The Final Days of Jesus: The Archaeological Evidence

by Shimon Gibson

“No one knows more about the history and archaeology of ancient Jerusalem than Shimon Gibson.... This book is destined to become the standard in the field.” — Prof. James D. Tabor, author of The Jesus Dynasty A world renowned archaeologist reveals the historic footprint of Jesus in Jerusalem and what really happened during the final days. Fans of Elaine Pagels and of John Dominic Crossan and Marcus J. Borg’s The Last Week will find a wealth of new information in The Final Days of Jesus , the first book of its kind to present a detailed archaeological footprint of Jesus.

Genres: History, Religion, Archaeology, Nonfiction, Christian, Theology, Biblical Studies

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Shimon Gibson is a British-born archaeologist working in Jerusalem, where he is currently a Senior Associate Fellow at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research. He has an appointment as adjunct Professor of Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Gibson undertook his academic studies at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, where he also completed his PhD on Landscape Archaeology in the southern Levant.

During the past 20 years, Gibson has conducted numerous excavations and field surveys in different parts of Israel. Between 1989 and 1995 he undertook research and cataloguing in the archives of the Palestine Exploration Fund in London. He was the head of the Research and Scientific Reports Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority from 1995 to 1999. Since then, he has dedicated himself to a number of major excavation projects, notably at Suba and Mount Zion.

Gibson is the author of more than 100 research articles on a variety of subjects, and for more than two decades served as the chief editor of the archaeological journal Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society, published in London. He was also one of the divisional editors of the new edition of the Encyclopedia Judaica published in 2007. He is the coauthor of two scientific monographs on the antiquities of Jerusalem (on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and on the Temple Mount ), and has edited the Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (2000) and The Illustrated Dictionary and Concordance of the Bible (2005). His book of 19th-century photographs of Jerusalem (Jerusalem in Original Photographs) was published in 2003. A book on his archaeological work at Suba, entitled The Cave of John the Baptist, was published in 2004. He also published a book entitled Flights into Biblical Archaeology (2007).

Reviews

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book from Amazon, after reading of it on James Tabor's blog. 'The Final Day's of Jesus' is a very interesting tour of first century Jerusalem. I found following the topography of the city by written descriptions alone a bit vague, so this book could really do with a detailed map to refer to, for us amateur archaeologists. However, Shimon Gibson has provided lots of food for thought with some interesting sites and details of modern excavations, namely at the Soloam and Bethesda pools, as well as the location of Pilate's Praetorium (site of Jesus's trial), and the Essene gate as part of the Western wall of the city. In my minds eye I had the Essene gate fixed into the southern wall, so this was most interesting. The reader is taken on a different route to the Via Delarosa to Calvary one, making all the Stations of the Cross trail followed by modern Christians to be erroneous. No surprises.
The author has also inspected The Church of The Holy Sepulchre and supports this general location for crucifixion, and Joseph of Arimathea's tomb. The aim of the book is to attempt to enhance our image of the Jesus of history, with the aid of archaeology and I rate Gibson's efforts to have produced a worthwhile read. Where the narrative moves into theology is where things become lightweight and foggy. Gibson is not a Vermes or Crossan, but they're not archaeologists either, and that's where this book makes many useful and interesting contributions to the overall picture of that Passover Festival in Jerusalem 30C.E.
The 'notes' section in this book is also well done and very detailed, making for lots more avenues of exploration.
The Excursus contains the authors opinions (he was part of the original excavations), on the Talpiot Tomb and the James Ossuary. Gibson doesn't lay much on the 'Jesus Family Tomb', but I'm not sold on his summing up of, "the place of the Tomb of Jesus is most likely to have been at the traditional spot beneath the present day Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem". These scenarios, however interesting, go nowhere. Vague initial work by Israel Department of Antiquities and Jerusalem's Ultra-Orthodox Jews close any chance of further light being shed.

[Ganapathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just cannot get enough of historical Jesus. I wanted to understand how a man that triggered the founding of the biggest religion in the world vanished without a trace. There is no tomb of Jesus, or of his parents, or of his bothers, or of his disciples. His life seems as it was conjured out of thin air by his beloved followers. Christianity became mainstream fairly quickly after Jesus’s death. I am still surprised that there is not a shred of solid physical evidence of, well, anything. Historians are struggling to piece together a puzzle without knowing whether there is actually one.

