La piscina de Bethesda en Jerusalén, lugar de sanación.
ISSN: 0214-7165
Year of publication: 2015
Issue Title: Civitas y cives en San Agustín. La construcción de la Iglesia como Estado : fundamentos de orden constitucional
Issue: 31-32
Pages: 223-234
Type: Article
More publications in: Antigüedad y cristianismo: revista de estudios sobre antigüedad tardía
Abstract
The archaeological site of Bethesda (Jerusalem) is nowadays included in St. Anne’s religious complex (XIIIth century). In Antiquity it was a notorious area related with healing waters. In New Testament Times it already existed a thermal religious complex with healing functions, comprising some underground baths. When Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina, those constructions were reused as a sanctuary sacred to Asclepius and Serapis. In IV- Vth century a new Byzantine church of St. Mary of the Probatic is built over these constructions to commemorate the Jesus miraculous healing of a paralytic man (Jn V, 1-9). In XIth century a little monastery was erected. The archaeological excavations brought to light fi ve levels of occupation presenting ponds, tanks and pools, with presence of numerous votive off erings. All those elements reveal the sacred use of this place between IInd century BC to IVth century AD