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A Place Called Gethsemane: Seeing the New Testament Story and Site in its First-Century Context
For almost two hundred years, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have revered the biblical story of Gethsemane, finding inspiration in Jesus’s example of endurance in discipleship and courage in times of trial. Many have found solace in his experience as they navigate the sometimes heartrending search for God’s will in their own lives.
For Latter-day Saints, Jesus’s suffering in Gethsemane is pivotal to his mission of saving and redeeming humankind. As such, the location where his suffering took place is also worth careful study and contemplation. In this book—A Place Called Gethsemane—scholars Matthew J. Grey and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel introduce readers to some of the latest historical and archaeological findings about Gethsemane and the surrounding areas that offer new, fascinating insights into Jesus’s sacred experience on that final night of his mortality.
The archaeological evidence and careful scriptural analysis found in this book will help readers view Gethsemane in light of its original environment, bringing to life this moment in Jesus’s ministry in informative and inspiring ways. Ultimately, by being able to more accurately envision the first-century site of Gethsemane and what that night might have been like for Jesus, Latter-day Saints can develop a greater appreciation for the event that was both one of his darkest moments and part of his ultimate triumph.
For Latter-day Saints, Jesus’s suffering in Gethsemane is pivotal to his mission of saving and redeeming humankind. As such, the location where his suffering took place is also worth careful study and contemplation. In this book—A Place Called Gethsemane—scholars Matthew J. Grey and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel introduce readers to some of the latest historical and archaeological findings about Gethsemane and the surrounding areas that offer new, fascinating insights into Jesus’s sacred experience on that final night of his mortality.
The archaeological evidence and careful scriptural analysis found in this book will help readers view Gethsemane in light of its original environment, bringing to life this moment in Jesus’s ministry in informative and inspiring ways. Ultimately, by being able to more accurately envision the first-century site of Gethsemane and what that night might have been like for Jesus, Latter-day Saints can develop a greater appreciation for the event that was both one of his darkest moments and part of his ultimate triumph.
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Published March 31, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 11, 2025
I really enjoyed this deep dive into Gethsemane. I feel like it can be so challenging to put events from 2,000 years ago into their historical context, and this book really helped me understand Gethsemane both intellectually and spiritually. I learned many interesting things that have enhanced how I view this sacred story.
March 2, 2026
This book wasn't exactly what I expected, but it added some helpful context to the important place of Gethsemane so as to understand a little bit more about where Jesus Christ seems to have often retired and most importantly spent the last night of His life taking upon Himself the sins and pains of the world. While I thought it would focus more on Him and His sacrifice, it was focused more on the place, but it does shed some light on the olive press and some other symbols. Here are some quotes I liked:
"Like other Christians, many Latter-day Saints have found solace in Jesus's experience in the garden as they seek to understand the nature of personal anguish and to navigate the sometimes heartrending search for God's will in their lives (p. 2)."
"'I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent... which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit' (p. 2)."
"Jesus 'shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abomination of his people' (p. 2)."
"Modern audiences often struggle to fully visualize, comprehend, or feel a personal connection to what Jesus experienced in the garden almost two thousand years ago. One reason for this may be that contemporary readers of the New Testament--who are now greatly separated from these events in both time and place--are unfamiliar with the cultural, social, and political, religious, and material context that initially infused the story with meaning for its original, first-century audiences (p. 3)."
"Other--including an increasing number of Latter-day Saints--have hoped to feel the spirit of the place by traveling to the Holy Land and visiting the traditional sites of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives (p. 4)."
"A wealth of historical and archaeological insights has emerged that sheds unprecedented light on first-century Jerusalem, as well as on many of the biblical events that occurred in its environs (p. 6)."
"When we come to view Gethsemane in light of its original environment, this decisive moment in Jesus's life and ministry comes to life in informative and inspiring ways (p. 7)."
"Why did Jesus and the disciples retire to this location after the Last Supper? (p. 9)"
"As faith-informed historians... we hope to provide readers with mental maps, language dictionaries, and a cultural, historical, and archaeological guide to help them understand the original context and first-century significance of 'the place of the oil press' (p. 11)."
