Places in the Bible Today:

Golgotha

Data

Translated NamesCalvary, Golgotha, Place of a Skull, Place of the Skull, Skull, The Place of a Skull, The Place of the Skull, the place of the Skull, The Skull
Typehill
Geo Data KML (for Google Earth)
GeoJSON (for GIS applications)

3 Possible Identifications

  1. Church of the Holy Sepulchre (modern): 45% confidence

    1. exterior of the Church of the Holy SepulchreChurch of the Holy Sepulchre

  2. Taylor Golgotha (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. streetscape at Taylor GolgothaTaylor Golgotha

  3. Gordon’s Calvary (modern): less than 10% confidence

    1. cliff at Gordon’s CalvaryGordon’s Calvary

Verses (4)

  1. Matt 27:33
  2. Mark 15:22
  3. Luke 23:33
  4. John 19:17

Linked Data Identifiers

SourceIdentifier
Logos FactbookGolgotha
OpenBible.info (2007)Golgotha, Place of a Skull, The Place of a Skull, The Skull
OpenBible.infoa631d35 (Golgotha)
TIPNRGolgotha@Mat.27.33
UBS Names Databasent ID_268
WikidataQ170516

Sources

  1. Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (1992): Golgotha (place)
  2. Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land (1990): Golgotha
  3. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1974): page 188
  4. Carta Bible Atlas, 5th Edition (2011)
  5. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000): Golgotha
  6. ESV Bible Atlas (2010)
  7. Grollenberg, Atlas of the Bible (1957): Golgotha
  8. Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands (2007): page 35
  9. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (2011): Golgotha
  10. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (2003)
  11. Holman Illustrated Guide to Bible Geography (2020): page 137
  12. International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1979): Golgotha
  13. IVP New Testament Bible Background Commentary (1993): Mark 15:22
  14. Lexham Bible Dictionary (2016): Golgotha
  15. New Bible Dictionary (1996): Calvary
  16. New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (1988)
  17. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary (2012): Matt 27:33; Luke 23:53-54
  18. Schlegel, Satellite Bible Atlas (2016): page 130
  19. Tyndale Bible Dictionary (2001): Golgotha
  20. Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia (1975): Golgotha
  21. Zondervan Atlas of the Bible (2010)
  22. Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible (2010)
  23. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2009): Matt 27:33 sidebar; Matt 27:33 sidebar; Mark 15:22
  24. Zondervan Pictorial Bible Atlas (1972): page 379

Confidence Trends over Time

This chart indicates how confidence in the identifications is changing over time. Each dot (connected by a dotted line) reflects the confidence of an identification over the preceding ten years (e.g., the 2009 dot reflects scholarship from 2000 to 2009), and the corresponding solid line reflects a best-fit line for the identification. Confidences that cluster near or below 0% indicate low confidence. Because of the small dataset, it's best to use this chart for general trends; if one identification is trending much higher than the others (in this case, Church of the Holy Sepulchre), then you can probably have higher confidence in the identification. This chart only reflects the sources I consulted (listed above), not an exhaustive review of the literature.

Thumbnail Image Credits

Jorge Láscar, Jorge Láscar, James Emery

About

This page attempts to identify all the possible locations where this biblical place could be. The confidence levels add up to less than 100%, indicating that the modern location is uncertain. It's best to think about the confidences in relative rather than absolute terms. Often they reflect different schools of thought, each confident in their identifications.