On Dec. 26, 2015 I led a small group of tourists to Israel. I had prepared in advance to show them certain cites they might normally see on a tour. At a meeting at my home I specifically mentioned that the Via Dolorosa is incorrect and that I will show them the “real” location of Jesus’ trial. I downloaded from my external hard disk a video from the History Channel that I had recorded approximately 10 years earlier, entitled “In the Footsteps of Jesus.” I reviewed all of it in detail prior to the trip, making notes. I was particularly focused on the segment in which British archaeologist Shimon Gibson identified the precise location which he believed to have been the location of the “Praetorium” — where Pontius Pilate would have held court and where Jesus would have been tried.
On arriving in Israel, I was concerned that I might be unable to find the exact spot for my group, as our time was limited and, while I had in fact been to the spot before (on the basis of the same History Channel video), over 5 years had elapsed since my last trip to Israel.
We had only one day (Jan. 2, 2015) in which to explore the Old City of Jerusalem. On the morning of Dec. 31, 2014, one member of our group began suffering from incapacitating back pain. The tour guide suggested that, as group leader, I stay behind in Tel Aviv with her (helping to get her to the local hospital and ultimately back to the U.S.), while the rest of the group journeyed on (to the Dead Sea). I was unable to rejoin the group and stayed that night in Tel Aviv. The following morning, January 1, 2015, I helped our group member get to the airport, continuing on to Jerusalem myself.
I arrived at our hotel, the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem, but was told that it was too early for me to check in. I checked my backpack and the luggage handlers suggested that I visit the Jewish market for the next several hours.
Instead, I decided to head to the Old City alone, to see if I could find the archaeological site in question. I took the new light rail line from the nearby central bus station to Jaffa Gate (the main entrance to the Old City). The weather was partly cloudy, chilly but not cold, and suitable for such a journey. Arriving at Jaffa Gate, I entered and might have continued straight ahead, exploring various shops and the old Citadel. I decided, however, to proceed directly to my target, the ancient Praetorium. I remembered the general area, but I couldn't remember the precise location. I thought to myself, "I have the documentary loaded in my iPhone, in case I needed to identify the spot; I hope it won't use a lot of battery if I start reviewing it…”
I turned right, immediately exiting the Old City by the main road, and followed the exterior wall, walking straight ahead. The walkway adjacent to the wall soon became a parking lot, and I realized that I needed to walk down the embankment and proceed up a small road, still close to the wall. I stopped to look at a sign indicating the archaeological significance of the wall. I reasoned that the Second Temple staircase depicted on the map was exactly what I was looking for:
After this I veered to the left, taking yet another path hugging the wall:
I followed the path in a shallow ascent, until I reached a high point, and then looked down. I immediately recognized the location from the History Channel video and from my own visit five years earlier:
But I also noticed two men standing exactly at the spot in question. After taking a few more steps I noticed that the man speaking bore a striking resemblance to Shimon Gibson. “It couldn’t be…” I thought to myself. “This is impossible.” As I drew closer I realized that I was in fact looking at the very man I had grown accustomed to seeing on the History Channel, Shimon Gibson. He was conducting a private tour with another Englishman, explaining the site exactly as he had done on the documentary 10 years earlier. I said to him in Hebrew, " Are you Shimon Gibson, the famous archaeologist?"
He replied, "Well, I'm not sure how famous…” I asked him if I could video his remarks, and he said yes.
His explanation was almost identical with what he had shared on the documentary, though he added certain details that were not presented on the documentary (such as the exact location of the steps on which Pilate would have presided, and the barracks from which Jesus would have been brought to stand before the crowd) that were critical to what I wanted to share with my own group. Afterwards, he mentioned that he currently lives and teaches in Jerusalem, and he also mentioned the book he wrote on the subject. I thanked him, and he said goodbye, continuing on his way with the gentleman who had hired him for a private tour. If I had come 10 minutes earlier, Shimon Gibson would not have been there. If I had come 10 minutes later, he would already have been gone.
Following this encounter, I spent the next few hours visiting the old Citadel at Jaffa Gate, and walking through some familiar streets in Jerusalem where I had previously lived. By the time I returned to the hotel, the sky had grown cloudy, with occasional rain showers. It has also grown colder, and I thought to myself that if such conditions had prevailed earlier in the day, I would never have walked along the old wall when I did, and Shimon Gibson might not have done so either. Bottom line: any number of variables would have produced a very different result. The chance that I would have met the very archaeologist I had seen 10 years before on video, standing in the exact same place and delivering the exact same lecture, seems beyond coincidental.
The video of the encounter is posted on youtube:
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