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A 2,000-year-old aqueduct was recently discovered near Jerusalem – and it likely supplied the water used by Jesus and his disciples, according to a biblical scholar.
Archaeologists have unearthed an approximately 984-foot section of the ancient waterway south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel – which once carried water from Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.
The discovery was announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on October 11, following excavations ahead of a residential development project.
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Originally built during the Hasmonean period, the aqueduct remained in intermittent use until about a century ago, the IAA said.
The waterway relied on gravity to carry water to the Second Temple complex, the center of Jewish religious life at the time, where it was used for ritual purification and cleaning after sacrifices.
Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old aqueduct near Jerusalem that once carried water to the Second Temple complex, pictured above right. (Israel Antiquities Authority; Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
The Second Temple complex was also the scene of the biblical account of Jesus cleansing the Temple, during which he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and drove out the merchants.
The lower aqueduct was “probably built during the time of the Hasmonean kings to supply water to Jerusalem,” according to excavation directors Benyamin Storchan, Gil Freid and Rotem Cohen of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
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“The aqueduct extends approximately 21 km from the Pools of Solomon, south of Bethlehem, to Jerusalem,” the directors said in a statement.
“For most of the route, the water flowed at a very gentle slope, dropping only one meter (3.3 feet) in altitude per kilometer (0.6 miles).”
The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of the ancient aqueduct on October 11 following excavations prior to the construction of homes. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
The aqueduct will be preserved and integrated into the main entrance to the planned residential development, allowing visitors to view ancient engineering.
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“The engineering required to do this work is truly incredible,” Douglas Estes, associate professor of religion at New College of Florida, told Fox News Digital.
Estes said the construction of the aqueduct reflected the importance of Jerusalem in the ancient world, comparing the importance of such infrastructure to the construction of modern skyscrapers.
“He brought living water from Bethlehem to the Temple Mount, so that sanctification could take place after the sacrifice.”
“The Hasmoneans, Jewish leaders, were building this aqueduct at the same time that the Romans were building their aqueduct that carried water to the temple of Jupiter on Capitol Hill,” Estes explained.
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“We think of Rome as the power in the Mediterranean at the time, and we think of Jerusalem as a small city-state capital, but in reality they were advancing technologically at the same time and building their aqueducts together.”
The aqueduct was originally built during the Hasmonean period and remained in intermittent use until about a century ago. (Israel Antiquities Authority)
Beyond its impressive engineering, Estes said the discovery also sheds light on the religious practices of ancient Jerusalem and their connections to early Christianity.
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Estes said the water from the aqueduct was used for both practical and religious purposes, including cleaning after sacrifices and performing purification rituals on the Temple Mount.
The system, which relied on fresh or “living” water, also has symbolic significance for Christians.
Estes said he was “confident” that Jesus, his disciples and other early Christians would have used the water provided by the aqueduct, although no direct archaeological evidence of their individual use has been established.
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The system, which relies on fresh or “living” water, also has symbolic meaning for Christians, Estes said.
“He brought living water from Bethlehem to the Temple Mount, so that sanctification could take place after the sacrifice,” Estes said.
One biblical scholar said he believed Jesus and his disciples would have used water provided by the ancient aqueduct. (Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images; Israel Antiquities Authority)
“For Christians, Jesus is the living water, and therefore…he came from Bethlehem as living (water) to become the temple, to sacrifice himself for all.”
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Estes added: “There’s a rich symbolism that we see here in this aqueduct.”
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