Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Israel

Archeologists excavate ancient tomb associated with 'midwife of Jesus' in southwest Jerusalem

Jewish burial cave of Salome is under excavation as part of a heritage trail development project

Associated Press
Published
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for December 20 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for December 20

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

An ancient tomb traditionally associated with Jesus’s midwife is being excavated anew by archeologists in the hills southwest of Jerusalem, the antiquities authority said Tuesday.

The intricately decorated Jewish burial cave complex dates to around the first century A.D., but it was later associated by local Christians with Salome, the midwife of Jesus in the Gospels. A Byzantine chapel was built at the site, which was a place of pilgrimage and veneration for centuries thereafter.

The cave was first found and excavated decades ago by an Israeli archaeologist. The cave's large forecourt is now under excavation by archeologists as part of a heritage trail development project in the region.

US ANNOUNCES RETURN OF IRAQI ARTIFACTS LOOTED FROM MUSEUM DURING 2003 INVASION
 

Jerusalem tomb

The Jewish burial cave complex associated with Jesus’ midwife Salome is under excavation in southwest Jerusalem. Archaeologists are exploring the cave’s forecourt. (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Crosses and inscriptions in Greek and Arabic carved in the cave walls during the Byzantine and Islamic periods indicate that the chapel was dedicated to Salome.

Pilgrims would "rent oil lamps, enter into the cave, used to pray, come out in give back the oil lamp," said Ziv Firer, director of the excavation. "We found tens of them, with beautiful decorations of plants and flowers."