The manuscript shown here (dating from about 600 C.E.) contains a translation of the Gospel of John into the Sahidic dialect of the Coptic language. Coptic was spoken in Egypt in the centuries immediately following Jesus’ earthly ministry. Along with Syriac and Latin, Coptic was one of the first languages into which the Christian Greek Scriptures were translated. Translations into Coptic were available by the third century C.E., so they can give us insight into how the Greek text was understood at that time. This may be of special interest when it comes to the much debated second part of Joh 1:1, which in many translations reads: “And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Unlike Koine Greek, Syriac, and Latin, the Sahidic Coptic dialect does have an indefinite article (in some ways corresponding to “a” and “an” in English). As shown here, the two occurrences of the Coptic word for “God” (highlighted) look slightly different—the first one (1) with the definite article (circled in red) and the second one (2) with the indefinite article (circled in red). Thus, when rendered literally into English, the translation would read: “And the Word was with the God, and the Word was a god.”—See study note on Joh 1:1 for more information regarding the rendering “and the Word was a god.”

1. “the” (circled in red) God

2. “a” (circled in red) god

Shown here is the first page of an early Bible manuscript called Papyrus Bodmer 2 (P⁶⁶), which was copied and bound as a codex about 200 C.E. This manuscript contains a large part of the Greek text of the Good News (or, Gospel) According to John. The first page of this manuscript begins with the title (highlighted) Eu·ag·geʹli·on Ka·taʹ I·o·anʹnen (“Good News According to John”). Titles were evidently not part of the original text but were added later by copyists. The use of such titles along with the name of the writer may have come about for practical reasons, providing a clear means of identification of the books.

Where possible, events have been listed in chronological order

Each Gospel map traces a different series of events

1. Near Bethany across the Jordan, John calls Jesus “the Lamb of God” (Joh 1:29)

2. In Cana of Galilee, Jesus performs his first miracle (Joh 2:3, 7-9, 11)

3. Jesus cleanses the temple for the first time (Joh 2:13-15)

4. Jesus goes to the Judean countryside; his disciples baptize; John baptizes in Aenon (Joh 3:22, 23)

5. At Jacob’s well at Sychar, Jesus talks to a Samaritan woman (Joh 4:4-7, 14, 19, 20)

6. Jesus heals an official’s son from a distance, his second sign in Cana of Galilee (Joh 4:46, 47, 50-​54)

7. Jesus heals a sick man at the pool of Bethzatha in Jerusalem (Joh 5:2-5, 8, 9)

8. Northeast side of the Sea of Galilee; after Jesus miraculously fed about 5,000 men, people try to make him king (Mt 14:19-21; Joh 6:10, 14, 15)

9. In a synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus says that he is “the bread of life”; many are stumbled at his words (Joh 6:48, 54, 59, 66)

10. At the pool of Siloam, Jesus heals a man born blind (Joh 9:1-3, 6, 7)

11. In Solomon’s Colonnade in the temple, the Jews try to stone Jesus (Joh 10:22, 23, 31)

12. When the Jews try to seize Jesus, he goes to where John was baptizing at first; many across the Jordan put faith in Jesus (Joh 10:39-42)

13. Jesus resurrects Lazarus in Bethany (Joh 11:38, 39, 43, 44)

14. When Jews in Jerusalem conspire to kill Jesus, he departs for Ephraim, a city in the region near the wilderness (Joh 11:53, 54)

15. On the road from Bethphage, Jesus rides a donkey and enters Jerusalem triumphantly (Mt 21:1, 7-10; Mr 11:1, 7-11; Lu 19:29, 30, 35, 37, 38; Joh 12:12-15)

16. Jesus crosses the Kidron Valley and goes to Gethsemane with his disciples (Mt 26:30; Mr 14:26; Lu 22:39; Joh 18:1)

17. In the garden of Gethsemane, Judas betrays Jesus and Jesus is arrested (Mt 26:47-50; Mr 14:43-46; Lu 22:47, 48, 54; Joh 18:2, 3, 12)

18. Jesus is scourged and mocked in the governor’s palace (Mt 27:26-29; Mr 15:15-20; Joh 19:1-3)

19. Jesus is nailed to a stake at Golgotha (Mt 27:33-36; Mr 15:22-25; Lu 23:33; Joh 19:17, 18)

20. The resurrected Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene in the garden near the tomb (Mt 28:1, 5, 6, 8, 9; Joh 20:11, 12, 15-17)

21. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus appears to his disciples; Peter affirms his affection for Jesus (Joh 21:12-15)

The view shown here is from a cliff near Nazareth, looking south. The fertile Valley of Jezreel, prominent in various Bible accounts, is here shown extending eastward and westward. (Jos 17:16; Jg 6:33; Ho 1:5) To the left in the distance, the most prominent feature is the hill of Moreh, with the city of Nain on its slope. It was in Nain that Jesus resurrected a widow’s son. (Jg 7:1; Lu 7:11-15) In the middle of the horizon, Mount Gilboa is visible. (1Sa 31:1, 8) Jesus grew up in nearby Nazareth and may have come to this spot that overlooks a number of important locations in Israel’s history.​—Lu 2:39, 40.

Shown here are stone jars from first-century Jerusalem. Although jars were usually earthenware (Isa 30:14; La 4:2), in connection with the wedding at Cana, the Bible mentions jars made of stone. (Joh 2:6) Quite a few stone vessels have been found in Jerusalem. It has been suggested that stone vessels were commonly used because they were not considered susceptible to ceremonial defilement in contrast with vessels made of other materials, such as clay. (Le 11:33) This may explain why the apostle John mentions the connection between the stone vessels used to store the water and “the purification rules of the Jews.”

In ancient times, seals had various purposes. For example, they were used to show authenticity or agreement. (See Glossary, “Seal.”) People in Greco-Roman times recorded legal or business transactions on wooden tablets covered with wax. The valuable information in these documents needed to be authenticated by witnesses. A witness had his personal seal, a distinctive mark that was engraved, often on a ring. He pressed it into a lump of hot wax covering a string that tied the document together. When the wax cooled, it would seal the document shut, and the document would remain shut until it was publicly opened. In this way, the witnesses attested to, or acknowledged, the truthfulness of the content, and the document was protected from being tampered with. For this reason, the expression “to seal; to put a seal on” came to be used in the sense of certifying, confirming, or authenticating that something was true. The apostle John wrote that whoever accepts Jesus’ witness has put a seal to, or has confirmed, that God is true, or truthful.​—See study note on Joh 3:33.

This video shows Mount Gerizim (1) near the traditional location of Jacob’s well (2), where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (Joh 4:​6, 7), and Mount Ebal (3). Mount Gerizim is situated in the heart of the district of Samaria. Its summit rises over 850 m (2,800 ft) above the Mediterranean Sea. The present-day city of Nablus is situated between the mountains in the fertile valley of Shechem. A Samaritan temple was constructed on Mount Gerizim, perhaps in the fourth century B.C.E., but it was destroyed in 128 B.C.E. It was evidently with reference to Mount Gerizim that the Samaritan woman told Jesus Christ: “Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.” To show her that true worship was not to be dependent on a physical location, Jesus replied: “The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.”—Joh 4:20, 21.

In Bible times, reapers sometimes simply pulled the stalks of grain from the ground. Typically, however, they would harvest the grain by cutting the stalks with a sickle. (De 16:9; Mr 4:29) Harvesting was usually a communal work, with groups of reapers collecting ripe grain from a field. (Ru 2:3; 2Ki 4:18) A number of Bible writers, such as King Solomon, the prophet Hosea, and the apostle Paul, used the work of reaping to illustrate important truths. (Pr 22:8; Ho 8:7; Ga 6:7-9) Jesus also used this familiar occupation to illustrate the role that the angels and his disciples would play in the disciple-making work.—Mt 13:24-30, 39; Joh 4:35-38.

Only the Gospel of John mentions a pool called Bethzatha, located “in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate.” (Joh 5:2) This gate is likely the Sheep Gate that was mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. That gate was located in the NE corner of the city. (Ne 3:1, 32; 12:39) Or “the Sheep Gate” mentioned by John may have been built at a later date than the one mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. North of the temple mount, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a large pool that seems to match the description given by John. Excavations reveal a pool consisting of two basins and embracing an overall area of about 46 by 92 m (150 by 300 ft). The Gospel account says that the pool had “five colonnades” and could accommodate “a multitude” of sick and disabled people. (Joh 5:2, 3) The wall separating the northern and southern basins likely included one of these five colonnades, and the other four likely lined the outer perimeter of the pool area.

