“On a hill far away…” Christians are extremely familiar with the lyrics to this song. But have we ever stopped to consider that this is a real place? A place that changed history and a physical location that still exists today. There are more than 120 locations listed in the Bible, and yet none is more important to a Christian than Golgotha. Located outside the walls of Jerusalem two thousand years ago, Golgotha would have been a spot that was passed by quite frequently. Jesus and His apostles would have all been familiar with the spot on which Jesus would draw His last breath. It was a familiar location for the Jews. In fact, Mark 15:29 says “Those passing bywere hurling abuse at Him (Jesus).” The text says that people were passing by, which means that it was probably by a road. The Romans used crucifixion as a highly visible torturous means of death  as a reminder to others. Mark 15:40 says that women were looking on from a distance, which means that it was in a highly visible place. That is where most scholars get the idea that it was set upon a hill.

How big would this hill be? Since this was right outside the city of Jerusalem, it was probably not a huge hill—especially given the geography of the area. Standing at an elevation of 2,575 feet, the city of Jerusalem was mainly built on top of hills. Seven mountains surround the city, one of which is the well-known Mount of Olives. Even though there are seven mountains, none of them would be considered massive, since the tallest mountain (Mount of Olives) stands at 2,900 feet above sea level. Through the years, the exact location of Golgotha has become lost. Many believe that a place called Gordon’s Golgotha is where it was originally located, but nobody can be sure. What we can be sure of is that it was a very important place in the history of mankind. It is where Jesus Christ our Savior died to set us free. On this hill, the prophecy of Jesus bruising Satan’s head in Genesis 3:15 was fulfilled. It is where every human being gained a hope of living with God for all eternity and the ultimate act of love occurred. Everything in Christ’s life led up to the event of His death, and everything in history up to that point led to that hugely significant event also.
Translated into Aramaic, Golgotha means “Place of the Skull.” In Latin, the words are Calvariae Locus, which is where we get the term Calvary. Many have guessed as to why this location is called Golgotha or the Place of the Skull. Out of all of the many guesses, there are four prominent theories. First, the Aramaic contraction Gol Goatha means “Mount of Execution,” and being a place of execution there are many skulls left there. Second, it is said that it was located near a cemetery and the name was derived from all of the bones that were there. Third, the skull of Adam could have been buried there. Amazingly, this is the oldest theory there is. That is why many scholars believe that this is the true reason for the name. The Global Flood would make it difficult for one to precisely pinpoint this location; however, it is interesting that many scholars have reached this same conclusion. The fourth is that the location’s landscape resembles the shape of a skull. Pictures of the landscape of the fourth make it the most known theory and also the candidate for the most likely. So many things changed at that remarkable place. History was made. At that location God gave man a reason for living. It is a place that will always hold a special reverence in the mind of Christians and will be remembered from here until the coming of Christ.