Revealed: first images of biblical site where Jesus healed a blind man
- Jerusalem’s Pool of Siloam will be open to the public for the first time in 2,000 years
- It is on this site that Jesus is said to have healed a blind man in the Gospel of John.
The first images of a biblical site where Jesus is said to have healed a blind man have been revealed.
It was announced earlier this year that the Pool of Siloam, in the southern part of the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem, would be opened to the public for the first time in 2,000 years.
Archaeologists are currently excavating the 1.25-acre site – a process expected to take several years.
A small part of the pool is already open to the public and the rest will follow later.
Newly released images have offered a first glimpse of the religious site, showing archaeologists working to uncover the pool’s steps, according to FoxNews.
First images of biblical site where Jesus healed blind man revealed
Archaeologists are currently excavating the 1.25-acre site – a process expected to take several years.
The incredible images offer insight that hasn’t been easily accessible since Jesus walked the earth 2,000 years ago.
It was in the pool that Jesus healed a blind man, according to the Gospel of John in the Bible.
In the ninth chapter of the New Testament book, Jesus makes clay with his saliva and spreads it over the blind man’s eyes.
He then orders the man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam – and the man returns with his sight miraculously restored.
The pool is estimated to have spanned 1.25 acres and was constructed in several stages.
It’s unclear whether a small section will open first, allowing the public to view the excavation process – or whether it will open all at once once the work is complete.
Ze’ev Orenstein, director of international affairs at the City of David Foundation, told Fox News Digital: “The ongoing excavations in the City of David – the historic site of biblical Jerusalem – particularly the Basin of Siloam and the pilgrimage route, serve as one of the greatest affirmations of this heritage and the millennia-old connection that Jews and Christians have with Jerusalem.
Initial plans to open the Siloam Basin were announced just before the new year by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation.
The Jerusalem site is currently being excavated by archaeologists and will either be opened to the public piece by piece or once the entire site has been excavated.
The pool, located in the southern part of the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem, is cherished by Christians and Jews.
The site was built around 2,700 years ago as part of Jerusalem’s water supply system in the 8th century BC. It is represented in this artist’s impression.
According to the Bible, the pool of Siloam was where Jesus performed the miracle of healing a man who was born blind.
The site was built around 2,700 years ago as part of Jerusalem’s water supply system in the 8th century BC.
It served as a reservoir for the Gihon spring from which the water was diverted and stored in underground tunnels.
Construction of the pool began during the reign of King Hezekiah, as cited in the Bible in the Book of Kings II, 20:20, according to the two Israeli agencies and the City of David Foundation.
