traffic. When in the Holy Land, we depended on the driver, and at times we ended up traveling 45 minutes to get to a place 15 minutes away, often due to the security checkpoints which have many streets cut off. 

Via Dolorosa route from Fortress Antonia to Golgotha

Four of the last five stations of the cross being in one area makes sense. They are all related to the actual crucifixion: Jesus is stripped of his garments; Jesus is nailed to the cross; Jesus dies on the cross; Jesus is taken down from the cross. Israel/Palestine is made up of limestone, and limestone rock outcroppings are everywhere, and so would be caves. Jesus was born in Nazareth and probably in a cave. Mary first breast fed Jesus in a cave a short distance from the place of birth, in what is known as the milk grotto. She probably wanted to get some peace of mind away from all the shepherds, and the Magi. Jesus was born in a cave and buried in a cave. His place of burial likely was a cave further formed by hewing of  rock. It was to be the burial place of Joseph of Arimathea who provided his burial chamber for Jesus' lifeless body. I wonder if the chamber was ever reused? 

Depiction of Holy Sepulcher overlaid
with original grade

When visiting the church I thought this was unfortunate that the ground had been leveled, because it certainly would have been nice to experience the actual situation. The site was originally a pagan temple built by Hadrian (probably about 129 AD), part of which was repurposed for the church so the destruction of much of the ground is likely due to Hadrian and not fully the construction of the Church in the the first part of the 4th century by St Helena and her son Emperor Constantine. The ancients were well known for repurposing materials. Heck, even St Peter's Basilica in Rome is built in part from stone harvested from the Roman Colosseum. Stone was expensive to cut, handle, and transport, and in later times even find. Not all limestone and marble is appropriate for building construction.

Estimated cut out of tomb

One has to recall that the main method of transportation was by foot, so buildings were tightly packed to conserve space, and shorten the walking distance. Therefore, even though in 33AD the site was prominent for crucifixion less than a hundred years later in comes urban sprawl and the temple. It was not really sprawl since it was a logical outgrowth of the city, in a tight and compact manner. 

Entrance to Church of the Holy Sepulcher

In the church are varied markers of the stations. The ninth one, where Jesus fell a third time, being just outside and makes up the roof of the St Helena Chapel. Also present are a rock said to be split when the ground shook. 

Tomb of Christ

The specific date date of 3 April 33 AD is calculated by people much smarter than I, on the basis of a partial eclipse of the full moon as it rose above Jerusalem on that Friday afternoon. The Acts of the Apostles notes: "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come" The Eclipse occurred as the moon rose above Jerusalem. 

Rock outcrop to left side of sign

What is also interesting is that, but for one man (who Jesus told to behold his mother meaning his mother, Mary) the people that were at the cross of Jesus as he died were women. Just as women were the first to arrive at the tomb that first Easter, so were they at the foot of the cross. Perhaps it is appropriate that Pope Francis, this past Holy Thursday washed the feet of twelve women (all prisoners). I think the rumble I heard that day was deceased Bishop of Madison Robert Morlino turning over and over in his grave in Resurrection Cemetery. 

View of part of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

While Bob was turning over in his grave last week Thursday, Joseph of Arimathea, if he used his tomb after Christ died, probably had his bones scattered about with the construction of the pagan temple on the site of the tomb. Joseph was a wealthy man so he could afford the finely carved tomb right across from Golgotha, with its entrance facing the site of the Roman crucifixions on that rise in the ground. His was not simple cave, but involved hewing out the rock for the entrance as many say, and for the tomb itself. With such a large and heavy rock covering the tomb, the women who went to the tomb wondered who would move the rock for them. I guess they did not plan ahead well. Would they have relied on the guard who was placed there at the request of the religious authorities to assure the body was not stolen? Obviously, Christ took on the task of moving the rock, so they need not have worried. This all makes me wonder why he even moved the rock at all and just did not transport outside? In this coming weeks reading, my wife's favorite, Christ enters a locked room, without need of door or window. But, here he moved the rock. I guess he was being nice to the ladies.

Moon over Bethlehem, Afternoon in mid-April 2013

Just as I like to see the big picture when travelling, so do I like to make sense of the geography of an area. Geography can explain much in our world: from cultural development, to settlement patterns, and over time has even affected our genes. Diet also plays a role, but diet is related to geography as certain plants grow only in certain climate zones, and location also affected large animal husbandry. Anyway, if you have a chance to rethink Easter this week, as you eat your last chocolate egg, perhaps you may wish to think about the geography of the Holy Sepulcher. 

Source: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/jesus.html#:~:text=Jesus%20therefore%20died%20on%20Friday,in%20use%20at%20the%20time.