Israeli archaeologists unearth steps where Jesus reportedly healed a blind man

Archaeologists in Jerusalem have unearthed an ancient site where the Biblical records show that Jesus Christ healed a blind man.

The discovery is significant since the Pool of Siloam was not seen in public for nearly 2,000 years, around the time when Jesus was present.

It came to light during an excavation work carried out in the ancient city by the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority, and the City of David Foundation.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The authorities have announced that Pool of Siloam, a cherished holy site by Christians and Jews, will be open to the public for the first time in the near future.

“The ongoing excavations within the City of David — the historic site of Biblical Jerusalem — particularly of the Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road, serve as one of the greatest affirmations of that heritage and the millennia-old bond Jews and Christians have with Jerusalem," Ze’ev Orenstein, director of International Affairs - City of David Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

"Not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact," he added.

Built around 2,700 years ago

Pool of Siloam was built reportedly around 2,700 years ago in the eighth century BC under the reign of King Hezekiah as part of Jerusalem's water system, according to theBiblical Archaeology Society.

The workers built the 1,750-foot tunnel under the City of David to bring water from the Gihon Spring.

According to estimates, the Pool of Siloam passed through many stages of construction and reached the size of 1.25 acres.

According to a passage in the Gospel of John, Jesus restored the sight of a man born blind at the Pool of Siloam.

Significant site on planet

Orenstein said that the site, which runs from the Pool of Siloam in the south along the Pilgrimage Road and up to the footsteps of the Western Wall, Southern Steps, and Temple Mount, represents the most significant half-mile on the planet.

“There is no half mile that means more to more people that affirms Jerusalem’s biblical heritage not simply as a matter of faith, but as a matter of fact,” he said.

“And obviously living in a time where so much of biblical heritage is being questioned — to be able to be unearthing all of this historical heritage and antiquity that shows that whether for Jews or Christians, that you could see it, you could touch it, you could walk on it, that really our heritage in Jerusalem going back thousands of years, not simply a matter of faith, but a matter of fact, being unearthed here in the city of David,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE