Calvary

Skull Hill ( Golgotha ​​or Calvary ) is the name of a previously unknown hill outside of Jerusalem the ancient world used today. The New Testament Gospels According to Jesus of Nazareth was crucified there.

Name

In Mark's Gospel, the text literally reads: " And they carried him unto the place Golgotha, which is translated Place of the Skull ". Luke merely writes that the place of "the skull " was called and did not mention Golgotha ​​. Matthew is close to Mark and explained that the hill was called both " Calvary " and " Place of the Skull ". John writes that the hill " Place of the Skull " was called, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha ​​. From the Gospels of Mark and especially John and Luke can be seen that for the evangelist Kρανίου [ Τόπος ] (" [ place of] the skull [ s] ") was the original name of the hill, and with Γολγοθα ( " Golgotha ​​" ) only the Aramaic translation of this name was given. Older versions of the Bible translated yet faithfully, " and this went by he bearing his cross himself, was also named to the place, the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha ​​. " However, today's biblical scholarship no longer accepted Γολγοθα as the Greek rendering of Aramaic translation of the actual name, but sees in the name of Golgotha ​​itself Kρανίου Τόπος is interpreted as a mere explanation in a row and the etymological meaning of a skull gûlgaltâ for Golgotha ​​of Aramaic, which precedes the Hebrew gulgulet adopted.

For the church fathers of the " place of the skull " had different meanings: Origen, for example, bears the name back to the supposedly buried there skull Adams, Jerome on the skull of the condemned, other authors on the shape of the hill.

Further details in the New Testament

The New Testament tells of Jesus' crucifixion outside the city, but near the city. This corresponded to the Roman tradition and the Torah. According to Matthew and Mark (Matt. 27:39 EU; Mt 15,29 EU) Golgotha ​​was a place that many people passed, so maybe a place that was on one of the main routes to Jerusalem, probably near a city gate. In John's Gospel (Jn 19,41 EU), which indicates that there was a garden nearby.

Localization

Due to the mentioned by Johannes garden would be a location on the north side of Jerusalem, most likely, since neither in the Valley of Hinnom to the south may have been previously created a garden near the ancient city wall on the steep slopes in the east and west. Thus, the biblical Golgotha ​​was perhaps at the site of today's Holy Sepulcher. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine allowed to build 326 a basilica at this point by the Bishop Makarios I.. There was according to the former tradition as possibly after preserved in the Gospels reminder of the crucifixion and the grave of Jesus. The remains of this basilica are located under the present-day Holy Sepulcher. While the site is now within the medieval city walls, it was in ancient times north of the northwest corner of the city at that time. After several early Christian pilgrims reports of the hill of Golgotha ​​was a man on a high rock, to which one ascended by steps. To 385 should have been on him a powerful, adorned with gold and precious stones cross, which was set up right next to the former Holy Sepulcher, the Roman Emperor Theodosius.

Restoration work and excavations in the Holy Sepulcher was found out in 1973 to 1978 that it had originally acted in this site to a quarry, where the white limestone Meleke was beaten to the 1st century BC. What remained was an elongated, crescent-shaped stump of about seven meters long, three meters wide and a height of 4.80 meters, which may have looked out of the city like a skull crest. In 1986 it was found after removal of a layer of lime one carved into the stone ring of 11.50 cm diameter, which would allow them to adhere to a wooden trunk of up to 2.50 meters in height. The localization of grave and place of execution within the territory of the present Holy Sepulchre appears in conjunction with the sources and archaeological findings as quite understandable and justified. A clear or unambiguous localization is not possible.

Another theory identifies Golgotha ​​and the associated grave lay in a rocky ridge north of the present Damascus gate near the old town. At its northwestern slope of a grave cave was discovered in the 19th century, which is especially revered by the Protestant and Anglican communities as so-called garden grave. Here also the exclusion of Protestants in the Holy Sepulcher played a role.

Cultural impact

According to Theodor Heuss " Golgotha ​​" next to the Acropolis and the capitol of one of the hills on which is founded the Western World.

The Swiss composer Frank Martin set to music the passion of Jesus in the oratorio Golgotha ​​.