The Life of Jesus in Harmony | Index

Golgotha

Golgotha meaning the "place of the skull" was probably where Jesus was crucified. In 135 AD Rome's Emperor Hadrian covered this traditional site of Golgotha and Jesus' tomb with a massive pavement. Two centuries later, Constantine removed it and built the first Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

CAL'VARY (Gk. kranion, a "skull," Heb. Golgotha )

Calvary refers to the place where Christ was crucified, designated as the place of a skull (Golgotha), either because of the shape of the mound or elevation or because it was a place of execution. Some claim that Moriah and Calvary are identical. The shift of the city wall from time to time renders it difficult to locate the spot. It would probably have been a prominent place near the public highway, for the Romans selected such places for public executions.

From the fourth century to the present day the sites of Calvary and of the Holy Sepulcher have been shown within the precincts of the church of the Holy Sepulcher, a Crusader construction, standing where Constantine's Basilica was raised. Others identify the spot with "Gordon's Calvary," N of the present N wall.