The Lost Piece of Jesus's World Emerges After 2,000 Years in an Extraordinary Discovery

Israel's Antiquities Authority has discovered a 2,000-year-old qanat near Jerusalem that a biblical scholar believes is connected to Jesus and early Christians.

Jesus and his disciples probably used water from the newly discovered Jerusalem aqueduct, the expert says

A 2,000-year-old aqueduct was recently discovered near Jerusalem — and it likely supplied water used by Jesus and his disciples, according to a biblical scholar.

Archaeologists have uncovered a roughly 984-foot section of an ancient aqueduct south of Kibbutz Ramat Rachel—which once carried water from Solomon's Pools near Bethlehem to Jerusalem's Temple Mount.

The discovery was announced by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) on October 11, following excavations ahead of a planned residential development.

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Originally built during the Hasmonean period, the aqueduct was used intermittently until about a century ago, the IAA said.

The aqueduct relied on gravity to carry water to the Second Temple complex, the center of Jewish religious life at the time, where it was used for ritual purification and post-sacrificial cleansing.

The Second Temple complex was also the site of the biblical account of Jesus cleansing the temple, during which he overturned the money changers' tables and drove out the merchants.

According to dig managers Benjamin Storchan, Gil Farid and Rotem Cohen of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the lower aqueduct "was probably built during the Hasmonean period to supply water to Jerusalem."

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"The aqueduct stretches about 21 kilometers [13 miles] from Solomon's Pools south of Bethlehem to Jerusalem," administrators said in a statement.

"For most of the way, the water flowed along a very gentle slope, dropping only one meter [3.3 feet] per kilometer."

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of the ancient aqueduct on October 11, following excavations prior to residential construction. (Israel Antiquities Organization)

The aqueduct will be preserved and incorporated into the main entrance to the planned residential development, allowing visitors to see the ancient engineering up close.

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Estes said the construction of the aqueduct represents Jerusalem's prominence in the ancient world, comparing the importance of such infrastructure to the construction of modern skyscrapers.

"He brought the living water from Bethlehem to the Temple Mount to sanctify after the sacrifice."

"The Hammonites, the Jewish rulers, were building this aqueduct at the same time as the Romans were building the aqueduct that brought water to the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill," says Estes.

We think of Rome at that time as the Mediterranean power and Jerusalem as a small capital city-state, but they were actually advancing in technology at the same time. They were building their aqueducts together."

This aqueduct was originally built during the Hasmonean period and was used intermittently until about a century ago. (Israel Antiquities Organization)

Beyond its impressive engineering, the discovery also sheds light on religious practices in ancient Jerusalem and their connection to early Christianity, Estes said.

The water from this aqueduct was used for both practical and religious purposes, including cleansing after sacrifices and performing purification rituals on the Temple Mount, Estes said.

This system also has symbolic significance for Christians.

Estes said he is "certain" that Jesus, his disciples and other early Christians used water from the aqueduct, although direct archaeological evidence of their individual use has not been established.

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The system, which relied on fresh or "living" water, also has symbolic significance for Christians, Estes said.

"He brought this living water from Bethlehem to the Temple Mount so that the consecration would take place after the sacrifice," Estes said.

"For Christians, Jesus is living water, and therefore ... he came from Bethlehem as living [water] to become a temple, to sacrifice himself for all people."

"There is a rich symbolism that we see here in this aqueduct," Estes added.

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