Yesterday, I read a fascinating article about the landmark excavation of an ancient garden discovered under the floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The garden is situated between where Jesus was crucified and his tomb, and described in the Gospel of John, reminding me of why both holidays—Passover and Easter—are inexorably entwined in biblical history.
Millions worldwide will soon gather with their friends and families to celebrate Passover and Easter, and they have much more in common than the Last Supper: Both holidays are about the dead rising to new life.
The two hallowed religious holidays are a time of reflection, sorrow, freedom, renewal, and redemption, and are both considered a time for cleansing.
Passover and Easter commemorate life-altering religious events but also represent victory over death and freedom—freedom from Egyptian slavery in Passover and freedom from original sin in Easter.
The seasonal overlap between Passover and Easter is no accident, and they are forever and intimately linked. Until the fourth century, Easter’s date was based on the Jewish calendar and the date of Passover. However, in 325 CE, church leaders decided to create a way to date Easter independent of Jewish influence.
Moses is considered the miracle-working leader chosen by God to free the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Jesus is considered the miracle-working son of God, chosen to save his followers from spiritual slavery.
Recent archaeological excavations under the Church of the Holy Sepulchre floor in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem revealed the 2,000-year-old garden that mirrors the description of the area between the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and his tomb in the Gospel of John.
John 19:19-20:
“Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus.”
According to Christian belief, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre sits on the spot where Jesus was crucified (known as Calvary) and on his tomb, also named the Holy Sepulchre.
The three religious communities that manage the church, the Orthodox Patriarchate, the Armenian Patriarchate, and the Custody of the Holy Land, were replacing the building’s floor when they uncovered the unprecedented historical discovery.
Even before the erection of the church, the land had a long and storied history. At the time of Jesus, it was a quarry with a dual purpose as a burial site.
Around 313 CE, approximately 285 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, Constantine the Great, the first emperor to convert to Christianity, tore down the pagan temple to Venus to determine if beneath it was indeed the venerated and rumored location of Jesus’ tomb. When the limestone cave was discovered, Constantine deemed it the Holy Sepulchre of Jesus. He excavated around the tomb in the area that now constitutes the current church rotunda.
He also discovered several other tombs, including one for Joseph Arimathea, who assumed responsibility for the body, preparation, and burial of Jesus.
According to Matthew 27:57-60, Joseph asked Pontius Pilate for Jesus’ body to ensure he wouldn’t be left on the cross overnight, which was prohibited under ancient Jewish law.
When Pontius Pilate agreed, Jesus was buried in an unused man-made cave belonging to Joseph, who had prepared and intended it as a tomb for himself.
Matthew 27:57-60
“Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.”
Once Jesus’ tomb was excavated, Constantine ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is now considered the holiest place in all of Christendom, to be built upon it. Around the same time that the church was under construction, Constantine abolished crucifixion and declared Sunday (the day of Jesus’ resurrection) an official day of rest, closing down markets and public offices.
Since its erection in the fourth century, the church has endured hundreds of years of destruction and restoration. The Persians set the church on fire in the seventh century, and it was attacked again by Caliph al-Hakim, a Shia Arab Muslim, in 1009. In the twelfth century, under Crusader rule, the church underwent significant restoration. The Crusaders, primarily Western European Christians, rebuilt the church after conquering Jerusalem in 1099, giving the building its current appearance.
The archeological excavation team has uncovered a treasure trove of thousands of artifacts dating back to the fourth century, including part of the original structure built by Constantine, coins minted under Constantine (337-361 CE), and coins minted under Valens, the Roman emperor from 364-378 CE.
Easter and Passover, like Christianity and Judaism, are forever linked by a history that began in ancient Jerusalem.
The history of the spot where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands is tantamount to the importance and religious significance of not only the history of Jerusalem and the ancient Jews but also the history of Jesus’ final hours—from his crucifixion to his burial to his ascension.
