Event New Testament
Gethsemane
Also known as The agony in the garden
After the supper Jesus went with His disciples to a garden on the Mount of Olives called Gethsemane. Taking Peter, James, and John further in, He was deeply distressed and prayed that if possible the cup might pass from Him, yet that the Father's will be done. The disciples slept. He woke them as the betrayer arrived.
Why it matters. Jesus faces the cross in full human anguish and submits to the Father's will. The church has always read Gethsemane as the place where the obedience of the Son is seen most clearly.
- Primary passages
- Dates
- AD 30 to 33 (approximate) (medium confidence, Passover week of the crucifixion under Pontius Pilate; AD 30 and AD 33 are the leading proposals)
The event belongs to the final week before the crucifixion, which is dated to AD 30 or AD 33 on calendrical grounds. FaithGraph records the range and does not choose.
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: high
Matthew and Mark name the place Gethsemane and record three prayers; Luke says the Mount of Olives, records one prayer, and adds the angel and the sweat like drops of blood, verses absent from some early manuscripts; John names a garden across the Kidron without narrating the prayer.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
The Last Supper precedes Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceAfter the hymn Jesus and the disciples go out to the Mount of Olives.
Evidence:The farewell discourse precedes Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceWhen Jesus had finished speaking He went out with the disciples across the Kidron to the garden.
Evidence:Gethsemane precedes The arrest of Jesus
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe arresting party arrives while Jesus is still speaking to the disciples.
Evidence:James son of Zebedee participates in Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe two sons of Zebedee accompany Jesus further into Gethsemane; Mark names James.
Evidence:Jesus participates in Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceJesus prays in the garden that the cup might pass and submits to the Father's will.
Evidence:John the apostle participates in Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceThe two sons of Zebedee, James and John, accompany Jesus further into Gethsemane.
Evidence:Peter participates in Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceJesus takes Peter and the two sons of Zebedee further into the garden and finds them sleeping.
Evidence:Gethsemane occurs at Gethsemane
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceMatthew and Mark name the place Gethsemane.
Evidence:Gethsemane occurs at Mount of Olives
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceLuke locates the prayer on the Mount of Olives.
Evidence:Gethsemane develops the theme Sacrifice and atonement
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceIn the garden Jesus accepts the cup the Father has given Him, the cup He then drinks on the cross.
Evidence: