The ruins of the Pool of Bethesda in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City in Jerusalem. It is close to the Sheep Gate.

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The Pool of Bethesda is a pool of water in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, on the path of the Beth Zeta Valley. The Gospel of John describes such a pool in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. It is associated with healing. Until the 19th century, there was no evidence outside of John’s Gospel for the existence of this pool; therefore, scholars argued that the gospel was written later, probably by someone without first-hand knowledge of the city of Jerusalem, and that the ‘pool’ had only a metaphorical, rather than historical, significance. In the 19th century, archaeologists discovered the remains of a pool fitting the description in John’s Gospel.

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Size: 2536px × 3788px
Photo credit: © Dimitry Bobroff / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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