"When trying to gain a deeper appreciation for any scriptural event, one of the first and most important steps is taking the time to understand its historical background and setting (p. 14)."
"Jewish males were instructed to leave their homes and make the journey to Jerusalem three times a year to 'appear before the Lord' in the national religious festivals held at the temple (p. 16)."
"The Feast of Passover observed in the spring celebrated God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage; the Feast of Pentecost observed in the early summer celebrated God giving the law of Moses at Mount Sinai; and the Feast of Tabernacles observed in the fall remembered God's sustaining of Israel during the forty years of the wilderness wanderings (p. 17)."
"Jesus and his Galilean disciples--all of whom were observant Jews--frequently made the journey to Jerusalem to participate in these pilgrimage festivals (p. 18)."
"Jerusalem was the national capital from which David, Solomon, and the subsequent kings of Judah ruled. It was also the location of the First Temple... which allowed Yahweh (Jehovah), the God of Israel, to dwell with his people (p. 19)."
"The temple was the most prominent feature on the Jerusalem landscape and provided the main reason pilgrims made the journey--to worship the God of Israel through offering sacrifices and prayers at his holy house (p. 21)."
"The oldest and most transient part of Jerusalem in this period was the Lower City, just south of the Temple Mount in an area today called the City of David (p. 24)."
"Another feature of Jerusalem's landscape that was an important setting for Jesus's final week was the Mount of Olives (p. 26)."
"Other prophetic writings look forward to a future day when Yahweh (Jehovah)--the God of Israel--would stand on the Mount of Olives to rescue Jerusalem from its foreign occupiers, as well as in Ezekiel's vision of Yahweh's presence returning from exile and hovering over the Mount of Olives before filling Jerusalem's restored temple with his divine glory (p. 27)."
"Any reconstruction of the first-century story and stie of Gethsemane must be rooted in a careful reading of the descriptions offered by Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John (p. 29)."
"All four Gospels describe Jesus's final week in Jerusalem as a pilgrimage to celebrate the annual Passover (p. 30)."
"Jesus and his disciples descended the Mount of Olives to enter the Holy City in their own royal procession (p. 31)."
'Each of the Gospels records that, during his final night in Jerusalem, Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples somewhere in the city's residential area (p. 32)."
"Condemned to an ignominious death on the cross, Jesus was 'handed over' a final time to a Roman execution squad and forced to carry his cross to a place outside the city walls called Golgotha, or 'place of the skull'--a publicly visible site of execution likely located alongside a road near an abandoned stone quarry to the northwest of the city (p. 33)."
"Following his death, Jesus was buried by his followers in a nearby tomb, where his body lay until his glorious resurrection on the third day, an event that gave sacred meaning to the agonizing events of Gethsemane and Golgotha (p. 33)."
"Instead of harmonizing all the accounts into one narrative (creating an artificial version of events using material from all four Gospels), we will look at the story of Gethsemane in each individual account, comparing the similarities and differences between them and highlighting the unique contributions each one makes to the story of Jesus in Gethsemane (p. 34)."
"Jesus's prophecies of what would happen to him sets up his experience in Gethsemane (p. 35)."
"Unfortunately, we also do not know who owned this agricultural plot of land on the Mount of Olives or how Jesus had access to it. Some have suggested over the years that it was part of a small family orchard and may have been owned by someone who was either already a disciple of Jesus or who was at least sympathetic to him (p. 36)."
"Did Jesus worry that the suffering in Gethsemane might kill him before the crucifixion? Did he want the suffering to pass quickly without prolonging it? Did Jesus hope that God would change his mind if his request wasn't against the divine plan? (p. 37)"
"Jesus seems fully aware that the cup he is drinking from is his messianic mission (P. 39)."
"Mark presents Jesus's intense suffering as being the most painful. Matthew softens this part of the story, and Luke deletes much of it, while John doesn't mention it at all (p. 39)."
"'We see in Gethsemane that Jesus's abandonment by God has already begun (p. 40)."
