When the coffin was opened. Immaculate Invasion
Last week, archaeologists in the presence of representatives of six Christian churches for the first time in centuries raised a marble slab, which sheltered the main shrine of Christians around the world - Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. What was discovered under the stone that had not been moved for four centuries?
According to the four Gospels, Jesus Christ was buried in a cave on Mount Golgotha, not far from the place of his crucifixion. Christians believe that three days later Jesus rose from the dead and ascended. Scientists, of course, cannot verify this information.
However, there is no direct evidence that the man known as Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Roman administration of Judea and buried after the crucifixion, so historians accept that the Holy Sepulcher could be the real burial place of Jesus.
The long history of the Holy Sepulcher and complex built Temple, erected in different centuries by Christian rulers, we have already told. Let us repeat briefly: it all started with Saint Helena, who in the 4th century came to Golgotha and discovered a cave with a funeral bed (according to some sources, a temple already stood on this site, founded by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century).
In 1555 (and possibly earlier), the bed was covered with a marble slab - it is believed to protect it from souvenir lovers. Since then, no one has lifted the slab, and to XXI century historians have a great desire to find out what is inside.
The main question that archaeologists asked themselves was: why did Saint Helena decide that she had found the burial place of Jesus of Nazareth? Scientists were allocated 60 hours for excavations, and this is what they managed to find out.
Under the marble slab there was a filler - a layer of stone material. Underneath it was another slab of marble with a cross carved into the stone, and below it was a slab of limestone, which is considered the burial bed.
The first conclusion: during seven centuries of worship, no one moved the shrine; The stone bed found by Saint Helena remained in its original place. Indirect evidence was also discovered that the cave was used for burial according to Jewish rites at the beginning of the first century AD.
According to the Gospels, the body of Christ was placed in a cave on Calvary that belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple of Jesus. Jewish tradition forbade burying the dead within the city, so the limestone cliffs around Jerusalem are home to many cave burials.
At Golgotha, not far from the Temple, a quarry and stones were discovered that were used to build a burial bed for the deceased. The furnishings of the cave located inside the temple and the design of the tomb's contents correspond to the burial traditions of the early first century, scientists conclude.
Archaeologists have no evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was buried in the cave where the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is now located, but there are no other places that are equally suitable for what is described in the New Testament, archaeologists conclude. Science still can neither confirm nor refute the assumption that the slab, revered by Christians all over the world, served as the burial place of the one whom Christians consider a prophet and messiah.
It seems that there is one less mystery in the world, and it’s time for archaeologists and theologians to shake hands - after the opening of the tomb of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, there is no doubt about its authenticity!
Just over a month ago, representatives of six Christian churches allowed specialists from National Geographic to lift for the first time in many centuries the marble slab that covered the main shrine of Christians around the world. The goal of archaeologists is to confirm or refute the fact that the supposed tomb of Christ today can be considered the real burial place of Jesus of Nazareth, or whether the tomb and its contents are irretrievably lost to history and believers, after numerous earthquakes and destruction of the church by conquerors.
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And journalists from The Independent report amazing news from the field:
“After researchers lifted a marble slab for the first time in 500 years, they discovered another limestone slab, on which, in all likelihood, lay the body of Jesus Christ! But that’s not all... Then archaeologists discovered a find about which nothing was known to date - a second marble slab gray with a cross engraved by the Crusaders in the 12th century..."
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According to the four Gospels, Jesus was buried in a cave near the site of his crucifixion on Mount Golgotha, which belonged to Joseph of Arimathea. It is known that according to Jewish tradition, the dead could not be buried within the city, so limestone is a characteristic sign that the burial took place outside of Jerusalem, surrounded by the rocks of this rock. In addition, on Golgotha, not far from the current location of the Temple, a quarry was discovered, the stones of which were used to construct a funeral bed.
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“The most surprising thing for us was the discovery of the second marble slab, after we removed the first layer of dust,” says archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, “it was gray with a cross in the middle, and not like the creamy white marble that had been used to seal the tomb since 1500- 's, in order to prevent the theft of the relic..."
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“...When we realized what we had found, our knees began to shake! This seems to us to be visible proof that the place that pilgrims worship today is the same grave that St. Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who made Christianity the dominant religion, found back in IV!”
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Christians believe that three days after the crucifixion, Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead. And Fredrik Hiebert witnessed how, after the opening of the tomb, Christian leaders were the first to visit the main shrine:
“They came out with a big smile on their face! After them, the monks came in and everyone came out smiling. We became very curious. We also entered the tomb and saw a lot of rubble, but no artifacts or bones!”
