Aceldama
“Field of blood”
Summary
The "Field of Blood" purchased with the money Judas received for betraying Christ, afterward used as a burial place for strangers in Jerusalem.
☩Purchase and Name
Aceldama, meaning "field of blood" in Aramaic, was a field purchased with the thirty pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying Jesus. When Judas returned the money and hanged himself, the chief priests used it to buy this potter's field as a burial place for strangers—visitors to Jerusalem who died during their stay. It received its name both because it was bought with the price of blood and because Judas' blood was shed there.
☩Location and History
The field traditionally identified as Aceldama lies on the southern slope of the valley of Hinnom, south of Mount Zion. The chalky soil was thought to possess properties that hastened the decomposition of bodies, and much of it was reportedly taken to Europe during the Crusades for cemetery soil. A ruined charnel-house, partly excavated from rock and partly built of masonry, still marks the site, where it served as a burial place for pilgrims into relatively modern times.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Aceldama," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Aceldama," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.George Morrish, "Aceldama," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Aceldama," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).