1. Bethzatha

2. Temple Mount

In the Bible, a number of different words are used to describe various types of baskets. For example, the Greek word identifying the 12 vessels used to gather leftovers after Jesus miraculously fed about 5,000 men indicates that they may have been relatively small wicker handbaskets. However, a different Greek word is used to describe the seven baskets that contained the leftovers after Jesus fed about 4,000 men. (Mr 8:​8, 9) This word denotes a large basket or hamper, and the same Greek word is used to describe the kind of basket in which Paul was lowered to the ground through an opening in the wall of Damascus.​—Ac 9:​25.

The location of the pool of Siloam was traditionally identified with a small pool in Jerusalem called Birket Silwan. However, in 2004 the remains of a much larger pool were discovered less than 100 m (330 ft) southeast of the site of the smaller pool. Coins found during the excavation date back to the Jewish revolt against Rome (between 66 and 70 C.E.), giving evidence that the pool was in use until Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. This larger pool is now generally recognized as the pool of Siloam referred to at Joh 9:7. As seen in the photograph, a series of steps and landings led to the bottom of the pool (now filled with dirt and vegetation), which made it possible for people to wade into the pool even when the water level varied.

1. Pool of Siloam

2. Temple Mount

A sheepfold was an enclosure designed to protect sheep from thieves and predatory animals. Shepherds kept their flocks in the safety of a sheepfold during the night. In Bible times, sheepfolds were roofless structures of different shapes and sizes, often with stone walls and only one opening. (Nu 32:16; 1Sa 24:3; Zep 2:6) John speaks of entering a sheepfold “through the door,” which was guarded by a “doorkeeper.” (Joh 10:1, 3) In a community sheepfold, more than one flock might spend the night, and the doorkeeper would keep watch to protect the sheep. In the morning, the doorkeeper would open the door for the shepherds. Each shepherd would collect his flock by calling out to the sheep, and his sheep would recognize the voice of their shepherd and respond. (Joh 10:3-5) Jesus referred to this practice to illustrate the way he cared for his disciples.—Joh 10:7-14.

The wolves (Canis lupus) of Israel are primarily nighttime predators. (Hab 1:8) Wolves are fierce, voracious, bold, and greedy, frequently killing more sheep than they can eat or drag away. In the Bible, animals and their characteristics and habits are often applied in a figurative sense, picturing both desirable and undesirable traits. For example, in Jacob’s deathbed prophecy, the tribe of Benjamin is described figuratively as a fighter like a wolf. (Ge 49:27) But in most occurrences, the wolf is used to picture such undesirable qualities as ferocity, greed, viciousness, and craftiness. Those compared to wolves include false prophets (Mt 7:15), vicious opposers of the Christian ministry (Mt 10:16; Lu 10:3), and false teachers who would endanger the Christian congregation from within (Ac 20:29, 30). Shepherds were well-aware of the danger posed by wolves. Jesus spoke of “the hired man” who “sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and flees.” Unlike the hired man, who “does not care for the sheep,” Jesus is “the fine shepherd,” who surrendered “his life in behalf of the sheep.”—Joh 10:11-13.

This 3-D animation shows one possibility of what Solomon’s Colonnade may have looked like. Located on the east side of the outer courtyard of the first-century temple in Jerusalem, Solomon’s Colonnade was a spacious, covered passageway. The Bible mentions this location three times by name. John states that on one occasion when Jesus walked through this colonnade, a group of Jews surrounded him, demanding that he tell them if he was the Christ. (Joh 10:22-24) Later, an amazed crowd gathered at Solomon’s Colonnade to hear Peter explain how he had cured a man who was crippled from birth. (Ac 3:1-7, 11) And early Christians met publicly in Solomon’s Colonnade.—Ac 5:12, 13; see Glossary, “Solomon’s Colonnade.”

Jesus commands the dead man: “Lazarus, come out!” (Joh 11:43) Instantly, Lazarus becomes conscious. Although restrained by cloth wrappings, he stands up and walks. His astonished sisters, Martha and Mary, can hardly believe their eyes, but it’s true! Because of this miracle, many onlookers begin to exercise faith in Jesus. While this account gives us a portrait of Jesus’ unselfish love, it also provides a preview of Jesus’ miracles to be performed on a much larger scale in the new world. (Joh 5:28) The account of Lazarus’ resurrection appears only in John’s Gospel.

