Constantine’s New Jerusalem

This excerpt from the ecclesiastical historian Eusebius describes the circumstances around the excavation of the alleged burial tomb of Jesus at the instigation of the emperor Constantine (r. 306–337 CE). Initially, Eusebius had harbored reservations about the resurgent interest in Jerusalem’s landmarks associated with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, preferring instead the idea of a heavenly Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Eusebius ultimately supported Constantine’s policy of constructing churches in the emerging Byzantine Christian Jerusalem of the fourth century. Eusebius is especially celebratory of the demolition of the Temple of Aphrodite, dating from the Aelia period (130–324/325 CE), which reflects Constantine’s larger project of replacing pagan shrines with Christian sacred structures. Note also the supersessionist tone in Eusebius’ depiction of the new Christian monument facing the ruins of the Second Temple, which he interprets as the Jews’ punishment for the crucifixion of Jesus.