The tomb of Christ was opened that there was a shock. What archaeologists found when they opened the Holy Sepulcher
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 cannot verify this information, of course. However, there is no direct evidence that the man known as Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by members of the Roman administration of Judea and buried after the crucifixion, so historians admit that the Holy Sepulcher could be the real burial place of Jesus.
The long history of the Holy Sepulcher and difficult organized Temple, erected in different centuries by Christian rulers, we already told. Let us repeat briefly: it all started with St. Helen, who came to Golgotha in the 4th century and discovered a cave with a burial bed (according to some sources, there was already a temple on this site, founded by the Roman emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century). In 1555 (and possibly even earlier) the bed was covered with a marble slab, as it is believed, to protect against souvenir lovers. Since then, no one has raised the stove, and to XXI century historians have a great desire to find out what is inside.
The main question that archaeologists posed for themselves was this: why did Saint Helena think 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 was a filler - a layer of stone material. Beneath it was another marble slab with a cross carved in stone, and underneath it was a limestone slab, which is considered to be the burial bed.
The first conclusion: in seven centuries of worship, no one has moved the shrine; the stone bed found by St. Helena remained in its original place. There was also circumstantial evidence that the cave was used for burial according to the Jewish rite at the beginning of the first century AD.
According to the Gospels, the body of Christ was placed in a cave on Calvary, which belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy disciple of Jesus. Jewish tradition forbade the burial of the dead within the city, so the limestone cliffs around Jerusalem hide many cave burials. On Calvary, not far from the Temple, a quarry and stones were found that were used to build a burial bed for the deceased. The environment of the cave located inside the temple and the design of the contents of the tomb correspond to the burial traditions of the beginning of the first century, the 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 around the world, served as the burial place of someone whom Christians consider a prophet and messiah.
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 over the centuries numerous destruction, damage and reconstruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Jerusalem surrounding it.
The tomb, which is the most revered place in Christian world, 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 facing - presumably so that pilgrims do not steal 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 fill material on 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, a few hours before the closing of the tomb, they saw the original limestone burial bed in an intact state.
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Foreign Policy 19.06.2016“I am completely shocked. My knees even tremble a little, because I didn’t expect it,” said National Geographic archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert. "We can't say 100%, but it looks like visual evidence that the location of the tomb hasn't changed over time - something scientists and historians have been thinking 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 in the south inner wall of the chapel to open one of the cave walls.
“This is a sacred bed that has been bowed down for centuries, but only now has it been actually seen,” said Antonia Moropoulou, who is in charge of the conservation and restoration of Kuvuklia.
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 in fact the burial place of Jesus of Nazareth. However, circumstantial evidence indicates that representatives of the Roman emperor Constantine correctly identified the place of burial 300 years later.
The first indications of the burial of Jesus are given by the Four Gospels, or the first four books of the New Testament, which were compiled around the year 30 AD, several decades after the crucifixion of Christ. There are discrepancies in the details, but these books quite consistently and consistently describe how Christ was buried in a stone-hewn tomb that belonged 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 had one or more tombs with long niches carved in stone on the sides, on which the bodies of the dead were laid.
“It all fits in well with what we know about how wealthy Jews in Jesus’ day buried their dead,” says Magness. — Of course, this is not a historical proof of this event. But this suggests that whatever sources formed the basis of the Four Gospels, the narrators were familiar with this tradition and with funeral customs.
Outside the city walls
Jewish tradition forbade the burial of the dead inside the city, and the New Testament clearly states that Jesus was buried outside of Jerusalem, not far from the place of his crucifixion at Golgotha. A few years after the burial, the boundaries of Jerusalem were expanded, and Golgotha, along with the tomb, were inside the city.
When representatives of Constantine arrived in Jerusalem in about 325 in search of the tomb, they were allegedly pointed to a temple erected 200 years earlier by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Historical sources indicate that Hadrian ordered the construction of a temple over the tomb in order to establish the dominance of the Roman state religion in the place that the Christians revered.