Seventy-one members constituted the Jewish high court called the Great Sanhedrin. It was located in Jerusalem. (See Glossary, “Sanhedrin.”) According to the Mishnah, the seating was arranged in a semicircle three rows deep, and two scribes were present to record the court’s rulings. Some of the architectural features shown here are based on a structure discovered in Jerusalem that is considered by some to be the Council Chamber from the first century.​—See Appendix B12, map “Jerusalem and Surrounding Area.”

1. High priest

2. Members of the Sanhedrin

3. A defendant

4. Clerks

In Bible times, the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) was abundant in Israel and surrounding areas. Palms were said to flourish on the coast of the Sea of Galilee as well as along the lower reaches of the hot Jordan Valley. They were particularly abundant around Jericho, called “the city of the palm trees.” (De 34:3; Jg 1:16; 3:13; 2Ch 28:15) A date palm may reach a height of 30 m (100 ft). Its branches, or fronds, can grow to be from 3 to 5 m (10 to 16 ft) in length. The Jews gathered palm fronds during the joyful Festival of Booths. (Le 23:39-43; Ne 8:14, 15) The use of palm branches by the crowd who hailed Jesus as “the King of Israel” evidently served to symbolize their praise as well as their submission to his royal position. (Joh 12:12, 13) The “great crowd” of Re 7:9, 10 are likewise pictured with “palm branches in their hands,” ascribing salvation to God and to the Lamb.

The donkey is a hard-hoofed animal of the horse family, distinguished from the horse by its smaller size, shorter mane, longer ears, and shorter tail-hair, with only the end half of the tail having a brush. Although the donkey’s stupidity and stubbornness are proverbial, its intelligence is actually considered to be superior to that of the horse, and it is usually a patient creature. Both men and women, even prominent Israelites, rode donkeys. (Jos 15:18; Jg 5:10; 10:3, 4; 12:14; 1Sa 25:42) Solomon, the son of David, rode to his anointing on his father’s she-mule, a hybrid offspring of a male donkey. (1Ki 1:33-40) It was therefore most appropriate that Jesus, the one greater than Solomon, fulfill the prophecy of Zec 9:9 by riding, not on a horse, but on a young donkey.

The grapevine (Vitis vinifera) had been cultivated for thousands of years and was commonly seen throughout the area where Jesus lived. If wood was available, the workers made stakes or a trellis to support the vines. During the winter, cultivators pruned the preceding year’s growth from the vines. After shoots grew in the spring, workers pruned any new shoots lacking fruit. (Joh 15:2) This helped the vine produce more fruit of better quality. Jesus likened his Father to a cultivator, himself to a vine, and his disciples to branches. Just as branches on a literal vine receive their support and nourishment from the trunk, Jesus’ disciples receive spiritual support and nourishment if they remain in union with him, “the true vine.”​—Joh 15:1, 5.

The Kidron Valley (Nahal Qidron) separates Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and generally runs from N to S along the eastern side of the city. The valley starts some distance to the N of Jerusalem’s walls. At first, it is broad and shallow, but then it begins to narrow and deepen. Opposite the southern end of the former temple area, it is approximately 30 m (100 ft) deep and 120 m (390 ft) wide, though it was evidently deeper in Jesus’ day. The valley continues running through the Judean wilderness to the Dead Sea. It was this valley that Jesus traversed on his way to the garden of Gethsemane after he instituted the Lord’s Evening Meal on Nisan 14, 33 C.E.—Joh 18:1.

1. Kidron Valley

2. Temple Mount

3. Mount of Olives (portion shown is covered in tombs)

Shown here are the front and back of the Papyrus Rylands 457 (P⁵²) fragment, a very early copy of a portion of John’s Gospel. Housed at the John Rylands University Library in Manchester, England, it was acquired in Egypt in 1920. It preserves a portion of Joh 18:31-33 on one side and a portion of Joh 18:37, 38 on the other. The presence of writing on both sides of the papyrus is clear evidence that it was part of a codex. The fragment measures 9 by 6 cm (3.5 by 2.4 in.). Many scholars consider it to be the oldest extant Greek manuscript of the Christian Greek Scriptures, dating it to sometime in the first half of the second century C.E. The Gospel of John was written about 98 C.E., so this copy was likely made just a few decades later. The text of this fragment agrees very closely with later more complete Greek manuscripts that form the basis for modern translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures.