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Let us remind you that on October 26, specialists from the National Technical University of Athens removed the marble lining and, for the first time in the last 500 years, opened the Cave of the Holy Sepulcher. Underneath they found a pile of stones and dust, and when they removed this layer, they discovered a shelf made of limestone, on which, possibly, lay the body of Jesus Christ and another marble slab. It was decorated with a skillfully carved cross.
This discovery is proof that the place of worship of today's pilgrims is indeed a tomb found in the 4th century under Emperor Constantine, stated archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, - The fact is that during its history, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was repeatedly destroyed by fires, earthquakes and military actions. And we were not sure that it was restored in the same place every time.
We talked about what these finds mean. with biblical archeology specialist Andrei Desnitsky. He is a Doctor of Science and a leading researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Andrei Sergeevich, scientists have found evidence that the Holy Sepulcher is located in the place that the Byzantine Queen Helen found as a result of excavations on Golgotha in the 4th century. But the question arises: how accurately did Helen herself initially establish the burial place of Jesus? How professional was she?
Empress Helena, Constantine's mother, who made the first archaeological journey to the Holy Land, was not an archaeologist; she did not try to reconstruct history. She was a believing Christian and strove to find Holy places, find objects associated with Gospel events in order to worship them. She succeeded to a large extent, because she was separated from the events of the Gospel by approximately 200 years. There were no longer any living eyewitnesses. But there were people alive who remembered how his grandfather told him a story, which he in turn learned from his grandfather. It’s a long time ago, but not terribly long ago, and some things may remain in people’s memories. So she might have discovered something. Actually, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and some other places go back to that journey.
- That is, there were people who could say: Jesus was interrogated in this house, and along this street he walked to his execution?
No, by the 70th year of our era, after the Jewish revolt, Jerusalem was completely, literally, wiped off the face of the earth and in its place the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina was built. Moreover, Jews were prohibited from living there. In other words, absolutely everything in the city was destroyed. And today, when pious pilgrims believe that Via Delorosa in Jerusalem is the street along which Jesus Christ walked to the place of crucifixion, they are greatly mistaken. This is definitely not the same street, because it was completely destroyed and the houses were built much later.
Achievements modern science allow forensic scientists to solve crimes that happened many years ago. What did scientists count on when they opened the Holy Sepulcher? For example, could a particle of Christ's blood be hypothetically found?
Regarding the opening of the tomb: in fact, Christians believe that the tomb was opened by the Resurrection of Christ 2 thousand years ago. What has recently been studied in Jerusalem is not the tomb of Christ, it is a small Edicule - a chapel that was built in the 16th century by the Franciscans on the site of a cave that had long since been destroyed by that time. At the same time, in the 16th century, a marble slab was laid, because a huge number of pilgrims flocked here, who probably wanted to pick off a pebble from the place where Christ lay. And of course nothing could remain there. Imagine what it is: 13 centuries of pilgrimage (if you count from the time of Queen Helena)! Therefore, we decided to improve this place so that it would be neat, beautiful and no one could pick anything out. Nothing significant was found under the slab. What could you look for? You see, science is driven by simple human curiosity. Not every study ends with results. In many ways this is a matter of chance. For example, the history of the discovery of the most famous archaeological find of the 20th century in those places is the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were found when a Bedouin shepherd boy was looking for his missing goats. Approaching one cave, he threw a stone there to check if any animal was hiding there. The stone broke the jug. The boy heard this sound of a breaking clay vessel, he became curious, he climbed inside and discovered a jug that actually contained scrolls. This discovery was made by accident; no one was looking for the scrolls and no one had looked into these caves for 2 thousand years. Surely many more interesting things will be found ahead. The task of science is to go everywhere with a curious nose, but not to expect that in every place you will find amazing finds- not at all!
As has already become known, restoration work is being carried out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Scientists restoring the tomb of Jesus Christ removed the protective marble slab from the stone on which the body of Christ lay. This slab was installed on the burial bed of the Holy Sepulcher in 1555 to protect the shrine, as pilgrims tried to break off a piece of the Holy Sepulcher for themselves, thereby destroying it.
Scientists who removed the marble slab from the burial bed of Christ claim that the basis of this process is the desire to restore the shrine of the Christian world. They also hope to find out how the mother of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen, learned that this particular place was the Holy Sepulcher.
Some representatives of both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches They do not see anything reprehensible in the opening of the burial place of Jesus Christ. For example, Deputy Chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church Maxim Kozlov stated that this event is purely in the sphere of church archeology. “From a religious point of view, I don’t see anything remarkable here at all,” he added.
To the remark that scientists simply want to amuse their own curiosity, the chairman of the synodal missionary department of the Moscow Patriarchate, Hegumen Serapion, replied that curiosity is natural to man and he cannot be prohibited from learning something new. “In particular, people are interested in how Saint Helena acted when she was looking for the Holy Sepulcher and Life-giving Cross, what the tomb of Jesus was like,” he explained.
