Glen Rose, Eli Shukron, and a Gift from Jerusalem

There are so many things to say so this is going to be a long post.

I have been off the radar for a bit, but for good reason. My nose has been to the grindstone. We recently wrapped up our dig here in Glen Rose, Texas, along the Paluxy River. It was an incredible season, and one of the great honors of the dig was having Israeli archaeologist Eli Shukron with us.

Eli is well known for his work in Jerusalem, especially in the City of David. I had the honor of excavating with Eli and Ronny Reich back in 2004, when our team helped excavate the steps to the Pool of Siloam. That was one of those moments in life that stays with you. You don’t forget standing in the dirt of Jerusalem, working in a place tied directly to the pages of Scripture.

left to right: Eli Shukron, Byron Stinson (Red Heiffer Project) and myself

This year, Eli came to Glen Rose for a very special reason. During the July 4, 2026 celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation, Eli presented an extraordinary gift to the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas: a limestone core from the Temple Mount. The gift was given in appreciation for the museum’s participation in the monumental excavations that revealed the Pilgrim Road, the ancient road ascending from the Pool of Siloam toward the entrance of the Temple Mount. These are not ordinary stones. These are stones tied to the life and ministry of Jesus. These are the steps connected to the world of John chapter 9, where Jesus sent the blind man to wash in the Pool of Siloam. To stand near that history is one thing. To help recover it from the earth is another. And now, to see a piece of that world brought to Glen Rose, Texas, is remarkable.

For those who want to learn more about Eli’s work, his book with Ronny Reich has just come out: Excavations in the City of David, Jerusalem. It is an important volume for anyone interested in the archaeology of ancient Jerusalem, the City of David, the Pool of Siloam, the Pilgrim Road, and the physical world behind the biblical text. For those of us who care about the Bible, archaeology, and the physical world behind the text, Eli’s work matters. It reminds us that Scripture is not set in some vague spiritual landscape. It is rooted in real places, real streets, real stones, real water systems, real kings, real people, and real history.

The timing could not have been more meaningful. We were celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, and at the same time we were reminded of the deep historical connection between America and the Jewish people. Very early in our nation’s history, Haym Salomon, a Jewish immigrant, helped fund George Washington’s Continental Army during the American Revolution. He died penniless, in part because the fledgling nation was unable to repay the loans. Now, two and a half centuries later, we were standing in Texas, receiving a gift from Jerusalem, while remembering the long and complicated bond between America and Israel.

Eli Shukron is an Israeli archaeologist who worked with the Israel Antiquities Authority and is best known for his excavations in ancient Jerusalem.

In 2004, Shukron and archaeologist Ronny Reich discovered and began excavating the Pool of Siloam. The pool was used in ancient Jewish purification practices and is also cited in the New Testament as the site connected to the healing miracle of Jesus in John chapter 9.

In 2007, Shukron and Reich discovered and excavated an ancient Jerusalem drainage channel. Among the finds was a rare half-shekel coin associated with the Second Temple tax.

In 2009, Shukron and Reich began excavating the ancient Jerusalem Pilgrim Road, the monumental stepped street leading from the Pool of Siloam toward the Temple Mount. The excavation became one of the most significant archaeological projects in modern Jerusalem.

In 2012, Shukron discovered a bulla fragment bearing the name Bethlehem. This was a major find because it represented an early extra-biblical mention of Bethlehem from the First Temple period.

His work has also been associated with discoveries and identifications connected to the City of David, ancient water systems, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and other features tied to biblical Jerusalem.

During the morning of the Glen Rose July 4 parade, Eli was honored with an official city proclamation and the Key to the City, presented by local officials. Eli and Glen Rose officials also struck seven chimes from a rare full-scale Liberty Bell replica featured in the parade. The bell is an authorized replica of the original Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, including the crack, and has been used at over 250 events and services honoring our military and national heroes. It will be in Glen Rose for only month at the museum so come and give it a ring!

Later that afternoon, at 1:00 p.m., in front of the Creation Evidence Museum, I had the honor of ringing the working brass Liberty Bell. To stand there in Glen Rose, with an Israeli archaeologist who helped uncover some of the most important biblical archaeology in Jerusalem, and to see a gift from the ancient stones of Jerusalem presented to the museum, made the day unforgettable. It was a powerful moment.

America. Israel. Jerusalem. Glen Rose. The Bible. Archaeology. History.

All of it came together in one place.

In the middle of all of this, I also reached a major personal milestone. I completed my certificate in Theology and was also licensed and ordained into the ministry.

So yes, it is official now. Pastor Aaron. That is still a little surreal to write, but I am grateful for it. This has been a long road of study, prayer, work, and calling. My love for Scripture, archaeology, ancient history, and biblical truth has only deepened through the process. For me, these things have never been separate lanes. They all converge in the same place: the truth of God’s Word and the witness of history.

I also have another major update. I have finished my first fiction novel. Those of you who know me, you may be able to identify a few of the characters if you look closely enough at the cover. It still has to go through editing and copyediting, so it will be a little longer before it goes to print. But it is coming. Keep your eyes open here. I will be sharing more soon.

For now, I am grateful. Grateful for the work. Grateful for the dig. Grateful for Glen Rose. Grateful for the opportunity to stand with Eli Shukron again after all these years. Grateful for this new chapter in ministry. And grateful that the stones of Jerusalem still have something to say.

Thank you for reading Dr. Aaron Judkins Substack. As a token of our appreciation, we’re offering you a limited-time offer of 20% off a paid subscription for your first year. Thanks again for reading.

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PS. If you loved this article, be sure to head over to our Ancient Pathways Patreon site and see my film “Qumran 2 Petra” where we take you onsite at the Pool of Siloam.