Public View: Biblical Site where Jesus Healed Blind Man Excavated

JERUSALEM — The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation announced days before the new year that the Pool of Siloam, a biblical site cherished by Christians and Jews, will be open to the public for the first time in 2,000 years in the near future.

“The Pool of Siloam’s excavation is highly significant to Christians around the world,” American Pastor John Hagee was the founder and chairman Christians United for IsraelFox News Digital was informed by. “It was at this site that Jesus healed the blind man (John:9), and it is at this site that, 2,000 years ago, Jewish pilgrims cleansed themselves prior to entering the Second Temple. 

“The Bible’s greatest archeological affirmations include the Pool of Siloam, and the Pilgrimage Street, both within the City of David. 

“Christians are deeply blessed by the City of David’s work and Israel’s enduring commitment to ensuring religious freedom to all who visit and live in the Holy Land, especially Jerusalem — the undivided capital of Israel.”

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Rendering of Pool of Siloam, Second Temple Period
(Shalom Veller, City of David Archives

Fox News Digital interviewed Ze’ev Orenstein (director of international affairs at the City of David Foundation in Jerusalem), “One of most significant sites affirming Jerusalem’s Biblical heritage — not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact — with significance to billions around the world, will be made fully accessible for the first time in 2,000 years.”

The Pool of Siloam can be found in the south portion of the City of David, and is located within the Jerusalem Walls National Park.

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One small portion of the pool has been open to the public since several years. The majority of the pool is currently being excavated. Once the whole site has been unearthed, it will be open to the public either in pieces or all at once. The archeological project The excavation of the entire pool will take several years. The pool will have a visitor area that allows them to see the progress of excavation.

“Despite ongoing efforts at the United Nations and Palestinian leadership to erase Jerusalem’s heritage, in a few years time, the millions of people visiting the City of David annually will literally be able to walk in the footsteps of the Bible, connecting with the roots of their heritage and identity,” Orenstein noted. 

The Siloam Inscription, dating back to the eighth-century B.C. Hezekiah’s Tunnel contains an early Hebrew script that describes the drama of digging the tunnel. 
(Zeev Radovan City of David archives

The pool was first built roughly 2,700 years ago as part of Jerusalem’s water system in the eighth century B.C. The construction unfolded during the reign of King Hezekia  as cited in the Bible in the Book of Kings II, 20:20, according to the two Israeli agencies and the City of David Foundation. 

According to estimates, the Pool of Siloam passed through many stages of construction and reached the size of 1¼ acres.

“When I think about this news, I think back to another phrase in the Hebrew Bible. ‘My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you,'” Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital. 

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“This news means that one of the most important archeological discoveries in history can soon be seen by visitors from all over the world. It will affirm all they believe. Having faith is part of worshipping God, but faith alone isn’You do not have to believe. Historical facts support the truthfulness of Scripture.”

Moore, who sits on The Combat Antisemitism Movement’s advisory board, also added. “In the Pool of Siloam, we find evidence of history preserved for us, revealed at just the right time. This is a truly historic event. Theologically, it affirms Scripture, geographically it affirms history and politically it affirms Israel’s unquestionable and unrivaled link to Jerusalem. Some discoveries are theoretical. This one is an undeniable. It is proof of the story of the Bible and of its people, Israel.”

The northern perimeter of the Pool of Siloam
(Koby Harati City of David Archives).

A stroke of luck revealed the pool in 2004 when infrastructure work carried out by the Hagihon water company uncovered some of the pool’s steps. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), under supervision of professors Roni Reich and Eli Shukron, launched a survey. The northern perimeter of the Pool of Siloam was discovered, along with a small part of its eastern perimeter.

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“The perimeter of the pool was built as a series of steps, allowing the bathers to sit and immerse themselves in the waters of the pool,” According to IAA.

Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion was said to have, “The Pool of Siloam in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem is a site of historic, national and international significance. After many years of anticipation, we will soon merit being able to uncover this important site and make it accessible to the millions of visitors visiting Jerusalem each year.”