Archaeologists Trace Jesus' Final Hours

April 13 -- On the day now commemorated as Good Friday, he entered Jerusalem to preach. It was Passover, and Jesus knew he could find an audience in the crowds.

According to the Gospels, both Roman and Jewish leaders considered him a threat to their authority and control. A short time after arriving in the city, he was arrested and sentenced to death by crucifixion.

Nearly two millennia later, scholars are still studying archaeological, medical and historical clues, trying to piece together what happened in the final hours of Jesus' life.

Gethsemane

After the Last Supper, Jesus went with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, which archaeologists believe was an orchard on the Mount of Olives. There, the Bible says, Jesus broke down in anguish before facing his arrest.

Father Jerome Murphy-O'Connor, a renowned biblical archaeologist, says that in the orchard Jesus realized the imminence of his own demise.

"Just before Gethsemane he would have been passing these huge tombs, which still exist in the garden," says Murphy-O'Connor. "I think it really hit him, maybe it will be tonight that death stops being something in the future."

Biblical accounts report that blood fell from Jesus like drops of sweat. Modern research confirms the plausibility of this phenomenon. Extreme anxiety and fear can cause blood vessels to rupture into the sweat glands.

At Gethsemane, Jesus suspected he was in trouble with the local authorities. He could have escaped into the desert, but he did not.

"The troops were coming from the city, all he had to do was keep ahead of them. Climb the Mount of Olives, 20 minutes' fast walking along the ridge would have brought him into Bethany, there he could pick up food and water, and off into the desert," says Murphy-O'Connor.

But after struggling with his own fear, Jesus made the decision to sacrifice himself.

The Arrest

The Bible says Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, led the police to Gethsemane to arrest him. The authorities took Jesus into Jerusalem where he stood trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The official charge was blasphemy.