The Pool of Siloam resurfaces

By Tony W. Cartledge

BR Editor

There's lots of buzz among biblical archaeologists these days, as the famous Pool of Siloam has been discovered - and partially uncovered - in Jerusalem.

An article in the Sept.-Oct. issue of Biblical Archaeology Review describes how construction workers repairing a sewer came across two buried stone steps, which an archaeologist on site happened to see.

An emergency excavation was commenced, leading to the uncovering of one side and two corners of a beautifully constructed pool at least 255 feet wide at one point. Five sets of three stairs, with a narrow landing between each, provided access to the pool, which appears to be trapezoidal in shape and is far more impressive than the small Byzantine pool sometimes shown to tourists and erroneously identified as the Pool of Siloam.

The discovery of the large and beautifully crafted pool, along with new indications of a monumental building from David's time just up the hill, have folks who love both the Bible and archaeology all astir.

The Pool of Siloam figured into Jesus' healing of a blind man in John 9:1-11, and thoughts of seeing the very place where Jesus may have refreshed himself or sat and taught is inspiring.

Uncovering the pool hasn't been easy, however. Some parts were buried beneath ten feet of dried mud. And, since Jerusalem is a living city, parts of the pool, like other ancient remains, are buried beneath homes that are in themselves hundreds of years old.

The full extent of the pool may never see the light of day, but its reappearance is a warming reminder of lessons learned from the One we call both the Light of the World and the Water of Life.