An ancient coin is seen with other items discovered at the site where archaeologists believe they have uncovered the remains of the Siloam Pool in the Silwan neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, Thursday. Archaeologists in Jerusalem have uncovered the pool's stone remains and its still-running water, believed to have been used by Jesus to restore a blind man's eyesight. (Photo: AP)

JERUSALEM (AP) - Archaeologists in Jerusalem have identified the remains of the biblical Siloam Pool, where the Bible says Jesus miraculously cured a man's blindness, researchers said last Thursday - underlining a stirring link between the works of Jesus and ancient Jewish rituals.
The archaeologists are slowly digging out the pool, where water still runs, tucked away in what is now the Arab neighbourhood of Silwan.

It was used by Jews for ritual immersions for about 120 years, from about 50 BC until AD 70, when the Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple.

Many of Jesus' acts are directly linked to Jewish rituals, and the miracle of the blind man is an example.

The man was undergoing ritual immersion in the Siloam Pool for entry into the Temple compound, and Jesus used the occasion to cure his blindness (John 9: 1-7).
In the last four months, archaeologists have revealed the pool's 50-metre length and a channel that brought water from the Silwan spring to the pool. In the past week, a section of stone road that led from the pool to the Jewish Temple was uncovered.

"The moment that we revealed and discovered this four months ago, we were 100 per cent sure it was the Siloam Pool," said Eli Shukron, one of the archeologists on the dig.
"We know today that the Siloam Pool is connected to the Temple Mount. There is a road that connects between the two elements. The entire system is clearer today," Shukron said.

Stephen Pfann, a Bible scholar, said that the pool's waters were considered so pure that they could purify even a leper.
Pfann said Jesus likely chose to cure the blind man using the purest water available, because people with any disabilities were barred from the Temple.

"The whole point is that people will not only be healed physically but also healed spiritually," he said. "This discovery helps bring the Gospel alive in the context of Jewish practice."

The archaeologists excavating the site are with the Israeli government's Antiquities Authority. They found biblical-era coins marked with ancient Jewish writing, along with pieces of broken pottery - including a stone bottle cork - helping them confirm that the area was the biblical Siloam Pool.

The stone-lined pool has steps leading into it from all sides, said Ronny Reich, a University of Haifa archaeologist. One side of the pool, two corners, a part of the esplanade around it and the water channel leading to it have been uncovered, he said.

Jesus, according to the New Testament, put clay on a blind man's eyes and then sent him to wash them out in the pool's purifying waters, giving him sight.

Jews, who traditionally made three pilgrimages a year to Jerusalem, would immerse themselves in the Siloam Pool before heading down the stone pathway to the Temple. They also used the pool for drinking water and camped around it.

The Israeli Antiquities Authority is negotiating with the Greek Orthodox Church, which owns the land, to continue the dig.

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