John 19:13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. The picture above is of the Pavement, where Pilate "put Jesus on trial." What a joke to think that a mere mortal could put the King of the Universe on trial! At the time that Jesus was there it did not have a ceiling like it does now. It was out in the open. But the paving stones that are there seem to go back to the time of Christ.
We soon began to travel the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) to see where Jesus ended his journey at an "Old Rugged Cross." Hebrews 13:12 Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. That gate was the Damascus Gate. Two roads intersected outside this gate and it was a prime place for the Romans to crucify "criminals." That helped to make the example better known. Also, by having the crucifixion by the road people could read the accusation that was fastened to the cross. The approximate site of Jesus' crucifixion is now a Moslem bus station. The mouth of the "skull" is covered over. A look at an old photo from the early 1900's shows the "skull" more clearly than today. Here is a picture of the Damascus Gate and then a picture of Golgotha. The Damascus Gate picture is focused on the level where it was at the time of Christ. What you see on the right hand side and above is where the gate is today.
Damascus Gate Above right |