According to the theologian Eusebius of Caesarea, the Roman temple was demolished, and during the excavations under it, a stone-cut tomb was discovered. The upper part of the cave was cut off so that its inner part could be seen. And a temple was built around it to close the burial place. The Fatimids in 1009 completely destroyed this temple, but in the middle of the 11th century it was restored.
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 have 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 Reinforcing 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 in the time of Christ the area was indeed a Jewish cemetery outside the walls of Jerusalem.”
Former Jerusalem chief archaeologist Dan Bahat said: “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 do not have another object in relation to which one could claim that the same with the same reasons, and we have no reason to deny 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 that we are doing should keep this object 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 landmark 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 the body of Christ was laid according to the New Testament is to carefully study the data. collected during the time when the burial bed and the walls of the cave were open.
“We need to carefully, scrupulously examine the surface of the stone for the presence of inscriptions,” says Beadle. He refers to other tombs in the area that have great importance, since they are covered with crosses and inscriptions that have been painted or scrawled on the surface.
“The issue of inscriptions is extremely important,” says Beadle. - We know that under different parts The temple has at least half a dozen other stone-cut tombs. So why did Bishop Eusebius call this particular tomb the tomb of Christ? He does not speak, and we do not know. I do not think that Eusebius was wrong, because he was a very good researcher. So there is certainly evidence - they just need to be found. ”
Meanwhile, the conservation team from the National Technical University of Athens continues restoration work at Kuvuklia. They will fortify, clean and document every inch of the temple for at least another five months, gathering valuable information that scientists will study for years to come to better understand the origin and history of one of the world's most sacred relics.
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A few days ago, all major world publications published an incredible message: for the first time since the 16th century, the tomb of Jesus Christ was opened in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Many historians were sure that the cave that St. Helena "appointed" the tomb of Jesus Christ (three centuries after famous events), has not been preserved - it collapsed or was destroyed over many centuries in a city with a very difficult fate.
However, GPR scanning showed that the walls of the tomb were in place. According to the radar, Kuvuklia (a chapel erected over the tomb) really hides a cave carved into the rock about two meters high.
To the amazement of scientists, a certain “stone material” was found under the removed slab - research on the samples taken is still ahead, but in appearance the “material” resembles packed stone dust left after construction or repair work carried out by Franciscan monks in the 1550s.
Removal of the first marble slab from the tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Photo: Dusan Vranic, AP for National Geographic
Last Thursday, the restorers removed the medieval "rubble", under which, quite unexpectedly for the researchers, there was a second marble slab.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a building of the XII century, standing on the ruins of a temple of the IV century, erected by order of St. Helena and her son, Emperor Constantine the Great. Archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic's partner in the restoration project, suggested that the second slab dates back to the 12th century - that is, it is the first chronologically. She was covered with the burial bed of Christ after the temple of the 4th century was destroyed in the 11th century and later rebuilt. A small single cross is carved on the grayish marble - it is more than likely that the crusaders installed this slab over the tomb.
The slab has long cracked, light limestone is visible under it. "Unbelievable... this could be the real burial bed of Christ!" Hebert exclaimed at that moment. "We still have a lot to do."
The second slab discovered during the opening of the tomb of Jesus Christ. Beneath it is a stone elevation on which the body of Christ could rest. Photo: Oded Balilty, AP for National Geographic
Representatives of six Christian denominations, jointly managing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, gave scientists only 60 hours to carry out excavations and restoration work in the Holy of Holies. An international team of specialists worked day and night to explore the interior of the cave before Friday evening.
What were the scientists looking for in the few hours allotted to them? Any hint that this cave was chosen by Saint Helena is not accidental. In particular, they were looking for Christian graffiti. "The surface of the stone has to be examined extremely carefully, literally scrupulously, looking for graffiti," archaeologist Martin Biddle told National Geographic, citing other tombs in the area, whose walls are covered with crosses and inscriptions scratched by believers in soft limestone.
"We will seal the tomb as soon as we have done the necessary research," said Professor Antonia Moropoulou, head of the restoration project at the National Technical University of Athens. On Friday evening, the tomb was again sealed - they say, for the next few centuries.
The restorers managed to strengthen certain sections of the tomb with lime mortar, but before that the interior was tightly closed - not a single particle of the mortar fell on the stone elevation, which is considered to be the burial bed of Christ.