This book provides educational guesses based on archeological findings about the events transpired in the final days of Jesus. In particular, it offers a slew of scenarios about why Jesus was arrested in the first place: it was a matter of crowd control, it was because more and more people were drawn to Jesus since they saw him as a healer and a magician, or it was because the Jewish authorities realized he is another John the Baptist or a messiah. In any case, he attracted crowds. That was enough to trigger an arrest.

I am curious as to why were the authorities, Jewish and Romans alike, so concerned about these messianic figures attracting crowds? As far as I know, a revolt by people never toppled a kingdom at that time or even before that time. Anyways, I digress.

According to the author, the trial, the crucifixion (you can be crucified for far less at that time), and disappearance of Jesus’s body were all low-key and prompt events. Only Jesus’s followers were present. The author paints a good picture of the path that Jesus was taken to the crucifixion place and the tomb that he was buried in. The disappearing act is still a mystery and the author ponders over several hypotheses: grave robbers, Jesus was in a trans-like state and he regained consciousness, and it was just a temporary tomb as Sabbath time was nearing. He paints a good picture of infrastructure at that time and how the final days of Jesus progressed. Yet, the book left me with more questions than answers.

[Joe Boenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Archeologist Shimon Gibson presents the environment that was Jerusalem during the lifetime and the last days of Jesus. He brings his first-hand archeological research to bear on the places that are familiar to those who know the Gospel accounts of Jesus and his journey to Jerusalem. What were the importance, set-up and function of the pools of Bethesda and Siloam? How was the court of Pontius Pilate set up, and where did the trial of Jesus take place? What evidence do we have concerning Jewish burial customs in the area of Jerusalem during the years around the Passion and Death of Jesus? And more.

Gibson does not pronounce himself on Christian belief, but gives a good exposé of Jewish belief and practice during the 1st century CE. His main effort is in presenting what he and other archeologists have uncovered in the last 100+ years -- and this is very helpful for understanding the historical, geographical and cultural context of Jesus, his disciples and antagonists during his last days on earth.

[James (JD) Dittes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gibson has found a way to apply decades of archaeology to an understanding of the key week in the founding of Christianity. Considering that Gibson is not a Christian, I think he does a good job of sticking to the gospels as his point of reference. He's not really out to "disprove" key details of the Passion Week (like so many other historical authors) as to apply some of the things he has learned to enlighten literate readers.

Gibson's areas of strength are excavating first-century tombs and ceremonial pools. That's one reason you will read so much about the pools of Siloam and Bethseda, where Jesus performed miracles, as well as about other more private cleansing pools (to me these looked an awful lot like baptistries, but they were for ritual Jewish cleansing.

Gibson applies his experience to the layout and size of Jesus' tomb, and he comes to some interesting conclusions: the stone that covered the entrance was probably square, the materials that made up the shroud and face covering were mixed, it wasn't uncommon for family members to return to a tomb and find the deceased had regained consciousness.

All in all, it's a good, informative book. Gibson's conclusion--describing Christ as a successor to John the Baptist and speculating about the reasons Pilate would have executed him alone among his followers--is really fascinating. It is not a well-written book, but it is a well-researched one.

[richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Final Days of Jesus: The Archaeological Evidence ~ Shimon Gibson

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5

This book is written by an archeologist who provides a lot of useful information of what 1st century Jerusalem would have looked like. I found it interesting to know about cleansing procedures and how water was used on a large scale for religious cleansing. I found it interesting to hear about tombs that had been discovered and how they looked.

What I didn't like is that the bible was not always seen as reliable information. Some of his comments suggest that he doesn't believe the bible to be the infallible word of God and instead takes some sources like the apocrypha or archeology findings to say what he thinks is true. His view on the writers of the gospels seems to suggest that they were biased and creating an agenda for themselves.

What I get from his words is that I think he believes Jesus was a real historical person who lived and said the things reported. He thinks Jesus was a baptiser and known as a miracle worker but I do not think that he believes the claims of Jesus to be true which made the reading of his book hard for me.

