Jerusalem Excavation Finds 1st-Century Garden by Jesus Tomb Site, Backing John Account
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 2
Jerusalem Excavation Finds 1st-Century Garden by Jesus Tomb Site, Backing John Account
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 2
Summary
A completed excavation beneath Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre found evidence of a first-century funerary landscape, including a garden area near tombs, in findings published in a 98-page preliminary report.
Seeds and pollen dated to the period between the site’s quarry use and Roman occupation suggest the area was converted into agricultural land and burial space—matching John 19:41’s description of a garden beside Jesus’ tomb.
Francesca Stasolla of Sapienza University of Rome led the 2025 dig, which helps reconstruct what the area may have looked like when the church’s traditional burial site of Jesus was first identified centuries later.
Douglas Estes, an early Christianity scholar not involved in the research, said the results add to archaeological evidence that has repeatedly supported details in the Gospel of John, which skeptics have often treated as less historically reliable.