"This happened at Bethany, beyond the Jordan, where John [the Baptist] was baptizing." This is especially significant because many biblical scholars believe John to be the most precise of the gospel writers, using more factual detail in his account of the events in Jesus’ life (cf. John 5:2 and 19:13).

Interestingly, when John mentions another Bethany in the story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), he is careful to distinguish this second Bethany from the first by describing it as "…only two miles from Jerusalem," clearly not the baptism site.  A further indication of the authenticity of Al-Maghtas as the baptism site is its identification as both the place of John the Baptist’s ministry (John 10:40) and the site of Elijah’s being taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:5-14). Both John the Baptist and Elijah played the roles of prophet and precursor to the messianic time, and Matthew (17:10-13) explicitly identifies John with Elijah.

Recent excavations at Al-Maghtas have located Bethany on the east bank of the Jordan River. Independent archeological teams and experts confirm this conclusion, and the Roman Catholic Church has placed Al-Maghtas on the list of five official pilgrimage sites in Jordan. Both St. Jerome and the 4^th century historian Eusebius identify Al-Maghtas as an integral part of the early Christian pilgrimage route between Jerusalem and Mount Nebo. It also appears in Madaba on the oldest mosaic map in the world.

Among the discoveries in the original settlement at Al-Maghtas are seven churches from the 1^st century, as well as remains of many Byzantine churches from later centuries. The Jordanian government continues to support research and preservation efforts at this immensely significant site.