Where was Jesus crucified? The crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most proven events in ancient history. The fact has been corroborated by theologians and historians alike. It has been written without hyperbole:
“Even those scholars and critics who have been led to depart from almost everything else within the historical content of Christ’s presence on earth have found it impossible to think of the factuality of Christ’s death..” -John McIntyre, ‘The Uses of History in Theology’
An example of this statement is the statement by Dr. Bart Erhrman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While criticizing the New Testament on many counts and denying the supernatural essence of Christianity, the noted secular scholar affirmed this in his ‘The Historical Jesus: Lecture Transcript and Course Guidebook, vol. two:’
“One of the most certain facts of history is that Jesus was crucified by order of the Roman prefect of Judea, Pontus Pilate..”
All four Gospels affirm this fundamental milestone in the history of redemption. The secular authorities of the time confirmed it. The Early Church affirmed it. Millions and millions believe it. But where happened the crucifixion? The answer to that question is closely related to God’s will and God’s ways. In a nutshell, the location of Jesus’ crucifixion is both known as unknown.
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Where was Jesus crucified?
Where was Jeus crucified? The Gospels state that Christ was crucified outside the city gates of Jerusalem. Both John and the writer to the Hebrews affirm this fact:
“So many of the Jews read this title, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin” (John 19:20, NIV).
“Therefore, Jesus also, to sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate” (Hebrews 13:12, NIV).
The Bible also confirms that the crucifixion was carried out by officials of the Roman Empire in confederation with Jewish rabbinic leaders, the Sanhedrin. The presence of Roman military personnel points to the military nature of the mission and the importance of the execution both to the locals and, due to local pressure, to the Roman provincial government (recommended book: Jesus: A New Vision ). We know that the Roman execution on the cross could be seen from a great distance. because we read
“There were also women watching from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.” -Mark 15:40
Most significantly, we know the name of the place where Jesus was crucified. CW Wilson writes: “It’s clear. . . that Christ was crucified in a known place, with a distinctive name. . . “Because after being humiliated and harassed by carrying his cross through the streets full of angry people, leading to the place of execution, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified in”a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull” (Matthew 27:33 NIV). Golgotha “is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic gulgulta, which corresponds to the Hebrew Gulgoleth”, according to Wilson. The Greek equivalent is kranion (from which the English word cranial is derived). It is Dr. Luke who uses the Latin word, ordeal. The transliteration into English is the well-known designation, Calvary. The actual English translation would be “skull or cranium ” (Carl Hensley, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible).
The Jewish Wars of Rebellion (66-73 AD) which witnessed the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by Titus in the years 70-71 AD 39-81), no doubt added to the digression of the local terrain (Lawrence Schiffman, From Text to Tradition). Finally, the celebrated ancient church historian, Eusibius, traveled to Jerusalem to discover the site of the Lord’s crucifixion. The great church father and scholar went there with Queen Helen (246-330 AD), the Roman empress and mother of Constantine the Great (272-337 AD). Local Jerusalem Christians took Eusibius and Helena to a site outside the gates of the old city (the walls were enlarged in the 16th century), a site where liturgical celebrations had been held until “66 AD” (Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, Holy Land). The landscape underwent significant changes when Hadrian (AD 36-138), in AD 135, built temples to Roman deities, including Aphrodite and Jupiter, on the Aelia Capitolina (the new Roman name that Hadrian gave to Jerusalem).
Jerome Murphy-O’Connor states: “Despite evidence from Jerome and certain late Byzantine texts, the Holy Sepulcher remains the most likely site of the Capitoline temple.” And that is a remarkable statement. For in AD 326, Helena’s son Constantine began construction of a Christian building, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which would enclose both Golgotha, the site of the crucifixion, and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, the site of the burial and the place of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Murphy-O’Connor, in the Archaeological guide to Oxford from the earliest times to 1700, summarized both the history and archeology of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and alternative possibilities and concluded: “Is this the place where Christ died and was buried? Yes, most likely.”
