Gethsemane
From Free net encyclopedia
Gethsemane (also spelled Gethsemani) was the garden where, according to the New Testament and Christian traditions, Jesus watched and prayed the night before he was crucified. Gethsemane is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, now within the city of Jerusalem. Located by the garden is the Church of All Nations, also known as the Church of the Agony. The ancient church was destroyed by the Sassanids in 614. The church rebuilt on the site by the Crusaders was finally razed, probably in 1219 (CE)..
The Garden of Gethsemane was a focal site for early Christian pilgrims. It was visited in 333 by the anonymous "Pilgrim of Bordeaux", whose Itinerarium Burdigalense is the earliest description left by a Christian traveler in the Holy Land. In his Onomasticon, Eusebius of Caesarea notes the site of Gethsemane "at the foot of the Mount of Olives", and he adds that "the faithful were accustomed to go there to pray". Image:Agony in the Garden.jpg
The name 'Gethsemane' is given in the Greek of the Gospels (Matthew 26:36 and Mark 14:32) as Γεθσημανι (Gethsêmani). This represents the Aramaic 'Gath-Šmânê', meaning 'the oil press' or 'oil vat' (referring to olive oil). It would appear from this that there were a number of olive trees planted around the area at the time. The Gospel of Mark (xiv, 32) calls it chorion, a "a place" or "estate"; The Gospel of John (xviii, 1) speaks of it as kepos, a "garden" or "orchard". The garden today is filled with olive trees that might well be descendants of those from the time of Jesus.
External links
- Mount of Olives - Churches on Mount of Olives. Photos and general information.
- Catholic Encyclopedia on Gethsemane
- Paul’s Knowledge of the Garden of Gethsemane Narrative, by Christopher Pricede:Getsemani
fr:Gethsémani nl:Gethsemane pl:Getsemani sv:Getsemane he:גת שמנים