Bethphage
Bethphage (Jewish Palestinian Aramaic בית פגי Bēth Paggē "House of unripe figs") or Bethsphage [1] is a Christian religious site on the Mount of Olives east of historical Jerusalem.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Betfage11_054_%281%29.jpg/200px-Betfage11_054_%281%29.jpg)
Bethphage is mentioned in the New Testament as the place in ancient Israel from which Jesus sent his disciples to find a colt upon which he would ride into Jerusalem. The Synoptic Gospels mention it as being close to Bethany, where he was staying immediately prior to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.[2][3][4] Bethphage is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the modern village of al-Azariya.
However, another possibility, based on the writings of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, would place it in the valley east of as-Sawahira ash-Sharqiya, since, she writes, "Going up from Bethphage to the Mount of Olives, one could see, through the high hills that bordered the route on either side, the Temple standing opposite," a vista possible only from Abu Dis.[5] She describes, "It lay on low, swampy ground, and was a poor little place consisting of only a row of houses on either side of the road."[6] Ancient Bethany would then have to be further east, as well, in the vicinity of 'Arab al-Jahalin or Ma'ale Adumim.
Unknown villagers living there, the owners of the colt according to Gospel of Luke 19:33, permitted Jesus' disciples to take the colt away for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There is an annual Palm Sunday walk into Jerusalem which begins here[where?].[7]
Eusebius (Onom 58:13) located it on the Mount of Olives.[3] It was likely on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho and the limit of a Sabbath-day's journey from Jerusalem, that is, 2000 cubits. There is the Franciscan Church of Bethphage at a likely location.
References[]
- ^ In some manuscripts (Picirilli, Robert E. (2003). The Gospel of Mark. Randall House Publications. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-89265-500-7.), but not in critical editions of the New Testament such as Novum Testamentum Graece, the primary source for most New Testament translations (Nestle Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, Mk 1:11).
- ^ Matt. 21:1, Mark 11:1, Luke 19:29
- ^ Jump up to: a b Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land by Avraham Negev 2005 ISBN 0826485715 page 80
- ^ The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor 2008 ISBN 0199236666 page 150
- ^ Emmerich, Anne Catherine. "The Life of Jesus Christ". tandfspi.org. Saint Benedict Press. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ Emmerich, Anne Catherine. "The Life of Jesus Christ". tandfspi.org. Saint Benedict Press. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Bethphage « See The Holy Land". seetheholyland.net. Archived from the original on 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
- New Testament places
- New Testament Aramaic words and phrases