Golgotha
The 'place of the skull' outside Jerusalem where the Gospels set the crucifixion, and where later legend buried Adam.
- Meaning
- 'Place of the skull' (Aramaic); Latin Calvaria
- Named in
- All four Gospels
- Traditional site
- Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem (4th century)
- Alternative site
- Gordon's Calvary, north of the Damascus Gate (19th century)
- Legend
- Burial place of Adam's skull
What is Golgotha known for?
Golgotha, Aramaic for 'place of the skull' and Calvary in Latin, is the place where all four Gospels say Jesus was crucified. They place it outside the city walls, near a road and close to the tomb where he was buried. Since the 4th century, under Constantine, the site has been venerated inside what became the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the 19th century some Protestants proposed an alternative, Gordon's Calvary north of the Damascus Gate. Most scholars favor the Holy Sepulchre site.
The name 'place of the skull' invited explanation. Early Christian writers and the Syriac Cave of Treasures said Adam was buried there: Noah carried Adam's body on the ark, and Shem and Melchizedek laid it at Golgotha, the center of the earth. That is why many crucifixion paintings show a skull at the foot of the cross.
The Gospels describe the crucifixion as an event of history and faith; the Adam burial is a later legend, not part of the Gospel accounts.
In the Cave of Treasures, Adam's body is carried on the ark and buried at Golgotha, where the cross would stand.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeCave of Treasures
- PersonAdam
- PersonMelchizedek
- PersonShem
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Golgotha'Reference
- John 19 (KJV), Bible GatewayPrimary text
- The Book of the Cave of Treasures (tr. E. A. Wallis Budge), sacred-texts.comPrimary text
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