Palace of Caiaphas - First Century Jerusalem

   
Palace of Caiaphas During the Second Temple Period According to the Model at Jerusalem.

The Palace of Caiaphas

This is where informal meetings of a small Sanhedrin were held. Peter denied Jesus in one of these courts. This model at the Holy Land Hotel is a Scholar's conception showing how the site may have looked in Jesus' day. The palace of the high priest where the Lord Jesus was examined before the Council in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin, was not only mentioned in the Bible but also became a site for a Christian church to be built, on the Hill of the Upper City.

The idea that this is the exact site of the House of Caiaphas is open for debate. Before Christ and during the time of Nehemiah, the high priest resided on the western side of the temple court area. During the time of the Maccabees the high priest resided at the Hasmonean Palace. Josephus makes mention that during the time of Jesus in first century Jerusalem, the house of Ananias (High-priest during the time of Gessius Florus) stood near the Palace of the Asmonaeans, on the eastern part of the Upper City.

 

This Ossuary of Caiaphas was discovered in Jerusalem by archaeologists. It was carved from limestone and bears the name "Caiaphas", the name of the Temple High Priest during the time of Christ. Ossuaries were typically used to hold the bones of the dead.

 

   
Photo of the Church built on the traditional site of the Palace of Caiaphas, it possesses a spectacular view.

 

Also See: Sketch of the Palace of Caiaphas