So, neither from a religious nor from a human point of view, this event has no basis for discussion. Is it so? I don’t know, I’m not a theologian, but how simple Orthodox Christian I ask questions that really confuse me.
Firstly, was Christ’s Tomb opened only out of curiosity? I extremely doubt and am of the opinion that “researchers” will try to confirm the information from the film “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”, shot in 2007 in Canada, using all sorts of lies. And in this film, the authors claim that based on strictly “scientific” archaeological and criminological research, DNA analysis and statistical calculations, it has been “proven” that the biblical Jesus is buried in the Talpiot tomb along with his family. As is now known, Talpiot is a residential complex in Jerusalem. In 1980, a team of construction workers opened a tomb there. Researchers say five of the ten coffins discovered in the Talpiot crypt were inscribed with names believed to be associated with key New Testament figures: Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph, and Mary Magdalene. The sixth inscription, written in Aramaic, is translated as “Judas son of Jesus.” This is how new scientific facts" and alleged DNA analysis carried out in one of the most advanced laboratories, which indicate that the Talpiot tomb contained "the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family - Mary Magdalene and the son of Judas."
But even if we discard my version regarding the plans to open the real tomb of Jesus Christ as untenable, many serious questions still remain. Firstly, who needs all this and why? Scientists? For what? To find evidence that this is exactly the Holy Sepulcher? Or do the Christian Churches, which gave permission to conduct scientific experiments on Christ’s bed, need scientific evidence of the holiness of this place? Is it not enough for both of them that the Holy Fire descends here every year?
And since it has come to the point that holiness must be confirmed by scientific examination, then let’s submit the relics of various saints for DNA analysis and attach a certificate of conformity to them?
But the Holy Sepulcher needs restoration - opponents may object to me. And who could determine that the bed of Christ, hidden for centuries, needs to be restored and, again, why? Maybe the Russophobe Muslim who sponsors terrorists in Syria and supports the massacre of Christians there is King Abdullah II of Jordan? After all, it was he who invested as much as 4 billion dollars (!!!) in general restoration work in Kukvuklia, or Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, a famous freemason, friend of the Pope and troublemaker who assembled the Cretan Cathedral? Yes, restoration work was supported by almost all Christian denominations. But this is also confusing for me, because Holy Sepulcher- this is the Holy of Holies. And it’s hard for me to imagine that the Holy of Holies of Christians all over the world, with the sponsorship of a Muslim thug, is being invaded by unknown people, stamping their feet on the shrine and justifying this by the need to carry out restoration and research work. But for me, this is simply desecration of a shrine. Have we forgotten how the Bolsheviks “examined” the relics of saints in Russia? But then Orthodox Rus' stood up to the best of its ability to defend its shrines. None of the clergy justified the conduct of such “scientific work” in any way, and in general Christians considered it sacrilege and blasphemy.
And now they are trampling on the Holy Sepulcher - and nothing! Such actions, no matter how they are justified, are desecration of a holy place, a violation of the law given by the Lord Himself “And God said: do not come here; take off your sandals from off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” (Ex. 3:5)
For the secular world, the opening of the slab of the Holy Sepulcher is an act of desacralization of the greatest shrine of the entire Christian world. In addition, this is an eschatological act that followed, albeit unrecognized, but apparently the last “ Ecumenical Council"and the already begun Third World War. After that there is silence Christian Churches regarding the desecration of the Holy Sepulcher and even agreement with this is not surprising. Apostasy - it is apostasy...
If I am wrong in my conclusions, then with Christian humility I ask the readers to correct me and forgive me for the views that are erroneous for an Orthodox person.
, Orthodox writer, Ryazan
Jerusalem.— Scientists continue to study the tomb, which is traditionally considered the burial place of Jesus Christ. According to the preliminary findings of the study, part of the tomb has survived to this day, having survived numerous destructions, damages and reconstructions of the surrounding Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem over the centuries.
The tomb, which is the most revered place in Christendom, today consists of a burial bed carved into the limestone wall of the cave. Since at least 1555, and perhaps even earlier, the stone bed has been covered with marble cladding, presumably to prevent pilgrims from stealing pieces of limestone for souvenirs.
When the slab was removed on the night of October 26, the conservation team from the National Technical University of Athens found only a layer of filling material during an initial inspection. Researchers worked non-stop for another 60 hours, discovering a second marble slab with a cross carved into its surface. By the night of October 28, just hours before the tomb was closed, they saw the original limestone burial bed in an intact condition.