Even so, the book was worth reading and the best part of the book is the part where the location of trail of Jesus was found and is accessible to people today even though most people don't know anything about it. Even the bema seat is still there today albeit in bits. I found this fascinating to think I have walked past this site and not even given it any thought. Everything he said of this part was fascinating and accurate and made sense and for this alone it was worth to read the book.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s possible that Shimon Gibson knows more about first-century Jerusalem than anyone else alive. Indefatigably curious, he intrepidly shimmies into any crevice that promises to be a gateway to the past.
It is this that makes his book worth reading, even though his writing skills are not on a par with his archaeological. An indication of his struggles to organize his material is the frequent appearance of the phrases “as we shall see” and “as I have shown.” There are many redundancies, both within chapters—especially in chapters four and six—and between chapters—in particular, chapters seven and eight.
The book is aimed at the non-specialist, but New Testament scholars will find helpful information here, as well. I profited from his discussion of the pools of Bethesda and Siloam, locations of two crucial episodes in the Gospel of John, which I now see in a new light. Many readers will also be interested in Gibson’s discussion of how the probable location of Pilate’s judgment seat—mentioned in John’s account of the trial of Jesus—has been identified.
Optimally, this book will supplement one’s own visit to the sites Gibson discusses. I think more attention could have been paid to supplying information a reader less familiar with Jerusalem might need.

[Dmytro Shyian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Вдалий вибір для тих, хто хоче отримати уявлення про епоху, в якій минуло земне життя Ісуса, і при цьому не потонути в океані цифр, імен і подій. Даремно казати, що дані археологічних розкопок та історичних джерел часто-густо не відповідають, а іноді й йдуть всупереч текстам канонічних Євангелій, найстарше з яких писалося щонайменше за 40 років після смерті Христа. Все це зрозуміло і притаманне кожному культу, що насамперед створює власну розвинену міфологію. Однак, що дивує і не припиняє викликати захоплення, так це життєздатність нового вірування, яке мусило загинути після розп’яття свого засновника, однак не лише вижило і закріпилось, а й за три століття набуло стану панівної релігії в Римській імперії. Що це як не диво, початком якого стали сім визначальних днів у Єрусалимі.

[Dr. Sabrina Molden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I learned a lot that I had no idea of regarding the actual history of the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. Also, learned much about the Bible. Although Gibson insists that his was a “historical and archaeological” account of the final days of Jesus, this reading caused me to be deeply moved and validated my Christian beliefs. He concluded: “The reality is that there is no historical explanation for the empty tomb.”

[Onur · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Author was a key member in the archeological works performed in Jerusalem and a delicate researcher. Unfortunately, in the conclusion no certain proof or trace was found about Jesus's life except the Gospels.

[Michelle Sherwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this really interesting, mainly due to my fascination with history, mythology and archeology and how they are interrelated.

[Lee Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re interested in the historical Jesus, you’ll be fascinated by this book. Shimon is a thorough researcher and archaeologist. He is up-to-date on current scholarship, while at the same time providing new insights and theories, with a writing style that keeps you reading. Shimon excels in vividly portraying the everyday life of Jesus and his times. You’ll learn the geography, the rituals, and the lifestyle of first-century Jews as you walk in the shoes of Christ through the final days of his life.

Shimon cautions that “some of my conclusions regarding Jesus and Jerusalem may be controversial,” but throughout the book I found all of his arguments to be logical and carefully documented.

I’m one of those fanatics that marks his books up with highlights and margin notes, and this is one of those books where I’ve got bright paragraphs and blue ink on every other page. I sometimes look over my notes as I prepare to write my reviews, but I simply don’t have the time to reread everything this book taught me. I’ll just leave it at this: If a book’s value can be measured by how much you learn from it, then this one deserves the praise I give it.

[Andy Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent book about the archaeological science around first century Jerusalem. There is a lot of information on what was where in Jerusalem, and some speculation on the crucifixion that contradicts what Bart Ehrmans posits: namely, that Jesus was not buried in a tomb but was probably left to the wild animals. The author here states that the rulers of Judea would let the Jews bury their own properly.

Otherwise, there are no bombshells in here, and the author has no ideological axe to grid that I could detect. It is fair and balanced.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A review of the historical Jesus from data gleaned from archeology from a liberal scholar.

[Paulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book , that allowed me to get in contact with the Holy area of Jerusalem according to an archeologist´s view.

[Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty deep book that looks at the last days of Jesus. Largely based on archeological evidence. Learned a lot about the customs of the time.