What we don’t know about the crucifixion site – Where was Jesus crucified
In response to the previous question, and despite the unequivocal statements of some, we must answer, “many”. We know what we do not know, and we are sure that We do not know what we don’t know. Take the clear biblical statement that our Lord was crucified on Golgotha. Although we know what the word means, Golgotha, either Calvary, (i.e. “skull”), we do not know if it refers to one of the three origins for the name.
Golgotha Meaning: the place of the skull, could refer to the legendary place of the skull of Adam
Yes that’s how it is. The Church Father, Origen (185-253 AD), a Hebrew scholar and resident of Jerusalem, associates Golgotha with the place where Adam’s skull was believed to be buried. If he thinks Origen is a bit “off the mark,” one might challenge his view by pointing to other Early Church leaders who believed that Jesus was crucified in Adam’s burial field. This number would include the respected Athanasius (296-373 AD), Epiphanias (312-403 AD), and Basil of Caesarea (329-379 AD).
The second view of Golgotha is more logical, but still differs from the majority view:
What do we know about where Jesus was crucified?
Where was Jesus crucified? In this scenario, the place where our Lord was crucified was a common “extermination camp” for rebels and criminals hostile to the Roman occupation. Thus, the area was strewn with the skulls of “convicted criminals” (Wilson, Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher). Once the meat was gone from the skull and skeleton, family members would bury the remains. None other than the pre-eminent Christian scholar and translator of the Bible, Jerome (347-420 AD), and the English historian and monk, the Venerable Bede (673-735 AD), held this position. There is a famous cemetery in London called “Bunhill Fields” (Alfred Light, Bunhill Fields). The word “Bunhill” is a colloquial pronunciation of “Bone Hill”. Nonconformist ministers and others outside the realm of the Church of England were buried there. This second view of Calvary purports that the hill where Christ was crucified was, also, a “Bunhill Fields”.
Now. The third point of view is probably the one you have heard.
Golgotha, the place of the skull, could refer to a geological formation that resembles a skull
This understanding remains the most popular view of the site of Golgotha since at least the 18th century. Some, therefore, have written of Golgotha as a bare hilltop, a rock formation resembling a human skull. However, we must remember that there are no references to this in the Bible. Yes, it was a high place that you could see, but no biblical writer, no Greek, Jewish, or Roman observer calls it Mount Calvary. It seems to be a late Western notion (Wilson, Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher).
Now, all of this might be somewhat disturbing to some who have believed in one or another Golgotha Concept. Furthermore, the controversy underscores the reality: we are really only sure of what the Bible says. And is that enough?
We know all we need to know
The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross between two thieves, one repentant and one not. The Bible also tells us who crucified Christ: a conspiracy of Roman officials and Jewish religious leaders. In other words, Gentiles and Jews alike were represented in the cosmic crime of deicide (“the murder of God by man”). We know that the cross could be seen from far away. We know that there were women there, including the mother of Jesus. We know that the Apostle John was there. We know that many abandoned our Lord Jesus Christ in the hour of his greatest need. But there is much more that we do not know. It is as if the Holy Spirit has placed a permanent veil over the scene. We must remember that the event was so terrible that the earth trembled with revulsion and darkness descended on the terrible scene, as if the Creation itself could not bear the face. But as to the exact place where Jesus Christ was crucified, we cannot be sure. It is quite possible that the Church of the Holy Sepulcher covers the site of Calvary and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea where our Lord rose from the dead.
So there are some things  ;that we know of the scriptures. And there is enough archaeological evidence and ancient literature to corroborate the crucifixion of Christ and to suggest a location. And there’s a lot to We do not know. We remember the warning of Deuteronomy 29:29:
“The secret things belong to Jehovah our God; but what is revealed is for us and for our children forever, so that we fulfill all the words of this law..”
But this we know: Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died for us at a place called Calvary. It was there that the Creator of the world was crucified by those whom he had created. he died for our sins and fulfilled the Covenant of Works (“if you disobey, you will die”). He took the wrath of God upon his sinless soul and fulfilled all the demands of the Law for all who would receive it (The Covenant of Grace). Jesus Christ was crucified on rough-hewn wood from a forest that he made, with nails made of iron that he created. And yet, in that place, Jesus looked…