Pool of Bethesda
Twin pools with five porticoes beside the Church of St Anne, exactly as John 5 describes
Found 1888 — Conrad Schick, on the grounds of the White Fathers' Church of St Anne; later excavations by the White Fathers (1956–62) and Joachim Jeremias' study (1949)
Where Church of St Anne, Muslim Quarter, near the Lions' Gate, Jerusalem (Israel)
Dates from c. 200 BCE (pools) – 1st century CE; later Roman shrine and Byzantine church · Hellenistic–Early Roman · Ministry of Yeshua
Now at In place; grounds of the Church of St Anne, Jerusalem
How Pool of Bethesda was found
Clearing of the church grounds in 1888 exposed a large rock-cut reservoir; further digging revealed two pools separated by a central dam, with remains of colonnades, a Roman healing shrine to Asclepius/Serapis, and a Byzantine basilica built over the site.
What it is
Two large rectangular pools, together about 95 by 50 meters and up to 13 meters deep, cut into rock and separated by a wall about 6.5 meters thick. Porticoes ran around the four sides and along the dividing wall — five in all. Smaller baths and grottoes east of the pools served as a healing sanctuary.
Why it matters for the Bible
Critics once doubted John's 'pool with five porticoes' because no such five-sided structure existed. The two pools with a portico on the central wall give exactly five porticoes, showing that John's author knew pre-70 Jerusalem well. The nearby pagan healing shrine shows why sick people gathered there.
The Hebrew word: CHEH-sed
חֶסֶד
חֶסֶד is pronounced CHEH-sed and means loving-kindness, mercy — the root behind 'Bethesda' (Strong's H2617).
People this discovery connects to
- Yeshua (Jesus) — יֵשׁוּעַ (Ye-SHOO-ah) — YHVH saves
Places
- Bethesda — בֵּית חַסְדָּא (Beit chas-DAH) — house of mercy (Aramaic); 'Beth Eshdatayin', house of the two outpourings, in the Copper Scroll
Events
Healing of the paralyzed man on the Sabbath (John 5)
Pool of Bethesda in Scripture
John 5:2 'A pool called Bethesda, which has five porticoes' — the structure excavated here.
Questions people ask
What is Pool of Bethesda?
Two large rectangular pools, together about 95 by 50 meters and up to 13 meters deep, cut into rock and separated by a wall about 6.5 meters thick. Porticoes ran around the four sides and along the dividing wall — five in all. Smaller baths and grottoes east of the pools served as a healing sanctuary.
When was Pool of Bethesda discovered?
It was found in 1888 by Conrad Schick, on the grounds of the White Fathers' Church of St Anne; later excavations by the White Fathers (1956–62) and Joachim Jeremias' study (1949), at Church of St Anne, Muslim Quarter, near the Lions' Gate, Jerusalem.
Where is Pool of Bethesda today?
In place; grounds of the Church of St Anne, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Pool of Bethesda relate to?
John 5:2.
Related discoveries
- שִׁלֹחַPool of SiloamThe Second Temple-period stepped pool where Yeshua sent the blind man to wash
- בֵּית לֶחֶםBethlehem: Church of the NativityConstantine's basilica over the cave of Yeshua's birth, its 4th-century mosaics and the 2013–2020 restoration
- גֻּלְגֹּלֶתChurch of the Holy Sepulchre: Golgotha and the TombA 1st-century quarry, garden and rock-cut tombs beneath the traditional site of the crucifixion and burial
- חֲזִירKursi (Gergesa)Byzantine monastery on the eastern shore marking the miracle of the swine
- נֵצֶרNazareth 1st-Century HouseSimple dwellings showing Nazareth was a small Jewish village in Yeshua's day
- צָרַעַתTomb of the Shroud (Akeldama)The only 1st-century burial shroud from Jerusalem, with the remains of a man who had leprosy
Sources
- Jeremias, The Rediscovery of Bethesda (1966); Gibson, 'The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem and Jewish Purification Practices', Proche-Orient Chrétien 55 (2005)
- Wikipedia: Pool of Bethesda