This is a photograph of a replica of a human heel bone pierced by an iron nail that was 11.5 cm (4.5 in.) long. The original artifact was found in 1968, during excavations in northern Jerusalem, and dates to Roman times. It provides archaeological evidence that nails were used in executions to fasten the person to a wooden stake. This nail may be similar to the nails employed by the Roman soldiers to fasten Jesus Christ to the stake. The artifact was found in a stone box, called an ossuary, into which the dried bones of a deceased person were placed after the flesh had decomposed. This indicates that someone executed on a stake could be given a burial.

The Hebrew and Greek terms translated “hyssop” in many Bible translations (Hebrew ʼe·zohvʹ and Greek hysʹso·pos) may embrace several different kinds of plants. Shown here is marjoram (Origanum maru; Origanum syriacum), the plant that many scholars think is referred to by the Hebrew term. This plant of the mint family is common in the Middle East. Under favorable conditions, it attains a height of 0.5 to 0.9 m (1.5 to 3 ft). In the Bible, this hyssop is often associated with cleanness. (Ex 12:21, 22; Le 14:2-7; Nu 19:6, 9, 18; Ps 51:7) In the Christian Greek Scriptures, “hyssop” is mentioned only twice. Heb 9:19 describes the inauguration of the old covenant, and in that context, “hyssop” evidently refers to the plant mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures. At Joh 19:29, Jesus is said to have been given a sponge full of sour wine “on a hyssop stalk” held up to his mouth. Scholars have different opinions about which plant the Greek word hysʹso·pos refers to in this context. Some think that because marjoram might not have been long enough to carry the sponge to Jesus’ mouth, the term here refers to another plant with a longer stalk, perhaps durra, a variety of common sorghum (Sorghum vulgare). Others think that even in this case, hyssop may have been marjoram. They suggest that a bunch of marjoram may have been attached to the “reed” mentioned by Matthew and Mark.—Mt 27:48; Mr 15:36.

Roman soldiers were commonly equipped with long weapons suitable for thrusting or throwing. The pilum (1) was designed to penetrate its target. Its heavy weight limited the range at which it could be thrown but enabled the weapon to pierce through armor or a shield. There is evidence that Roman legionnaires often carried the pilum. Simpler spears (2) had a wooden shaft and a tip of forged iron. Auxiliary infantry sometimes carried one or more spears of this type. It is unknown what kind of spear was used to jab the side of Jesus’ body.

The Jews usually buried their dead in caves or vaults cut into the rock. These tombs were customarily located outside the cities, an exception being the tombs of the kings. Jewish tombs that have been found are notable for their simplicity. This was evidently because the Jews’ worship allowed no veneration of the dead and did not foster any ideas of a conscious existence in a spirit world after death.

This rendering is based on the remains of a first-century fishing boat found buried in mud near the shores of the Sea of Galilee and on a mosaic discovered in a first-century home in the seaside town of Migdal. This kind of boat may have been rigged with a mast and sail(s) and may have had a crew of five​—four oarsmen and one helmsman, who stood on a small deck at the stern. The boat was approximately 8 m (26.5 ft) long and at midpoint was about 2.5 m (8 ft) wide and 1.25 m (4 ft) deep. It seems that it could carry 13 or more men.

A 1985/1986 drought caused the water level in the Sea of Galilee to fall, exposing part of the hull of an ancient boat that was buried in the mud. The remains of the boat are 8.2 m (27 ft) long and 2.3 m (7.5 ft) wide and have a maximum height of 1.3 m (4.3 ft). Archaeologists say that the boat was built sometime between the first century B.C.E. and the first century C.E. This video animation reconstructs the boat, which is now displayed in a museum in Israel, showing what it may have looked like as it traversed the waters some 2,000 years ago.

The Bible contains many references to fish, fishing, and fishermen in connection with the Sea of Galilee. About 18 species of fish live in the Sea of Galilee. Of that number, only about ten have been sought by fishermen. These ten can be divided into three commercially important groups. One group is the binny, also known as the barbel (Barbus longiceps is shown) (1). Its three species display barbs at the corners of the mouth; hence, its Semitic name biny, meaning “hair.” It feeds on mollusks, snails, and small fish. The longheaded barbel reaches a length of 75 cm (30 in.) and can weigh over 7 kg (15 lb). The second group is called musht (Tilapia galilea is shown) (2), which means “comb” in Arabic, because its five species display a comblike dorsal fin. One variety of musht reaches a length of about 45 cm (18 in.) and can weigh some 2 kg (4.5 lb). The third group is the Kinneret sardine (Acanthobrama terrae sanctae is shown) (3), which resembles a small herring. From ancient times, this fish has been preserved by pickling.