Ariel view of Jerusalem, with the Temple Mount and City of David. The new excavations are on the west side of the City of David. Letter \u201cA\u201d is where the traditional Pool of Siloam is located, but what archaeologists now believe is not earlier than the Byzantine period. Just south of that, at letter \u201cB,\u201d is the Birket el-Hamra<\/i> (\u201cearthen pool\u201d), which excavations have shown to be the Biblical Pool of Siloam. The Talmud (Sukk<\/i>. 4.9) states that during the Feast of Tabernacles, which lasted one week, a procession went to the Pool of Siloam to bring water in a golden vessel to the Temple. There it was poured out as a libation of thanksgiving to God. Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem during His ministry (Jn 7). Halfway through the Feast He went to the Temple courts and began to teach (Jn 7:14). Part of His message was, \u201cIf anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him\u201d (Jn 7:37). Jesus may have been comparing the true spiritual life that is available through faith in Him to the \u201cdead\u201d waters of the Pool of Siloam used in the Feast of Tabernacles ceremony (Mare 1992:25).<\/b><\/p>\n
Marion Fischel<\/b><\/p>\n
An Archeological Discovery Sheds Light on the Second Temple-Period Water System<\/i><\/p>\n
Early in June archeologists explored an area of the City of David that had lain untouched for more than 2, 000 years. What is thought to be the Pool of Siloam, discovered when archeologists decided to check the site before the municipality launched infrastructure work in the area, dates back to the Second Temple period.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the supporting walls of the pool was the southernmost wall of the city,\u201d says Jerusalem regional archeologist John Seligman, who is working on the excavation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wall acted as both a dam and a fortification. The pool was actually a reservoir where the waters of the Gihon Spring were collected for the city. It is a very important find because it helps form our understanding of the water system of Jerusalem in ancient times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seligman works alongside archeologist Eli Shukrun of the Israel Antiquities Authority who, together with Prof. Ronny Reich of Haifa University, has been exploring the area since 1995. Pursuing a gut feeling that there was an interesting discovery to be made, Shukrun and his colleagues set to work brushing away the dirt for several hours, until Shukrun discovered they were working on a step.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew that the Siloam Pool from the Second Temple period was located in this area, we just didn\u2019t know where it was exactly,\u201d he says, pointing to a map in Dan Bahat\u2019s The Atlas of Biblical Jerusalem<\/i> that shows the City of David with the supposed area of the Siloam Pool. Although the shape of the pool in the drawing is different from that of the actual discovery, the general area of the location correlates.<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 17:4 (Fall 2004) p. 114<\/p>\n
Until now, another pool from the Byzantine era (adjacent to the Byzantine Church), discovered by archeologists Frederick Bliss and Archibald Dickie at the end of the 19th century, was known as the Siloam Pool. Shukrun claims his recent discovery is the Second Temple-era Pool of Siloam, mentioned twice in the Hebrew Bible, both in Nehemiah 3:15 (\u201cPool of Shelah\u201d) and in Isaiah 8:6 (\u201cwaters of Shiloah\u201d). It is also referred to in the New Testament, in John 9:7 (\u201cPool of Siloam\u201d).<\/p>\n
By comparing Nehemiah 3:15 and 12:37, it is clear that the \u201cPool of Shelah,\u201d the stairs that descend from the City of David at the southern part of the Temple Mount, and the king\u2019s garden were all near each other. Judeo-Roman historian Flavius Josephus also makes frequent mention of Siloam in The Jewish Wars<\/i>.<\/p>\n
The Gihon Spring, also known as the Shiloah, was the source that filled both the Pool of Siloam at the time of the Second Temple and the Byzantine pool. \u201cWe have yet to discover how the water reached the [older] pool,\u201d says Shukrun. \u201cWe have the Hezekiah Tunnel, we have the pool. When we have made further excavations we will have answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The section of the pool so far unveiled contains nine steps and is approximately 10m by 6m (33 ft by 20 ft), suggesting that this part of the pool was used as a mikve<\/i> (Jewish ritual bath).<\/p>\n
