The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeological Discovery that has Redefined Christian History [Hardcover]

Shimon Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2004

The first archaeological evidence of the historical reality of the Gospel story.

From a historical point of view, the uniqueness of this cave is that it contains archaeological evidence that comes to us from the very time of the personalities and events described in the Gospels. For here is the largest ritual bathing pool ever found in the Jerusalem area, and found in the village where John the Baptist was born, showing unmistakable signs of ritual use in the first century AD. Also in the cave is the earliest ever Christian art, depicting John the Baptist as well as the three crosses of the crucifixion.

By using the forensic techniques available to the modern archaeologist, Gibson and his international team have been able to draw information from the drawings, pottery, coins, bones, remains of ritual fire and pieces of cloth found in the cave and match these up with the contemporary literary sources. This is a unique opportunity to build up a picture of the very first Christians, how they lived and even what they believed.

As Gibson writes: “By fitting together the new archaeological facts with the historical information available (and sometimes buried) in scholarly literature, I believe I am able to throw an amazing amount of light on the personality and mission of John the Baptist. Who was he? Where did he come from? What were his beliefs and what was the baptism all about?”

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The subtitle may overstate the case, but this work certainly adds an intriguing piece to the puzzle of biblical archaeology. Gibson, an archaeologist working in Israel, discovered a cave in 1999 that held an image on one of its walls depicting a large figure of a man with a staff or a spear. Further investigation led Gibson to conclude that the subject of the image was John the Baptist and that the cave was used for ritual baptism. Beginning with a you-are-there re-creation of the cave's discovery, he then puts into place the building blocks--such archaeological evidence as coins, pottery, and baptismal elements--that help prove his case. Although the book is quite detailed, it never exceeds the grasp of general readers, who will appreciate the background Gibson supplies on the life of John the Baptist, his relationship to Jesus, and the cult (some would say a cult competitive to Christianity) that grew up around John. Other "stunning" finds in biblical archaeology--the ossuary box thought to hold the remains of Jesus' brother, James, for example--have not held up in the long run. This one, though, seems to be the real deal. Expect plenty of media attention. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Vivid . . . the reader often feels that she or he is accompanying the explorer.” —America


From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1St Edition edition (August 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385503474
• ISBN-13: 978-0385503471
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,579,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting history of early Christianity, July 16, 2005

By 

W. M. Robbins "The Badger" (The Beautiful Blue Ridge) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeological Discovery that has Redefined Christian History (Hardcover)

In the first part of "The Cave of John the Baptist" Shimon Gibson tells the story of an excavation to uncover a very interesting cave located in the hills outside of Jerusalem. While the evidence he uses to prove his claim that John the Baptist used this cave for baptismal purposes after going into the wilderness seems inconclusive, he is able to show that the cave was in use during (and long before, actually) the first century AD. Whether you agree with the conclusions he draws regarding the cave's use or not, as an archaeological study its discussion is well worth the read, as is the accompanying historical analysis.

The second part of the book is a discussion of holy sites and relics of the Holy Land, including those of the Muslim faith, relating to the life and death of John the Baptist. Gibson cites the contemporary writings of many travellers to these ancient sites, ranging from third and fourth century pilgrims to such people as Mark Twain. (Apparently Mark Twain found the trip to be very boring and dusty.) The discussion of extant Holy Relics of John is amusing as well as interesting, as Gibson lists "nineteen heads...and something in the order of fifteen hands or arms..." Gibson relates the story of British archaeologist Peter Dorrell, who on a visit to the Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus mentioned to the caretaker of the shrine of the Head of John the Baptist that other sites also claimed to have the Head of the Baptist; the response was "Ah yes, but ours is the Head of John the Baptist as a young man!"

Whether or not you agree with Gibson's conclusions regarding The Baptist's use of the cave, if you have an interest in archaeology or the history of the Middle East from Roman to Medieval times you will find "The Cave of John the Baptist" to be worth your while.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filling in the historical gaps, September 11, 2004

By 

B. D. Weimer "lex rex" (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeological Discovery that has Redefined Christian History (Hardcover)

Shimon Gibson does a fine job of presenting this very interesting and significant discovery. He takes the reader through the lengthy process of physically and mentally excavating the cave. The mental excavation is the most interesting part.

Gibson draws together threads of information about John the Baptist from a wide range of historical sources, including Jewish and Christian Scriptures, Josephus, Christian tradition and contemporary archaeology.

The result is a surprisingly full picture of a man who tried to leave no personal footprints. He saw himself as a forerunner for another. Yet his radical use of baptism as a sign of repentence, apart from the Temple rituals, left an enduring legacy. He helped Christianity (and possibly Judaism) move away from reliance upon Mosaic ceremonies, and towards a focus on personal morality and faith.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Archaeological Odyssey, December 5, 2005

By 

G. Poirier (Orleans, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cave of John the Baptist: The Stunning Archaeological Discovery that has Redefined Christian History (Hardcover)

There is much information packed in this book. Some of it is much too detailed to hold the interest of a casual reader; some descriptions are so detailed and precise that they could easily be expected in a professional publication. Although the main focus is the excavation of a cave thought to have been used for religious ceremonies millennia ago, much related history is presented. Overall, the reader who is interested in biblical archaeology, early Christianity and the history of the Holy Land will learn much from this book. The writing is clear, but as stated above, a bit too detailed in places. Whether the cave in question was ever used by John the Baptist has not been proven (at least in my opinion), but the methodology used in trying to understand its past is indeed quite intriguing.