God, Science and the Bible: Archaeologists discover biblical Pool of Siloam
In a surprising discovery, Israeli archaeologists, checking a site before the Jerusalem municipality started installing a sewage pipe, stumbled upon what appears to be the remains of the biblical Pool of Siloam, connected to Jesus Christ's miraculous healing of a man blind from birth.
In a surprising discovery, Israeli archaeologists, checking a site before the Jerusalem municipality started installing a sewage pipe, stumbled upon what appears to be the remains of the biblical Pool of Siloam, connected to Jesus Christ's miraculous healing of a man blind from birth.
The incident, recorded by the apostle John, tells of Jesus anointing the eyes of the blind man with clay and then saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (John 9:7).
On Dec. 23, 2004, archaeologists Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich announced the find to be quite certain. "The moment that we revealed and discovered this four months ago, we were 100 percent sure it was the Siloam Pool," said Shukron. "We know today that the Siloam Pool is connected to the Temple Mount. There is a road that connects the two elements. The entire system is clearer today" ("Archaeologists find traces of 'Miracle' Pool," Associated Press, Dec. 23, 2004)
In fact, they found that water still flowed from a channel to this large 50-meter pool, of which 10 meters have already been excavated.
Why are the excavators so sure about the find? For one, historical records indicate the pool's approximate location, and this site fits that. They also discovered pottery pieces, a stone bottle cork and biblical-era coins cemented to the pool's structure, the earliest of which date to around 50 B.C.
Until now, another pool from the Byzantine era was thought to be the Siloam pool. The Gihon Spring was the source that filled both pools. "We have yet to discover how the water reached the [newly discovered] pool," says Shukrun. "We have the Hezekiah tunnel, we have the pool. When we have made further excavations we will have answers" (ibid.).
Although more research is needed to fully authenticate the find, it certainly appears another precise biblical location will be confirmed by archaeology.
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: March - April 2005
Table of Contents
Tom Robinson
Tom is an elder in the United Church of God who works from his home near St. Louis, Missouri as managing editor and senior writer for Beyond Today magazine, church study guides and the UCG Bible Commentary. He is a visiting instructor at Ambassador Bible College. And he serves as chairman of the church's Prophecy Advisory Committee and a member of the Fundamental Beliefs Amendment Committee.
Tom began attending God's Church at the age of 16 in 1985 and was baptized a year later. He attended Ambassador College in both Texas and California and served for a year as a history teacher at the college's overseas project in Sri Lanka. He graduated from the Texas campus in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology along with minors in English and mass communications. Since 1994, he has been employed as an editor and writer for church publications and has served in local congregations through regular preaching of sermons.
Tom was ordained to the ministry in 2012 and attends the Columbia-Fulton, Missouri congregation with his wife Donna and their two teen children.
Mario Seiglie
Mr. Seiglie was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States when he was a child. He found out about the Church when he was 17 from a Church member in high school. He went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, and in Pasadena, California, graduating with degrees in theology and Spanish. He serves as the pastor of the Garden Grove, CA UCG congregation and serves in the Spanish speaking areas of South America. He also writes for the Beyond Today magazine and currently serves on the UCG Council of Elders. He and his wife, Caty, have four grown daughters, and grandchildren.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