"Apparently the arresting party expected resistance from Jesus's followers--hence the 'swords' and 'staves' noted in Mark's account... Mark makes it clear that Jesus does nothing to prevent his arrest, although the disciples at first do. Ultimately, however, all forsake him and scatter (p. 41)."
"He is not a helpless sacrifice but someone who knows, someone who affirms and accepts his suffering (P. 43)."
"In Matthew's account, Jesus begins his prayer sorrowful, troubled, and prostrate but ends on his feet, resolutely facing Judas and the arresting party that has approached (p. 46)."
"Matthew's emphasis on the Messiah's redemption from the captivity of sin--not from foreign military occupation, as was expected by some Jews at the time--provides a completely new and unexpected vision of what God's future kingdom would be (p. 48)."
"'Luke, on the other hand, is a book to be studied by the wider world... shows signs of a scholarly approach... from someone with a degree of academic training. He speaks having checked his sources' (p. 48)."
"Luke's stunning additions to the story... while praying, Jesus was in 'anguish' or 'agony'... his agony caused his sweat to 'be like' great drops of blood falling to the ground... God strengthened him in this agony by sending an angelic messenger (p. 49)."
"Rather than emphasizing Jesus's suffering and despair, Luke seems to be presenting Jesus as an athlete getting ready for a competition against a formidable opponent... the powers of sin and death on the cross (p. 50)."
"The Gospel of John differs from the synoptic Gospels... in how it describes the journey that Jesus and the disciples take from the Last Supper to the garden... John speaks of Jesus and his disciples going 'across the Kidron Valley' (p. 53)."
"'Whom seek ye?... Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he... I have told you that I am he; if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way' (p. 55)."
"Jesus was not suddenly overtaken by events he did not anticipate (p. 56)."
"His statement of 'I AM' reinforces the idea that Jesus could not have been arrested unless he permitted it (p. 59)."
"(1) At the end of the Passover week, Jesus met with his disciples for a final meal; (2) after dinner, he left the city for the Mount of Olives; (3) he prayed... (4) Judas 'handed him over'; (5) an altercation took place between Jesus's followers and the arresting party; (6) the disciples escaped into the night; and (7) Jesus was led away to stand before the local Jesus and Roman authorities (p. 60)."
"Before looking at the precise location of Gethsemane... it is first important to know what, exactly, a gethsemane (or 'oil press') is, how one operated in the first century; and what role this type of installation played in Jewish daily life during the Roman period (p. 62)."
"The first step of producing olive oil is harvesting the olives themselves (p. 66)."
"The cultivation of olive trees began in the spring with trimming, pruning, dunging, and grafting, but the harvesting itself occurred in the fall when the olives were about to ripen (p. 67)."
"After the olives were gathered and washed in the orchard, they were brought in large baskets to a nearby facility, where workers extracted the oil (p. 69)."
"Either human laborers or a work animal pushed the horizontal beam to wheel the grinding stone around and around to crush the olives into a pasty mash. This process of crushing often produced an initial flow of oil, which in the Jewish community may have been set apart for special religious purposes (p. 69)."
"The next step was to place the baskets under a press that would squeeze out the bulk of the oil from the olive paste (p. 70)."
"Because a small amount of olive pulp comes out with the oil through the pores of the baskets, the press initially produces an oil that is brown or dark red (p. 70)."
"Finally, the oil needed to be distributed to local markets, households, or regional institutions, such as the Jerusalem temple (p. 72)."
"The connection between ritual purity and oil production was rooted in the legislation of the Torah, which states that at least a portion of the oil begin produced should be tithed and distributed to priests or Levites as part of their received offerings (p. 77)."
"One such regulation was the requirement that workers at olive-processing facilities immerse in a ritual bath prior to operating the crushing basins and presses or attending to other production activities... These ritual-purity installations have now been found near olive presses and orchards throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea (p. 78)."
"Perhaps the most ubiquitous role of olive oil in the biblical world was its use as a source of light (p. 79)."
"The use of lamps as a representation of God's spirit and word is also found in Jesus's teachings (p. 80)."
