Information about Bethphage itself will be provided after this announcement.
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Bethphage, “house of the unripe figs” in Aramaic, is mentioned in the synoptic Gospels as the site where Jesus, before entering Jerusalem, sends his disciples to look for a donkey and a colt upon which he enters the capital city (Mat. 21:1-15).
History of Bethphage
The site of Bethphage is identified on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, east of the old city of Jerusalem. The place is mentioned by pilgrims of the Byzantine period, and sources of the Crusader period describe a church at the site which was built around a big stone identified and sanctified as the rock which Jesus used to step on and sit on the donkey’s back.
During Crusader times a tradition developed of marching in a procession from Bethphage into Jerusalem with palm trees. People whose family name is “Palmer” are believed to be descendants of pilgrims who participated in this ceremony. In 1933 the Franciscans renewed the procession of “Palm Sunday”, and it is held to this day every year before Easter.
In 1954 a new church was also modeled at the site. The Greek-Orthodox also constructed a church nearby, elegant in design and proportions.
Visiting the Churches of Bethphage
Sadly, both churches are near the security fence which was constructed in 2003 to protect Jerusalem from Palestinian terrorist attacks. Perhaps the proximity to the security fence is the main reason only few pilgrim groups visit the site. A proper Christian pilgrimage visit to Jerusalem, intending to walk in the footstep of Jesus, should really start at that spot.
Bethphage (Jewish Palestinian Aramaic בית פגי Bēth Paggē “House of unripe figs”) or Bethsphage is a Christian religious site in Israel.
Bethphage is mentioned in the New Testament as the place in ancient Israel from which 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. Bethphage is about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) from the modern village of al-Eizariya.
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. There is an annual Palm Sunday walk into Jerusalem which begins here
The Church of Bethphage, also spelled Beitphage, meaning “house of the early figs”, is a Franciscan church located on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. It contains a stone traditionally identified as the one which Jesus used to mount the donkey at the start of his procession into Jerusalem
The modern church, built in 1883, rests on the foundations of a 12th-century crusader chapel which was located in the ancient village of Bethphage, which is now a part of Jerusalem, but two thousand years ago would have been a separate village between Bethany and Jerusalem. The crusader era chapel itself was built on the foundations of a 4th-century Byzantine shrine commemorating the meeting between Lazarus’ sister Martha and Jesus, after Lazarus had died. In 1867, during construction of a Franciscan monastery on the grounds, a stone, cube shaped and covered in plaster, was discovered. This stone, now called the Stele of Bethphage, was an integral part of the 12th century crusader chapel and now lies near the northern wall of the church. The Crusaders had decorated the stone and inscribed upon it in Latin, descriptions of biblical events which occurred in the area of Jerusalem and Bethphage. In 1950 the decorations on the stone were restored and five years later, in 1955 frescos were drawn on the walls and ceiling of the sanctuary. Today, as in the 12th century, pilgrims hold a Palm Sunday procession which begins at the Bethphage Church.