Solomon’s Pools
Pools, not far from Bethlehem in Judah, part of the irrigation system of Jerusalem[1].
Description
Coming from Bethlehem and going to Bethsur, Jesus and some Disciples stop near immense pools. “The three large pools carved into the rock of the mountain, a truly magnificent work, shine with their very clear surfaces and with the fall of Water which, from the first pool, drops into the second larger one and from there into a third pool which is a real small lake from which it flows through conduits to distant towns (…) let us also thank Solomon… certainly these pools that supply plants and people come from him”[2].
Their name
Solomon’s Pools. The name of these pools refers to the assertion in Ecclesiastes (Qohelet), an "autobiographical" book of Solomon who writes: "I made gardens and orchards for myself; I planted all kinds of fruit trees there. I dug pools of water for myself to water the forest of growing trees."[3]
Where are they mentioned in the work?
EMV 208.
Learn more about this place
The Solomon pools or basins are three huge pools[4] carved into the rock. They are mentioned in the Bible[3], but some archaeologists have challenged their attribution to Solomon considering the works carried out by Herod the Great nine centuries later[5]. There is therefore, here, confirmation that these works date back to the reign of Solomon, even though they have undergone later modifications.
At the time of Maria Valtorta, the location of these pools was little known except by a few archaeologists. Restoration work has been undertaken, and the pools are now again filled with Water and have regained their former splendor.
Explore
- 31° 41’ 20’’ N / 35° 10’ 15’’ E /
- +810m
Notes and references
Note: Quotations from the work of Maria Valtorta on this page currently use machine-translated text and will gradually be replaced by the official English translation. Until then, the official translation may be consulted through the reference link provided with each quotation.
- ↑ Article partially written based on the Geographical Dictionary of the Gospel, J.-F. LAVÈRE.
- ↑ EMV 208.1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ecclesiastes 2:5-6.
- ↑ These pools measure respectively: 177 m, 129 m, and 116 m long, over 60 m wide and more than 10 m deep.
- ↑ End of Solomon’s reign: 931 BC. Start of Herod the Great’s reign: 37 BC.