RESURRECTION SITE DISCOVERED?

(Investigator 222,  2025 May)

Anonymous

"Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was
 a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid."  (The Bible — John 19:1; Luke 23:50-53)

A team from Sapienza University [Italy], led by archaeologist Francesca Romana Stasolla, has discovered the remains of a garden during renovation work under the floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.  (Natale 2025)

Remains of grape vines and olive trees discovered there were dated to around the time of Jesus whose crucifixion occurred about 33 CE.

Beneath the church are also the remains of an ancient quarry and rock-hewn tombs.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the two possible sites, long debated over, for the death and burial of Jesus, the other being the Garden tomb located about 700 meters north.

The Church was constructed in the 4th century on top of the ruins of a pagan temple. During Jesus' lifetime, as now indicated by archaeology, the location was a cemetery and a garden (or farm).

Although the evidence is not conclusive the garden which the Bible associates with Jesus' death and resurrection now has archaeological support, and perhaps the tomb too.

Megiddo Battle

The biblical history of a battle at Megiddo in 609 BCE, and fatal shooting of King Josiah by Egyptian archers, had no archaeological support until this year (2025 CE).

The Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament (2025) reported the new discovery, and a Times of Israel headline declared: "Archaeologists find first evidence of epic biblical battle at 'Armageddon' "

"Armageddon" in the New Testament is derived from the word "Megiddo" and refers to the final battle when all the armies of the world oppose the return of Christ. (Revelation 16:14-16; 19:11-21)

The 609 BCE Megiddo battle, however, was between Egypt and Judah, Pharoah Neco and King Josiah.

The Times of Israel report says: "7th century BCE Egyptian pottery was found in recent excavations at Megiddo, suggesting that Egyptians soldiers were in the right biblical place at what could be the right biblical period."  

The pottery dates between 630 and 610 BCE and is mainly undecorated Egyptian standard pottery. It was found in the buried remains of an ancient building of five rooms and paved courtyard, built several decades before the 609 BC battle. Some Greek pottery was found too, perhaps indicating that Neco's army included Greek mercenaries.

King Josiah

King Josiah reigned 31 years (640-609 BCE) and:  "He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David, and did not turn aside to the right or to the left." (II Kings 22:2)

According to the Bible Josiah restored Jewish worship, destroyed idolatry and repaired Solomon's Temple. (II  Kings 22-24;  II Chronicles 34-35)  

In 609 BCE Pharoah Neco led an Egyptian army through Judah on his way to fight the Assyrians at the Euphrates River. The Assyrians were already facing defeat by Babylon but Josiah decided to stop the Egyptians from getting involved.

In the "plain of Megiddo" (II Kings 23:28-30; II Chronicles 35:20-25) Josiah's army got smashed and himself mortally wounded. This led to the end of Judah's independence, and didn't save the Assyrians.

Josiah so far has only indirect archaeological support. A bulla or seal impression discovered in Jerusalem in 2019 belonged to one of his officials named Nathan-melech. (II Kings 23:11) Another bulla found also in Jerusalem (in 1982) is inscribed "Belonging to Gemariah, son of Shaphan". Shaphan was the "secretary" who brought Josiah the book of Moses discovered during the Temple renovations. (II Kings 34:14-18; II Chronicles 34:14-18; Jeremiah 36:10)

The city of Megiddo was originally excavated in the 1920s. The northwest part was left untouched until the recent dig led by archaeologist Israel Finkelstein in 2016-2022, which found the Egyptian and Greek pottery.

Is It Proof?

Sectarian religionists sometimes claim to "prove the Bible" but seem to know of only a few points that history has confirmed.

What I have done for decades is demonstrate a long trend of hundreds of points confirmed, not just in archaeology and history but in many areas of science, a trend still continuing. The garden, the tomb, King Josiah and the 609 BCE battle are tentatively confirmed — but the work and research goes on.

Is the Bible "the word of God"? Investigator Magazine has more than 35 years
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