The Garden of Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives, above the Kidron Valley, is traditionally associated with Jesus' prayer on the night before his crucifixion.
The small, only 1200 square metres, garden adjoins the Basilica of Borene (Church of All Nations). Behind a high stone wall grow ancient olive trees: powerful, knotty, majestic. Tour guides like to tell us that it was near them that Christ prayed the night before his arrest and crucifixion.
There are indeed eight very old trees in the garden. Three of them were examined by radiocarbon analysis - it turned out that they are about nine hundred years old. However, DNA analysis showed that they all came from the same parent tree, possibly one that grew here at the time of Jesus Christ. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., they cut down all the trees here. But olive trees are unusually resistant plants: if a root remains in the soil, sooner or later it gives a new shoot. The roots of the present trees are known to be much older than the first analysis showed.
Nevertheless, it is difficult to claim that the Passion of Christ began here. The Gospels mention only the locality of Gethsemane. This was the name given to the entire valley at the foot of the Mount of Olives. In reality Jesus' struggles could take place somewhere near the modern Gethsemane Garden - for example, at the Grotto of Gethsemane, which is a hundred metres to the north, near the cave church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Or on the territory of the Basilica of Borene - here in front of the altar is the top of the rock on which, according to legend, Christ prayed.
Be that as it may, the olive trees of the present Garden of Gethsemane are the direct heirs of those that saw Jesus and his disciples. Christ and the apostles came here after the Last Supper. At it the disciples learned what would happen in the coming hours: the betrayal of one of them, the denial of another, the end of the Saviour's earthly life. Even thinking about it, the tired apostles fell asleep. The human nature of Jesus trembled in anticipation of the agony of the cross. When He moved away from the sleeping people "to a stone's throw", He prayed passionately, asking His heavenly Father: "Father, if You would be pleased to carry this cup past Me, yet not My will, but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42). This was the Prayer of the Cup, which inspired artists and poets for the next two millennia.
Strengthened by prayer, Jesus woke the disciples and met the kiss of Judas, by which Christ was identified. Arrest, interrogation by the Sanhedrin, Pilate's sentence, the journey to Golgotha, and execution followed.
The garden of Gethsemane today is well-kept and pleasant to the eye. The neat paths are strewn with small stones. Excursionists take pictures of the famous trees. Not paying attention to the guests, the workers harvest the crops: the olive trees here are still full of life.
On a side note
- Location: Old City, Jerusalem
- Opening hours: daily 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2 p.m.-6 p.m..
- Tickets: free admission.
