“Under the battered stone floor in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher an uncouth revelation has risenone that unites faith, history, and science. In the soil not disturbed by human hands in several centuries, archaeologists have found the remains of the olive-trees and the grapevines, two thousand years old, which agree with one of the most graphic details of the Gospel of John: “Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no man had ever been laid (John 19:41).
1. The Garden Under the Basilica
This was discovered by archaeobotanical and pollen studies of samples that were taken in layers under the floor of the Basilica. The team was headed by professor Francesca Romana Stasolla of Sapienza University of Rome and it made known to us that these were cultivated plants that grew here in the times of Jesus. Stone walls with soil to plant also exist, which reflects the description which John gives of a green space concerning Golgotha. It was formerly agricultural land, located outside the walls of Jerusalem, then changed by Hadrian to Roman.
2. The Topography of Jerusalem during the Second Temple
The site was a quarry in the first century CE, but was abandoned and used as a cultivation area and a burial ground. Historical geography can prove that the boundaries of Jerusalem changed radically in the course of time. The suburbs of the city were frequently employed as agricultural land in the Second Temple era, and used to have groves of olive and vineyards in the outskirts. Golgotha in this pattern is located to be in rural area prior to urban expansion by Romans.
3. Hadrian’s Aelia Capitolina
In the second century CE, Emperor Hadrian had transformed Jerusalem into Aelia Capitolina, a Roman colony whose streets were colonnaded, forums were established and pagan temples erected. This transformation saw the inclusion of the area of the Holy Sepulcher in the city. Eusebius stated that a temple to Venus was constructed on the location that was sacred as the tomb of Jesus, which was then removed by Constantine to erect the Basilica. This Roman overlay had, and in a measure, secured, the lower strata which now betray the traces of the garden of the Gospel.
4. Excavation Amid Worship
The most extensive excavation since the fire of 1808 started in 2022. Three religious entities governing the church, which included the Orthodox Patriarchate, the Custody of the Holy Land, and Armenian Patriarchate, agreed to archaeological excavations as well as restoration. Stasolla and his team had to make the site open to pilgrims, so they divided the floor into parts, excavated one part at a time and covered it before proceeding to the next. This is a cautious procedure that enables worship and science to be coexisting under one sacred space.
5. Scientific Processes and Problems
The botanical evidence is strong and radiocarbon dating is yet to be done to ascertain accurate ages. Biblical archaeological dating of this type has problems, such as contamination by subsequent periods, and secure stratigraphic contexts. Stasolla and his team also use 3D mapping and ground penetrating radar to recreate digitally the site, bit by bit, just like a giant historical puzzle.
6. Layers of History Under the Church
The buried layers below the Basilica are like a history of Jerusalem. Since Iron Age vases and lamps, to coins under Constantius II and Valens, every level reveals human activity and their worship. The abandonment of the quarry caused the agricultural usages and consequently burials, with the tomb that Constantine isolated to be the residence of Jesus. One circular marble base discovered underneath the Edicule can be part of the original monument of Constantine, and it is consistent with early images of the fifth and sixth centuries.
7. The reevaluation of the Gospel of John
The historical reliability of the Gospel of John has been disputed by scholars all through centuries, with many giving preference to the Synoptics as providing better topographical information. These discoveries bring fresh attention to the version of John. In his recent work, Craig Blomberg calls on more historical research of the Jesus based on the historical John, whereas B.D. Ehrman observes that some of the traditions of John may even precede Mark. The discovery of the garden provides physical setting to one of the passages that were regarded as theological, as opposed to geographical.
8. Archaeology and Faith in Conversation
Stasolla points out that archaeology is not in a position to prove or disapprove of issues of faith but shed light as to the lived reality of sacred stories. It is the religion of the people, who believed in the sanctity of this location thousands of years ago, which has enabled it to live and change, she says.
Be he a believer or a historian, the garden beneath the floor of the Holy Sepulcher is a meeting place where the words of scripture and the earth have echoes, and where ever reenactment and continuation of the story of Jerusalem is being woven layer upon layer.”
