The mountain where Jesus was tempted is called the Mount of Temptation. It is located in the Judean Desert near the city of Jericho in the West Bank. The mountain is also sometimes referred to as the “Mount of Quarantine”.
The Biblical Account
The story of Jesus being tempted by the devil is recounted in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. According to the Gospels, after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights in the Judaean Desert. After this time of fasting, Satan appeared to Jesus and tempted him three times.
The exact location of where this temptation took place is not specified in the Gospels. Matthew 4:8 states:
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.”
Based on this description, the early Christian monastics believed this “very high mountain” was the Mount of Temptation located near Jericho. By the 6th century AD, monks had set up dwellings on the mountain to commemorate the event.
Identification of the Mount of Temptation
In the centuries that followed, the Mount of Temptation became firmly established as the biblical site of Christ’s temptation based on its proximity to Jericho and its steep cliffs overlooking the Jordan Valley. Modern scholars, however, debate the actual location.
There are several reasons why the Mount of Temptation may not be the biblical site:
- At 1700 feet above sea level, the Mount of Temptation is not an especially “very high mountain” compared to other peaks in the region.
- It is never referred to as such in the early pilgrim accounts.
- Archaeologists have found little evidence of early monastic activity on the mountain.
Based on these reasons, some scholars theorize locations such as Mount Nebo or one of the mountains near Caesarea Philippi as more likely sites.
The Monastery
While the Mount of Temptation may or may not be the actual site of Christ’s temptation, it has been commemorated as such for over 1500 years. The steep cliff face of the mount became home to religious hermits seeking to emulate Jesus’s 40 days of isolation. Eventually, these hermits carved out dwellings and spaces for religious worship along the cliffs and at the summit that developed into a monastery.
The earliest remains of monastic activity date from the Byzantine period (4th-7th century AD). By 1157, Crusaders built the first church at the summit of the mount. The monastery has survived periods of prosperity and abandonment over the centuries. It now belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and is connected to a larger monastery complex at the base via a cable car system.
Features of the Monastery
The monastery at the top of the Mount of Temptation has many features of interest to pilgrims and visitors:
- The Chapel of Temptation – a small cave chapel built on the cliffside over the spot where Jesus was tempted by Satan.
- The Monastery of the Forty Days – the main monastery constructed next to the Chapel of Temptation.
- Bell Tower – a stone bell tower built above the chapel and monastery in the late 19th century.
- Gorge chapel and hermitages – other small chapels carved into the cliffside and caves where hermits dwelled.
- Sweeping views – the cliffs offer spectacular views across Jericho and the Jordan Valley.
Visiting the Mount of Temptation
The Mount of Temptation and its cliffside monastery can be visited and accessed via the cable car and hiking trail from the lower cable car station near Jericho. Some key tips for visiting:
- Visitors must hike or take the cable car – private vehicles are not allowed to drive up the mountain.
- The monastery is an active religious site – dress conservatively and refrain from loudly talking when visiting the chapels.
- The cable car operates daily from 8:30am to 4pm except on Sunday morning.
- The hike up the mountain via the Snake Path takes about 30-45 minutes.
Conclusion
While the exact biblical location of Jesus’s temptation remains uncertain, the Mount of Temptation near Jericho has been commemorated as this site for centuries. The remote cliffside monastery remains a pilgrimage site that offers beautiful desert views for visitors willing to make the ascent by cable car or by foot along the historic Snake Path hiking trail.