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Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone'

Starting point of the Palm Sunday ride, with a painted 12th-century mounting block

Herod, Yeshua & Jerusalem's Fall · synagogue / church, city / site · Accepted by scholars · found 1877

Painted medieval stone block with scenes of the Palm Sunday procession
Photo: Kenad · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons

Found 1877 — Franciscans (chapel built 1883 over the stone found in 1877); the painted stone was studied by Charles Clermont-Ganneau; later small excavations by Sylvester Saller and Emmanuele Testa (1950s) recorded tombs, cisterns and presses

Where Bethphage (et-Tur / Abu Dis road), east slope of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem (Israel / West Bank (East Jerusalem))

Dates from 1st century CE (village); 12th century CE (painted stone) · Early Roman to Crusader · Yeshua's entry into Jerusalem

Now at In situ; Franciscan Church of Bethphage, Mount of Olives

How Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone' was found

During clearing of land on the east slope of the Mount of Olives, a large cubic block of painted stone with medieval frescoes and Latin inscriptions was found; the Franciscan chapel was raised over it. Later probes around the chapel found rock-cut tombs of the Second Temple period and evidence of a first-century village.

What it is

A limestone block about a meter and a half square, painted in the 12th century with scenes of the raising of Lazarus, the two disciples fetching the colt, and the crowd with palms, plus Latin captions naming Bethphage. Crusaders venerated it as the stone Yeshua used to mount the donkey. Around the chapel are rock-cut tombs with ossuary fragments, cisterns and a wine press showing a small Jewish village of the Second Temple period.

Why it matters for the Bible

The Gospels say the Palm Sunday procession began at Bethphage, 'at the Mount of Olives', where two disciples found the colt. The Talmud mentions Beit Pagei as the outer limit of Jerusalem for certain sacrificial laws, so it was the last stop before the city. The Crusader stone shows how pilgrims of the 1100s marked the exact starting point; the tombs and presses show the village itself was real and Jewish in the first century. Its precise location is still a little uncertain, since some scholars place biblical Bethphage nearer the summit.

The Hebrew word: pahg

פַּג

פַּג is pronounced pahg and means unripe fig — the word inside the name Bethphage; compare Song of Songs 2:13 (Strong's H6291).

People this discovery connects to

Places

Events

Triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) · Cursing of the fig tree on the road from Bethany

Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone' in Scripture

Matthew 21:1-3 Yeshua sends two disciples from Bethphage on the Mount of Olives to fetch the donkey and colt.

Mark 11:1 One of only 3 verses that name Bethphage.

Luke 19:29-30 The procession starts 'near Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called Olivet'; the chapel sits between the two villages.

Questions people ask

What is Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone'?
A limestone block about a meter and a half square, painted in the 12th century with scenes of the raising of Lazarus, the two disciples fetching the colt, and the crowd with palms, plus Latin captions naming Bethphage. Crusaders venerated it as the stone Yeshua used to mount the donkey. Around the chapel are rock-cut tombs with ossuary fragments, cisterns and a wine press showing a small Jewish village of the Second Temple period.

When was Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone' discovered?
It was found in 1877 by Franciscans (chapel built 1883 over the stone found in 1877); the painted stone was studied by Charles Clermont-Ganneau; later small excavations by Sylvester Saller and Emmanuele Testa (1950s) recorded tombs, cisterns and presses, at Bethphage (et-Tur / Abu Dis road), east slope of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem.

Where is Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone' today?
In situ; Franciscan Church of Bethphage, Mount of Olives.

Which Bible verses does Bethphage and the Crusader 'Bethphage Stone' relate to?
Matthew 21:1-3, Mark 11:1, Luke 19:29-30.

Related discoveries

Sources

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