These are the ruins of a Byzantine Church adjacent to the Pool of Bethesda in the Muslim Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. Until the 19th Century, there was no evidence of the existence of this pool outside of the gospel of John and, until its discovery, it was thought perhaps the pool was merely metaphorical or an invention of John.
This location is also a shrine to Asclepius, the Roman god of healing. Jesus’ miracle recorded in the gospel of John was Jesus’ demonstration of deity and his ability to do what a false Roman god could not: heal.
© Copyright Ali Elhajj 2014-2020
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