"The elders of the Church also ministered to the sick through 'anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord' (p. 81)."
"In addition to being used for light and healing, olives and olive oil were staples of the eastern Mediterranean diet throughout the history of ancient Israel (p. 81)."
"Olive oil was also widely used in biblical antiquity for daily hygiene (p. 82)."
"Personal anointing with oil became increasingly popular in the time of the New Testament, particularly among members of the upper class who had access to the bathhouses (p. 82)."
"Along with hygiene and hospitality, scented oils were used to anoint the bodies of the dead in preparation for burial (p. 82)."
"God's presence in the temple was symbolized through the lighting of oil in a seven-branched lampstand in the sanctuary's holy place (p. 82)."
"When identifying Jesus as Jesus Christ, the New Testament authors were declaring their conviction that Jesus was the 'anointed one' (p. 86)."
"Identifying biblical sites in the Holy Land is a notoriously difficult task that requires caution, modesty, and open-mindedness (p. 90)."
"In the case of Gethsemane... we have reason to be relatively optimistic in our efforts to identify its general setting, the basic contours of its surroundings on the Mount of Olives, and perhaps even some of its surviving features (p. 90)."
"Today, two of its most iconic features are its fenced in garden, where victors have long revered the eight old olive trees cultivated by its Franciscan caretakers, and an exposed patch of bedrock enshrined within the church, which is traditionally imagined to be the place where Jesus knelt in prayer (p. 91)."
"Each of these locations has a certain beauty that comes from being sanctified by the devotion of faithful pilgrims over a period of decades, centuries, or even millennia, and each provides a beautiful setting for quiet contemplation of the Gospel stories (p. 93)."
"When viewed together, the presence of these roads and tombs from the early Roman period significantly narrows the options for where the site of Gethsemane could have been located (p. 96)."
"These reconstructed features provide a sense of how the first-century grotto likely operated during the fall-harvest season and may allow us to envision Jesus's surroundings during his final night at Gethsemane (p. 106)."
"Additional evidence for identifying the feature as a ritual bath is the system used for filling it (p. 118)."
"Understanding that the group may have chosen to retire to Gethsemane as part of their Passover commemoration can help us appreciate the profound significance of Jesus's personal experience once he arrived there (p. 139)."
"'Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple' (p. 141)."
"If Jesus had been at all tempted to flee from his fate and pursue his own will over that of his Father's, there was a road only a few yards away that in less than twenty minutes could take him to the innumerable hideaways of the Judean desert (p. 153)."
"Along with rebuilding the church, the Crusaders once again turned the Gethsemane Grotto into a chapel with a new flagstone floor covering the tombs and a renovated altar space in the grotto's eastern niche (p. 167)."
"Like other Christians, many Latter-day Saints have found solace in Jesus's experience in the garden as they seek to understand the nature of personal anguish and to navigate the sometimes heartrending search for God's will in their lives (p. 2)."
"'I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent... which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit' (p. 2)."
"Jesus 'shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abomination of his people' (p. 2)."
"Modern audiences often struggle to fully visualize, comprehend, or feel a personal connection to what Jesus experienced in the garden almost two thousand years ago. One reason for this may be that contemporary readers of the New Testament--who are now greatly separated from these events in both time and place--are unfamiliar with the cultural, social, and political, religious, and material context that initially infused the story with meaning for its original, first-century audiences (p. 3)."
"Other--including an increasing number of Latter-day Saints--have hoped to feel the spirit of the place by traveling to the Holy Land and visiting the traditional sites of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives (p. 4)."
"A wealth of historical and archaeological insights has emerged that sheds unprecedented light on first-century Jerusalem, as well as on many of the biblical events that occurred in its environs (p. 6)."
"When we come to view Gethsemane in light of its original environment, this decisive moment in Jesus's life and ministry comes to life in informative and inspiring ways (p. 7)."
"Why did Jesus and the disciples retire to this location after the Last Supper? (p. 9)"
"As faith-informed historians... we hope to provide readers with mental maps, language dictionaries, and a cultural, historical, and archaeological guide to help them understand the original context and first-century significance of 'the place of the oil press' (p. 11)."
