As with all things Jerusalem, debate exists over the place where the tomb of Jesus would be located. Everything has been rearranged and built over because of the destruction of the city and most holy sites by invading conquerors over the past centuries. One is left to rely on the geography, the customs of the time and the New Testament passages that describe where the trial, the crucifixion and the tomb were located.
In the first century, the historians tell us that the graves in Jewish communities would have been located in caves and rock faces that were not close to centers of commerce or living areas given the prohibitions against touching the dead or things associated with the dead. The graves from the first century look like the graves in the pictures below.
Circular tomb from 1st Century located in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
Circular tomb from 1st Century located in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This view is looking directly into the tomb.
Circular tomb from 1st Century located in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. This tomb is sealed, so you can’t see into it.
The following are photos of a complex of 1st Century graves in system of caves on the Mount of Olives called the Tombs of the Prophets. This is not a likely location of the grave of Jesus, but it is the type of tomb he was likely to have been buried in at the time. The photos are to help the reader understand what the graves looked like.
Entry to the system of caves of the Tomb of the Prophets in Jerusalem.
1st Century Tomb in the Tomb of the Prophets on the Mt of Olives, Jerusalem
1st Century Tomb in the Tomb of the Prophets on the Mt of Olives, Jerusalem
1st Century Tomb in the Tomb of the Prophets on the Mt of Olives, Jerusalem
1st Century Tomb in the Tomb of the Prophets on the Mt of Olives, Jerusalem
These photos help you to see that the graves were hewn into the rock face. They were cylindrical (circular/oval openings). They were on the level of the ground, so that one would have to stoop to look into them or bend down to enter or exit the tomb.
This is consistent with Luke 24:12 (NKJV) which providess, “But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.”
