Bethphage

Town mentioned in several passages of the New Testament (Matt. xxi. 1; Mark xi. 1; Luke xix. 29), in all of which it is brought into connection with Bethany, or the Mount of Olives. It was, therefore, on the road to Jericho, near Jerusalem, and outside of the wall. This is known also from Talmudical references, where it is given as the Sabbath distance limit (Neubauer, "G. T." p. 147). According to some passages of the Talmud, also, it would appear that Bethphage (Tos. Pes. viii.) was near, yet outside, Jerusalem , Soṭah 45a). Yet it is referred to as surrounded by a wall (Pes. 63b, 91a; Men. 78b), which description does not exactly correspond to any known locality in the immediate neighborhood of Jerusalem. The. exact location, however, has not been determined (see Buhl, "Geographie des Alten Palästina," p. 155).

J. Jr. G. B. L.