| The discovery of "the cave of John the Baptist" not | | | | St. Luke tells us that John was born when Herod was |
| far away from Jerusalem was a great journalistic | | | | the tetrarch of Galilee. It means |
| drama. Archaeological news easily lights the | | | | John lived when Herod the 2nd, son of King Herod |
| imagination. Remember the movie series of Indiana | | | | the Great, ruled the northern and the eastern part of |
| Jones. Is it true that John the Baptist began to | | | | the country. Many years later, this tetrarch (Roman |
| baptize his followers in this cave? Let us go over the | | | | prince) arrested John and executed him in a brutal |
| facts, and find out. | | | | way, by beheading him. |
| There are not many historical sources of information | | | | Why was he imprisoned and eliminated? Some of the |
| concerning the whereabouts of John the Baptist. Of | | | | Gospels tell us that John rebuked the tetrarch publicly |
| these, the Gospels, especially St. Luke, give us the | | | | for his evil deeds. But the great Jewish historian |
| most accurate information. Another source may be | | | | Josephus tells us another story. John was regarded |
| "the Antiquities of the Jews" by Josephus Flavius. | | | | as politically dangerous. St. Matthew insinuates that |
| St. Luke tells us that Zachary, the father of John, | | | | this version is reliable, when he says that Herod |
| was a priest, who lived with John's mother Elisabeth | | | | "feared the multitude, because they counted him |
| in "a city of Judah" in "the hill country". No source tells | | | | (John) as a prophet". |
| us exactly where it was. But we should assume that | | | | The main contribution of Josephus to our story is |
| people live near their work place. If so, that city was | | | | telling us where John was imprisoned and murdered. |
| situated in the vicinity of Jerusalem, because priests | | | | It was in the fortress of Machaerus (Mikhvar, in |
| worked in the Temple. Traditionally, it is believed that | | | | Hebrew), the remains of which can be seen |
| Zachary and Elisabeth lived in Ein Kerem, a small town | | | | nowadays in the kingdom of Jordan. |
| near Jerusalem, but there are no archaeological | | | | Kibutz Tzuba (the correct Hebrew name is Tzova) |
| findings which can prove it. | | | | where the cave was found, is located only four |
| Some churches have been built in Ein Kerem since | | | | kilometers from Ein kerem, which probably was the |
| the Byzantine era, though we do not know if the | | | | birthplace of John, as mentioned above. But we |
| earlier churches were dedicated to John the Baptist | | | | should recall that John did not operate there. He |
| or related to him. The first ones who did associate | | | | needed "much water". In Tzuba-Ein-Kerem area |
| Ein Kerem to John were the Crusaders, but it must | | | | water is scarce. The Historical sources put the scene |
| be emphasized that those Christian conquerors of | | | | in a different site: the Jordan River, apparently near |
| the Holy land used to adapt the Holy sites to the | | | | Jericho. Why not believe them? |
| area they ruled. | | | | A few hundred meters from the Tzuba cave, on the |
| When the Crusaders controlled the way to | | | | top of another hill, the remains of a small fortress can |
| Jerusalem, they said that the village of Emmaus was | | | | be seen. The Crusaders built it to control a secondary |
| situated in the village of Abu Ghosh, and built there a | | | | way to Jerusalem, used by Pilgrims. Those days the |
| beautiful church. A hundred years later, after they | | | | Crusaders did not control the main road to Jerusalem |
| were driven away by the Moslems from there, they | | | | any more, and had no choice but to use their |
| did not hesitate to identify Kubeiba as the one and | | | | productive imagination to "create" new "biblical sites". |
| only Emmaus. Also there they built a church, a | | | | Nearby Abu Ghosh is one of them. It became |
| monastery and fortress. | | | | Emmaus. |
| Actually there has been always a town called | | | | Is the Tzuba Cave a modern such an adjustment of |
| Emmaus. It is located in the Ayalon valley. The early | | | | versions? May be .But it could also be a place where |
| Christians believed that this is the real Emmaus, | | | | John the Baptist really did some baptizing. Why not? |
| mentioned in the Gospels, and magnificent churches | | | | He was born not far away from there. His parents |
| were built there during the Byzantine era, 1500 years | | | | could still live in Ein Kerem. May be he used the cave |
| ago. The problem with this identification was that the | | | | when he came to visit them? |
| place is located more than 30 kilometers from | | | | We are dealing here with speculations. And these are |
| Jerusalem, while according to St. Luke the distance | | | | beyond the scope of our discussion. Most of the Holy |
| was only 11 kilometers. | | | | sites in Israel are believed to be the original ones |
| Back to John the Baptist. We have already | | | | without having any firm scientific proof. Does it |
| considered the location of his birth place. And now let | | | | matter? Apparently the answer is negative. Belief is a |
| us ask ourselves: where did he preach and baptize? | | | | matter of the heart, not of science. |
| The Gospels tell us mainly two geographical facts. | | | | What Archaeologists do know for sure is that the |
| That he did his preaching and religious rituals in the | | | | Tzuba cave was used by Jews for a long period of |
| Judea desert, and that he baptized people who came | | | | time, starting during the reign of the Judean kings |
| to him from Judea and Jerusalem, in the Jordan River. | | | | some 600 years before John's time. It continued to |
| St John mentions specifically a place called Aenon, | | | | be used by Christians until 300- 400 years after |
| near Salim. He says John the Baptist operated there | | | | John's time. There are some carvings from that time |
| "because there was much water there". St John | | | | on the wall which are symbols related to John the |
| mentions another place called "Bethabara beyond | | | | Baptist, including his image, a drawing of his |
| Jordan, where John was baptizing". The only possible | | | | decapitated head and a cross shape. |
| conclusion for those who are acquainted with the | | | | Inside the cave, archaeologists found many pottery |
| area should be that John baptized his fellow Jews in | | | | shards, indicating the cave could be used for |
| the vicinity of Jericho. It was the only place combining | | | | baptizing. Is it enough for proving anything? The |
| the water of the Jordan River, a convenient road | | | | answer is no. Is it worth a visit? The answer is |
| from Jerusalem and Judea and a geographical | | | | absolutely yes. But for that purpose people should |
| closeness to a desert, Judea desert. | | | | wait. The cave has not yet been opened to visitors. |