The City of David, 670 m (2,200 ft) above sea level, has always drawn its water from the Gihon Spring, the only freshwater spring in the immediate vicinity. The spring collects rain that falls on the Judean Hills and seeps through porous limestone, then gushes out at regular intervals several times a day. Due to the turbulent nature of ancient times, it was important to ensure that in case of siege, Jerusalem\u2019s residents would continue to have access to fresh water, while denying it from the enemy.<\/p>\n
Since the spring rose outside the city walls on the cliff overlooking the Kidron Valley, a long passage was excavated under the rock, causing the overflow to be channeled into the city. At the same time, the spring itself was sealed with masonry.<\/p>\n
The Pool of Siloam was once fed by a conduit cut through solid rock that starts at the Gihon Spring. The conduit is recognized as both the Hezekiah Tunnel and the Siloam Tunnel.<\/p>\n
In his book The Future of Palestine,<\/i> Major Claude R. Conder (1848\u20131910) writes that this conduit was explored by Dr. Edward Robinson (Robinson\u2019s Arch, discovered in 1838), Sir Charles Wilson (Wilson\u2019s Arch, discovered in 1848), and Sir Charles Warren (Warren\u2019s Shaft, discovered in 1867).<\/p>\n
An inscription in the rock, close to the mouth of the tunnel (discovered by a boy in 1880), records its construction. It began on both ends simultaneously and the workmen were guided by the sounds of the other party\u2019s picks as they advanced. They broke through only a few meters apart. The style of the inscription suggests that it was etched by scribes accustomed to writing on papyrus or parchment.<\/p>\n
Radiometric tests of the Siloam Tunnel, carried out in September 2003 by researchers from the Hebrew University, the Israel Geological Survey, and UK-based Reading University, have confirmed that it dates back to around 700 BC. A Biblical account credits its construction to King Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:20; 2 Chr 32:30).<\/p>\n
The new excavations have revealed a series of steps leading into the Pool of Siloam. It was here that Jesus healed a man blind from birth. After placing mud on the blind man\u2019s eyes, Jesus told him to \u201cwash in the Pool of Siloam\u201d (Jn 9:7). The blind man thus would have made his way down these steps to wash in the waters of the pool. Jesus also referred to the collapse of a \u201cTower of Siloam\u201d which killed 18 men (Lk 13:4). Possibly the tower was part of Jerusalem\u2019s defensive system located adjacent to the pool. The minaret that overlooks the Byzantine pool can be seen in the distance.<\/b><\/p>\n
In fact, history shows that in 701 BC, in preparation for a potentially disastrous siege by Assyrian King Sennacherib, Hezekiah decided to bring the Gihon\u2019s waters into the city.<\/p>\n
Many discoveries have been made in the 14 areas of the City of David that have been explored since 1995 under the direction of Shukrun and Reich, on behalf of the Antiquities Authority. Discoveries include artifacts dating to the Second Temple period and the Hasmonean Dynasty.<\/p>\n
Sarah Katz, 20, an anthropology major from Washington University in St. Louis, is currently part of the excavation team at the City of David. \u201cIt is very exciting,\u201d she says. \u201cEvery day when I walk to work, I feel like I am walking back in time, as the stories from the Bible come alive for me. Right over there by the Gihon Spring is where Solomon was anointed king. Sometimes, when I am washing pottery from the Second Temple period, I look down at my hand and I feel this experience is specific to me. It is how we can recognize the birthright of the Jews to the Promised Land.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Reprinted by permission from the Jerusalem Post,<\/i> June 24, 2004.)<\/p>\n
Bibliography<\/b><\/p>\n
Mare, W. Harold<\/b><\/p>\n
1992 Siloam, Pool of. Pp. 24\u201326 in The Anchor Bible Dictionary<\/i> 6, ed David N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday.<\/p>\n
BSpade<\/i> 17:4 (Fall 2004) p. 115<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ariel view of Jerusalem, with the Temple Mount and City of David. The new excavations are on the west side of the City of David. Letter \u201cA\u201d is where the traditional Pool of Siloam is located, but what archaeologists now believe is not earlier than the Byzantine period. Just south of that, at letter \u201cB,\u201d … Continue reading “HISTORY
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