Context
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Foreign Policy 06/19/2016“I'm completely shocked. “My knees are even shaking a little because I didn’t expect this,” said National Geographic archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert. “We can't say 100%, but this appears to be visual evidence that the location of the tomb has not changed over time - something scientists and historians have thought about for decades.”
In addition, researchers have confirmed the presence of the original limestone cave walls located inside the Edicule, or chapel, that closes the tomb. A window was cut into the southern inner wall of the chapel to open one of the cave walls.
“This is a sacred bed that has been worshiped for centuries, but only now can it really be seen,” said Antonia Moropoulou, who is leading the conservation and restoration work on the Edicule.
Is this really the tomb of Christ?
Archeology cannot say with certainty that the tomb recently opened in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is actually the burial place of Jesus of Nazareth. However, circumstantial evidence indicates that representatives of the Roman Emperor Constantine correctly identified the burial site 300 years later.
The first indications of Jesus' burial come from the Four Gospels, or the first four books of the New Testament, which were compiled around 30 AD, several decades after Christ's crucifixion. There are differences in details, but these books are quite consistent and consistent in describing how Christ was buried in a stone-hewn tomb belonging to a wealthy Jewish follower of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathea.
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Scientists have opened the tomb of Christ
National Geographic 10/28/2016In the Jerusalem area, archaeologists have found more than a thousand of these stone-cut tombs, says archaeologist and National Geographic grantee Jodi Magness. Each of these family tombs contained one or more tombs with long niches carved into the stone on the sides on which the bodies of the dead were laid.
“This all fits well with what we know about how wealthy Jews in Jesus' time buried their dead,” Magness says. - Of course, this is not historical evidence of this event. But this suggests that whatever sources formed the basis of the Four Gospels, the narrators were familiar with this tradition and funeral customs.”
Outside the city walls
Jewish tradition forbade burying the dead within the city, and the New Testament clearly states that Jesus was buried outside Jerusalem, not far from the site of his crucifixion on Calvary. A few years after the funeral, the boundaries of Jerusalem were expanded, and Golgotha and the tomb were inside the city.
When representatives of Constantine arrived in Jerusalem around 325 in search of the tomb, they were allegedly pointed to a temple built 200 years earlier by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Historical sources indicate that Hadrian ordered the construction of a temple over the tomb to establish Roman dominance state religion in a place that was revered by Christians.
According to theologian Eusebius of Caesarea, the Roman temple was demolished and during excavations a stone-hewn tomb was discovered underneath. The top of the cave was cut away to reveal the interior. And a temple was built around her to close the burial place. The Fatimids completely destroyed this temple in 1009, but it was restored in the mid-11th century.
In the 20th century, excavations were carried out inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, during which remains were discovered, according to scientists, of the Temple of Hadrian and the walls of the first Church of Constantine. Archaeologists also found an ancient limestone quarry and at least half a dozen other stone-cut tombs, some of which can still be seen today.
© AFP 2016, Gali Tibbon Work to strengthen the Edicule of the tomb of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
The presence of other tombs from that period is important archaeological evidence, Magness notes. “They show that at the time of Christ this area was indeed a Jewish cemetery outside the walls of Jerusalem.”
The former chief archaeologist of Jerusalem, Dan Bahat, noted: “We cannot be absolutely sure that the stone bed under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is indeed the burial place of Jesus, but we certainly have no other site in respect of which we could make this claim.” the same thing with the same reasons, and we have no reason to reject the authenticity of this place.”
Months of restoration work, decades of research
After 60 hours, the burial bed was again covered with a marble slab, which hid it for centuries or even millennia. “The architectural conservation work we are doing should preserve this site forever,” says Moropoulou. But before the slab was returned to its place, numerous research works were carried out on the surface of the stone.
Archaeologist Martin Biddle, who published a seminal work on the history of the tomb in 1999, believes that the only way to know or understand the reasons why people believe that this is the tomb where Christ's body was laid, according to the New Testament, is to carefully study the data , collected during the time when the burial bed and cave walls were opened.
“You have to carefully, scrupulously examine the surface of the stone for inscriptions,” says Beadle. He refers to other tombs in the area that have great importance, as they are covered with crosses and inscriptions that have been drawn or scratched on the surface.
“The issue of inscriptions is extremely important,” says Beadle. “We know that there are at least half a dozen other stone-cut tombs under different parts of the temple. So why did Bishop Eusebius call this particular tomb the tomb of Christ? He doesn't say, and we don't know. I don’t think Eusebius was wrong, because he was a very good researcher. So there is probably evidence - we just need to find it.”
Meanwhile, a conservation team from the National Technical University of Athens continues restoration work at Edicule. They will strengthen, clean and document every inch of the temple for at least another five months, collecting valuable information that scientists will study for years to come to better understand the origins and history of one of the world's most sacred relics.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively from foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.