Israeli Archaeologists Excavating ‘Jesus Midwife’ Tomb

Israeli Archaeologists Excavating ‘Jesus Midwife’ Tomb
The interior of a 2000-year-old Second Temple-Period burial cave designated the Salome Cave that was recently uncovered in the Lachish Forest in Israel, on Dec. 20, 2022. Maya Alleruzzo/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

JERUSALEM—An ancient tomb traditionally associated with Jesus’s midwife is being excavated anew by archaeologists in the hills southwest of Jerusalem, the antiquities authority said Tuesday.

The intricately decorated Jewish burial cave complex dates to around the first century A.D., but it was later associated by local Christians with Salome, the midwife of Jesus in the Gospels. A Byzantine chapel was built at the site, which was a place of pilgrimage and veneration for centuries thereafter.