"When trying to gain a deeper appreciation for any scriptural event, one of the first and most important steps is taking the time to understand its historical background and setting (p. 14)."
"Jewish males were instructed to leave their homes and make the journey to Jerusalem three times a year to 'appear before the Lord' in the national religious festivals held at the temple (p. 16)."
"The Feast of Passover observed in the spring celebrated God's deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage; the Feast of Pentecost observed in the early summer celebrated God giving the law of Moses at Mount Sinai; and the Feast of Tabernacles observed in the fall remembered God's sustaining of Israel during the forty years of the wilderness wanderings (p. 17)."
"Jesus and his Galilean disciples--all of whom were observant Jews--frequently made the journey to Jerusalem to participate in these pilgrimage festivals (p. 18)."
"Jerusalem was the national capital from which David, Solomon, and the subsequent kings of Judah ruled. It was also the location of the First Temple... which allowed Yahweh (Jehovah), the God of Israel, to dwell with his people (p. 19)."
"The temple was the most prominent feature on the Jerusalem landscape and provided the main reason pilgrims made the journey--to worship the God of Israel through offering sacrifices and prayers at his holy house (p. 21)."
"The oldest and most transient part of Jerusalem in this period was the Lower City, just south of the Temple Mount in an area today called the City of David (p. 24)."
"Another feature of Jerusalem's landscape that was an important setting for Jesus's final week was the Mount of Olives (p. 26)."
"Other prophetic writings look forward to a future day when Yahweh (Jehovah)--the God of Israel--would stand on the Mount of Olives to rescue Jerusalem from its foreign occupiers, as well as in Ezekiel's vision of Yahweh's presence returning from exile and hovering over the Mount of Olives before filling Jerusalem's restored temple with his divine glory (p. 27)."
"Any reconstruction of the first-century story and stie of Gethsemane must be rooted in a careful reading of the descriptions offered by Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John (p. 29)."
"All four Gospels describe Jesus's final week in Jerusalem as a pilgrimage to celebrate the annual Passover (p. 30)."
"Jesus and his disciples descended the Mount of Olives to enter the Holy City in their own royal procession (p. 31)."
'Each of the Gospels records that, during his final night in Jerusalem, Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples somewhere in the city's residential area (p. 32)."
"Condemned to an ignominious death on the cross, Jesus was 'handed over' a final time to a Roman execution squad and forced to carry his cross to a place outside the city walls called Golgotha, or 'place of the skull'--a publicly visible site of execution likely located alongside a road near an abandoned stone quarry to the northwest of the city (p. 33)."
"Following his death, Jesus was buried by his followers in a nearby tomb, where his body lay until his glorious resurrection on the third day, an event that gave sacred meaning to the agonizing events of Gethsemane and Golgotha (p. 33)."
"Instead of harmonizing all the accounts into one narrative (creating an artificial version of events using material from all four Gospels), we will look at the story of Gethsemane in each individual account, comparing the similarities and differences between them and highlighting the unique contributions each one makes to the story of Jesus in Gethsemane (p. 34)."
"Jesus's prophecies of what would happen to him sets up his experience in Gethsemane (p. 35)."
"Unfortunately, we also do not know who owned this agricultural plot of land on the Mount of Olives or how Jesus had access to it. Some have suggested over the years that it was part of a small family orchard and may have been owned by someone who was either already a disciple of Jesus or who was at least sympathetic to him (p. 36)."
"Did Jesus worry that the suffering in Gethsemane might kill him before the crucifixion? Did he want the suffering to pass quickly without prolonging it? Did Jesus hope that God would change his mind if his request wasn't against the divine plan? (p. 37)"
"Jesus seems fully aware that the cup he is drinking from is his messianic mission (P. 39)."
"Mark presents Jesus's intense suffering as being the most painful. Matthew softens this part of the story, and Luke deletes much of it, while John doesn't mention it at all (p. 39)."
"'We see in Gethsemane that Jesus's abandonment by God has already begun (p. 40)."
