How high was golgotha?

Answer 1

Golgotha is just as high as Mount Moriah. They are both approx. 731 meters above sea level (measured using a Garmin eTrex). From its southern base, Golgotha rises up from even below the Greek Orthodox St. Stephen Church, certainly over 60 meters.

The eastern wall of Jerusalem is Golgotha's western border, From the base of the Lion's gate today to the top of Golgotha it is less than 15 meters. It is very likely in the days of Jesus that the street was a few meters lower than the street today. He would have had to walk up the Mount Golgotha, ascending at the most 17 meters. With a Standard stair step of 18 cm, this would have been about 90 steps. With a story being 20 steps, it would have been equivalent to walking up the stairs to the top of a 4 story building.

The walk up the mount itself is somewhat steep (see www.golgotha.eu for pictures). For that reason it is testified to in three of the four gospels, that as they went through the gate leading outside of Jerusalem, that they made Simon of Cyrene carry his cross.

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. Matt 27,32

But for the distance from Pilate to Golgotha, which is just outside the Lion's Gate (back then the Sheep Gate), Jesus carried his own cross.

And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha: Joh 19,17

Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha, but Simon carried it up the steep hill, walking behind him.

And as they led Him away, having laid hold on a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, coming from a field, they put the cross on him, to bear it behind Jesus. Lk 23,26

Answer 2

If Golgotha is below or in the Holy Sepulchre Church, where Christians since Helen, the mother of Constantine I, have claimed he was crucified, then Golgotha would have been a small mount of a couple meters.

However the Golgotha of the scriptures:

• Was outside the city wall.
• Very near a gate leading into Jerusalem.
• Large enough for a large amount of People to gather there.
• Those standing there saw the temple curtain rip.
• Looked like the top part of a skull (Greek Kranion - cranium).

The Golgotha of the scriptures is northeast of the temple, allowing all those gatehred there to see the curtain rip. It was the Mount which overlooked the temple grounds, just outside the Sheep Gate, which is today the Lion's gate (see the link below for a picture).

Golgotha is just as high as Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, 731 meters above sea Level (Garmin eTrex). The southern side of Golgotha is over 60 meters high. However on its western border the eastern wall of Jerusalem has been built. It may earlier have been originally much higher, but from the base of the Lion's gate to the top of Golgotha is about 15 meters.

The walk up the mount itself is somewhat steep For that reason it is testified to in three of the four gospels, that as they went through the gate leading outside of Jerusalem, that they made Simon of Cyrene carry his cross.