Bethphage

Bethphage (Ancient Greek: Βηθφαγή, romanized: Bēthpagḗ; Imperial Aramaic: בֵּית פַּגִּי, romanized: Bêṯ Paggî, lit. 'house of unripe figs')^[1] or Bethsphage,^[2] is a Christian religious site on the Mount of Olives east of historical Jerusalem, now in the At-Tur neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.

The Synoptic Gospels mention Jesus stopping in Bethphage before his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. There is an annual Catholic Palm Sunday procession into Jerusalem, as there is a Greek Orthodox one (the respective feasts rarely fall on the same day), both beginning in Bethphage.^[3][4]

Franciscan Church of Bethphage

New Testament

Bethphage is mentioned in the New Testament as the place in ancient Israel where Jesus sent his disciples to find a colt upon which he would ride into Jerusalem. The Synoptic Gospels mention it as being close to Bethany, where he was staying immediately prior to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.^[5][6][7]

Unknown villagers living there, the owners of the colt according to Gospel of Luke 19:33, permitted Jesus' disciples to take the colt away for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which would have been four days before Passover.^[3]

Location

Bethphage is located inside at-Tur, a neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the modern village of al-Azariya (ancient Bethany).

Eusebius (Onom 58:13) located it on the Mount of Olives.^[6] It was likely on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho and the limit of a Sabbath-day's journey from Jerusalem,^[8] i.e., 2,000 cubits.^{[citation needed]}

Churches and monasteries

The Franciscan Church of Bethphage was built on the foundations of a 12th-century crusader chapel.^[9][10] It is officially known as the Church of Palms and is part of the Monastery of the Palms.^[11]

The Greek Orthodox Monastery of Palm-bearing Bethphage stands just up the hill from the Catholic church (at 31°46′34″N 35°15′07″E / 31.77611°N 35.25194°E / 31.77611; 35.25194). The Greek Orthodox mark the feast day every year at the site.^[12]

References

1. Strong's G967 Bēthpagē
2. In some manuscripts (Picirilli, Robert E. (2003). The Gospel of Mark. Randall House Publications. p. 303. ISBN 978-0-89265-500-7.), but not in critical editions of the New Testament such as Novum Testamentum Graece, the primary source for most New Testament translations (Nestle Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, Mk 1:11).
3. "Bethphage « See The Holy Land". seetheholyland.net. Archived from the original on 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
4. "Palm Sunday Procession FROM Bethphage to the Lion's Gate". [Greek Orthodox] Patriarchate of Jerusalem. 24 April 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
5. Matt. 21:1, Mark 11:1, Luke 19:29
6. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land by Avraham Negev 2005 ISBN 0-8264-8571-5 page 80
7. The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 by Jerome Murphy-O'Connor 2008 ISBN 0-19-923666-6 page 150
8. Jastrow, Jr., Morris and Levi, Gerson B., "Bethphage", Jewish Encyclopedia
9. "Bethphage". Custodia Terrae Sanctae. 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
10. Mylod, Elizabeth J. (September 2013). Latin Christian Pilgrimage in the Holy Land, 1187-1291 (PDF) (Ph thesis). University of Leeds, Institute for Medieval Studies. p. 197. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
11. "Betfage - Monastery of the Palms". Custodia Terrae Sanctae. 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
12. "Holy Shrines outside Jerusalem: The Holy Monastery of Palm-bearing Bethphage". Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Retrieved 24 February 2025.

External links

31°46′38″N 35°15′03″E / 31.7772°N 35.2508°E / 31.7772; 35.2508