"Apparently the arresting party expected resistance from Jesus's followers--hence the 'swords' and 'staves' noted in Mark's account... Mark makes it clear that Jesus does nothing to prevent his arrest, although the disciples at first do. Ultimately, however, all forsake him and scatter (p. 41)."
"He is not a helpless sacrifice but someone who knows, someone who affirms and accepts his suffering (P. 43)."
"In Matthew's account, Jesus begins his prayer sorrowful, troubled, and prostrate but ends on his feet, resolutely facing Judas and the arresting party that has approached (p. 46)."
"Matthew's emphasis on the Messiah's redemption from the captivity of sin--not from foreign military occupation, as was expected by some Jews at the time--provides a completely new and unexpected vision of what God's future kingdom would be (p. 48)."
"'Luke, on the other hand, is a book to be studied by the wider world... shows signs of a scholarly approach... from someone with a degree of academic training. He speaks having checked his sources' (p. 48)."
"Luke's stunning additions to the story... while praying, Jesus was in 'anguish' or 'agony'... his agony caused his sweat to 'be like' great drops of blood falling to the ground... God strengthened him in this agony by sending an angelic messenger (p. 49)."
"Rather than emphasizing Jesus's suffering and despair, Luke seems to be presenting Jesus as an athlete getting ready for a competition against a formidable opponent... the powers of sin and death on the cross (p. 50)."
"The Gospel of John differs from the synoptic Gospels... in how it describes the journey that Jesus and the disciples take from the Last Supper to the garden... John speaks of Jesus and his disciples going 'across the Kidron Valley' (p. 53)."
"'Whom seek ye?... Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he... I have told you that I am he; if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way' (p. 55)."
"Jesus was not suddenly overtaken by events he did not anticipate (p. 56)."
"His statement of 'I AM' reinforces the idea that Jesus could not have been arrested unless he permitted it (p. 59)."
"(1) At the end of the Passover week, Jesus met with his disciples for a final meal; (2) after dinner, he left the city for the Mount of Olives; (3) he prayed... (4) Judas 'handed him over'; (5) an altercation took place between Jesus's followers and the arresting party; (6) the disciples escaped into the night; and (7) Jesus was led away to stand before the local Jesus and Roman authorities (p. 60)."
"Before looking at the precise location of Gethsemane... it is first important to know what, exactly, a gethsemane (or 'oil press') is, how one operated in the first century; and what role this type of installation played in Jewish daily life during the Roman period (p. 62)."
"The first step of producing olive oil is harvesting the olives themselves (p. 66)."
"The cultivation of olive trees began in the spring with trimming, pruning, dunging, and grafting, but the harvesting itself occurred in the fall when the olives were about to ripen (p. 67)."
"After the olives were gathered and washed in the orchard, they were brought in large baskets to a nearby facility, where workers extracted the oil (p. 69)."
"Either human laborers or a work animal pushed the horizontal beam to wheel the grinding stone around and around to crush the olives into a pasty mash. This process of crushing often produced an initial flow of oil, which in the Jewish community may have been set apart for special religious purposes (p. 69)."
"The next step was to place the baskets under a press that would squeeze out the bulk of the oil from the olive paste (p. 70)."
"Because a small amount of olive pulp comes out with the oil through the pores of the baskets, the press initially produces an oil that is brown or dark red (p. 70)."
"Finally, the oil needed to be distributed to local markets, households, or regional institutions, such as the Jerusalem temple (p. 72)."
"The connection between ritual purity and oil production was rooted in the legislation of the Torah, which states that at least a portion of the oil begin produced should be tithed and distributed to priests or Levites as part of their received offerings (p. 77)."
"One such regulation was the requirement that workers at olive-processing facilities immerse in a ritual bath prior to operating the crushing basins and presses or attending to other production activities... These ritual-purity installations have now been found near olive presses and orchards throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea (p. 78)."
"Perhaps the most ubiquitous role of olive oil in the biblical world was its use as a source of light (p. 79)."
"The use of lamps as a representation of God's spirit and word is also found in Jesus's teachings (p. 80)."
