GOLGOTHA

Thousands of Christian pilgrims walk along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem and meditate on the death of Jesus at the Twelfth Station. Others go to the "Place of The Skull", at the Garden Tomb, where they believe Jesus was crucified and then buried in the Garden Tomb next to it.

The Twelfth Station of the Via Dolorosa

The most popular site is that in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is possible that Jesus was crucified here as the spot was outside the walls of Jerusalem at the time. The gate leading out of the City was at the spot where the Seventh Station on the Via Dolorosa is situated.

The decorations at and around the Twelfth Station differ to a great extent from the interior of Protestant Churches. Therefore Christians of the Protestant Church family often also travel to the Garden Tomb with the "Place of the Skull" next to it.

The place called "The Skull"

This site has a total different atmosphere. The Garden is a fairly peaceful place, ideal for meditation and worship. Pilgrims visiting it often hear other pilgrims worshiping and singing at one of the semi-private "chapels".

The hill next to the Garden looks like a skull and it is believed that this is "the place called The Skull" (Lk 23:33) where Jesus was crucified. The proximity of the Garden to this hill is another reason to think that this might be Calvary. According to John 19:41 "there was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried." Jesus was buried in this tomb.

Place of The Skull

It is furthermore significant that the "Place of the Skull" is the highest point and the most northern part of the hill that forms part of the temple mount. Abraham once travelled to this mountain. It was on the temple mount (called Mount Moriah) that Abraham "sacrificed" (Hebr 11:17) his son Isaac and God povided a ram to be sacrificed in stead of Isaac. The place was then called "The Lord Provides" and people said "On the Lord's mountain He provides" (Gen 22:13).

Many Christians associate the sacrifice of the son of Abraham with the "sacrifice" of the Son of God, Jesus, 2000 years later on the same mountain.