David Couchman
David Couchman produces the 'Seize the Day' and Slipstream podcasts and edits the 'Facing the Challenge' courses. More...

Phil Prior talking to David about Focus's vision

The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem

The pool of Bethesda
Photo: BiblePlaces.com
In John's Gospel, chapter 5 verses 1 to 15, the author describes a pool in Jerusalem, near the Sheep Gate, called Bethesda, surrounded by five covered colonnades. Until the 19th century, there was no evidence outside of John's Gospel for the existence of this pool.
Skeptical scholars said that the gospel was written later, probably by someone whoe did not have first-hand knowledge of the city of Jerusalem, and that the pool had a metaphorical or symbolic, rather than actual, significance. Then in the nineteenth century, archaeologists discovered the remains of a pool exactly matching the description in John's Gospel. Yet again, archaeology confirms that the Bible talks about real people and real places.
The pool of Bethesda
Photo: BiblePlaces.com

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