"The elders of the Church also ministered to the sick through 'anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord' (p. 81)."
"In addition to being used for light and healing, olives and olive oil were staples of the eastern Mediterranean diet throughout the history of ancient Israel (p. 81)."
"Olive oil was also widely used in biblical antiquity for daily hygiene (p. 82)."
"Personal anointing with oil became increasingly popular in the time of the New Testament, particularly among members of the upper class who had access to the bathhouses (p. 82)."
"Along with hygiene and hospitality, scented oils were used to anoint the bodies of the dead in preparation for burial (p. 82)."
"God's presence in the temple was symbolized through the lighting of oil in a seven-branched lampstand in the sanctuary's holy place (p. 82)."
"When identifying Jesus as Jesus Christ, the New Testament authors were declaring their conviction that Jesus was the 'anointed one' (p. 86)."
"Identifying biblical sites in the Holy Land is a notoriously difficult task that requires caution, modesty, and open-mindedness (p. 90)."
"In the case of Gethsemane... we have reason to be relatively optimistic in our efforts to identify its general setting, the basic contours of its surroundings on the Mount of Olives, and perhaps even some of its surviving features (p. 90)."
"Today, two of its most iconic features are its fenced in garden, where victors have long revered the eight old olive trees cultivated by its Franciscan caretakers, and an exposed patch of bedrock enshrined within the church, which is traditionally imagined to be the place where Jesus knelt in prayer (p. 91)."
"Each of these locations has a certain beauty that comes from being sanctified by the devotion of faithful pilgrims over a period of decades, centuries, or even millennia, and each provides a beautiful setting for quiet contemplation of the Gospel stories (p. 93)."
"When viewed together, the presence of these roads and tombs from the early Roman period significantly narrows the options for where the site of Gethsemane could have been located (p. 96)."
"These reconstructed features provide a sense of how the first-century grotto likely operated during the fall-harvest season and may allow us to envision Jesus's surroundings during his final night at Gethsemane (p. 106)."
"Additional evidence for identifying the feature as a ritual bath is the system used for filling it (p. 118)."
"Understanding that the group may have chosen to retire to Gethsemane as part of their Passover commemoration can help us appreciate the profound significance of Jesus's personal experience once he arrived there (p. 139)."
"'Every day Jesus was teaching in the temple, and at night he would go out and spend the night on the Mount of Olives, as it was called. And all the people would get up early in the morning to listen to him in the temple' (p. 141)."
"If Jesus had been at all tempted to flee from his fate and pursue his own will over that of his Father's, there was a road only a few yards away that in less than twenty minutes could take him to the innumerable hideaways of the Judean desert (p. 153)."
"Along with rebuilding the church, the Crusaders once again turned the Gethsemane Grotto into a chapel with a new flagstone floor covering the tombs and a renovated altar space in the grotto's eastern niche (p. 167)."
March 3, 2026
Hardback version not Kindle Edition.
Bought this last year hoping to read it before Easter but with my Dad's declining health and passing, I couldn't get to it. Told myself I'd read it this year before Easter. Really interesting information about the cave/grotto and I love the painting by Anthony Sweat also called "A Place Called Gethsemane."
Bought this last year hoping to read it before Easter but with my Dad's declining health and passing, I couldn't get to it. Told myself I'd read it this year before Easter. Really interesting information about the cave/grotto and I love the painting by Anthony Sweat also called "A Place Called Gethsemane."
July 27, 2025
Libby. Interesting book. Insight to the difference in the Gospels of Gethsemane. Also the layout of the land from Jerusalem to the Gough tithe Garden. It will forever be in mind when I read and hear about our Beloved Savior last hours.
April 22, 2025
This book delved more into the historical and archeological aspects of Gethsemane rather than the spiritual. I found it fascinating, and it helped me envision the sacred place in a new way.
May 6, 2025
This is a really cool book that helps frame what Gethsemane was likely like for Jesus and his apostles.
July 19, 2025
Mostly a history of the Gethsemane hill and where the garden could have been located. It was interesting but not sure how useful unless you go there.
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