Luke says that Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth in “a city of Judah” in “the hill country.” Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist, and the Gospel famously records that when Mary greeted Elizabeth, the “babe leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41).
There are several traditional sites of John the Baptist’s hometown. From the Gospel accounts, we know it should be in the region of Judea, the center of which was Jerusalem. We also know it was in the “hill country” which is associated with the hilly region of Judea between the coastal plain and the wilderness. Thus, the birthplace of John the Baptist should be somewhere near Jerusalem, probably west of it, in the hills around the city.1 A fairly late (seventh century) tradition places Elizabeth’s house at the foot of the Mt. of Olives. Another places it along the top of the ridge of the Mt. of Olives.
Theodosius stated that it was five miles from Jerusalem to the house of Elizabeth. Ain Karim (“Spring of the Vineyard”) is probably the best candidate for John the Baptist’s birthplace, since it is almost exactly five miles from Jerusalem, unlike other traditional sites. Excavations near the historic church of Saint John the Baptist uncovered burial chambers, wine presses, and chapels with mosaic floors. Excavators also found coins and pottery from the Herodian period, proving the village was inhabited during the New Testament period. Ain Karim has the oldest tradition as the birthplace of John the Baptist, going back at least as far as the fourth century. Several churches and chapels were constructed on the foundations of Byzantine-era buildings.
Jack Finegan, The Archaeology of the New Testament: The Life of Jesus and the Beginning of the Early Church, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1992). ↩︎
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.”
3Jesus answered him, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”
4Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5Jesus answered, “Most certainly I tell you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he can’t enter into God’s Kingdom.6That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Don’t marvel that I said to you, ‘You must all be born anew.’ 8The windblows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9Nicodemus answered him, “How can these things be?”
10Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and don’t understand these things? 11Most certainly I tell you, we speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and you don’t receive our witness. 12If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. 14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only bornSon, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. 19This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. 20For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. 21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God.”
22After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized. 23John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came and were baptized; 24for John was not yet thrown into prison. 25Therefore a dispute arose on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification. 26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”
27John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’ 29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore my joy is made full. 30He must increase, but I must decrease.
31“He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. 33He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. 34For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. 35The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. 36One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”