A small fragment of the tomb will still remain visible, according to an Associated Press correspondent in a report on The Washington Post website. Last Thursday, restorers carved a rectangular window into the marble wall of Kuvuklia. From now on, pilgrims will be able to see part of the southern wall of the tomb, carved 2000 years ago in the thickness of the limestone rock near Jerusalem and absorbed by the city over the centuries.
Now the team will split up: some will begin to study the samples taken in the tomb, others will begin the restoration of the Kuvuklia chapel, which is in a deplorable state. Restoration work will continue until spring. next year Specifically, before Easter.
Specialists from Russia are still skeptical about the work in Jerusalem
In Jerusalem - the tomb, where, as it is believed, Jesus Christ was buried after death on the cross. This news has everyone's attention. However, so far the information coming from the Holy City is very scarce. And even confused. We spoke with experts about whether we can expect any significant discoveries.
After the crucifixion, Pilate asked the body of Christ to be given to Joseph of Arimathea. And “he laid him in his new tomb, which he carved in the rock” – this is how the burial of Jesus Christ is described in the 27th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
According to the chronicles, later St. Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I, found the place of the grave of the Son of God. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher has been standing in this place for many centuries in Jerusalem. It is there that the current excavations are taking place.
I have been to this sacred place for Christians several times, the last time was quite recently. However, those photo and video shootings that can now be seen on the Internet and in the media cause me bewilderment, - says the director Science Center fundamental research in the field of natural sciences, candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences Alexander Koltypin. - The fact is that I do not understand where exactly the work is being done.
The core of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the cuvuklia - the inner underground chapel. In the depths of it is a stone bed, on which, according to legend, the body of the Savior lay after burial.
But those “pictures” that are now being broadcast by news agencies do not at all resemble the interiors of Kuvuklia. It is much more likely that the workers lifted a marble slab over the Stone of Anointing, which lies in the central vestibule of the temple (according to legend, the body of Christ was placed on this stone after removing it from the cross, and it was here that the body was prepared for burial, having anointed it with the world and aloe - Auth.)... Yes, and the text of the Russian-language explanations published here is very incomprehensible, perhaps some confusion arose when translating from a foreign source.
It is reported that studies are to be carried out to identify the "original surface of the stone" on which the body of Jesus lay. As a specialist geologist, tell me if modern scientific methods to determine the age of this grave and make sure that the burial took place in it more than 2,000 years ago?
You can, of course, try to find and scrape off the crusts of mineral deposits formed on the stone walls and analyze them, but this is hardly the case. this case will give a satisfactory result. Indeed, by geological standards, two millennia is a very short time interval. Real help in dating could be provided by carbon analysis, but for this it is necessary to find during the ongoing excavations at least a small fragment of carbon-containing material - coal, a piece of wood that accidentally fell into the grave during those biblical events. The question is whether archaeologists will be lucky to make such a find...
The well-known researcher of Eastern antiquities Viktor Solkin also commented on the course of a unique and strange archaeological operation at the same time to open the vaults of the crypt in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem.
- Archaeologists are archaeologists, what do they want to find out for themselves in principle?
The New Testament history is of concern to many specialists, primarily from Israel, because they want to find some significant or simply noticeable confirmation of the events that we read about in the Gospels.
In the era of late antiquity and the Middle Ages, a large number of places were formed on the territory of Palestine, which began to be considered holy; in particular, Empress Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, during a pilgrimage to Palestine, discovered some evidence that one of the places she visited was the burial place of Christ.
The details of what exactly she found there, how she identified this place, why she chose it, unfortunately, history did not convey to us. As a result, it was decided, first as part of the restoration work, then as part of a research project, at least to open the vaults to see what stone fragments could be there - what exactly attracted Elena's attention?
Of course, with modern methods, attention to detail, some discoveries can be made there. But so far it is very, very early to talk about any real archaeological and scientific significance of this project.
- And why then everything?
In my opinion, there is an echo of a trend in archeology that is now very fashionable for a certain study of myths. Not from the point of view of evidence - was there the tomb of Christ or not, but so that there was some factual basis under the legend or religious dogma. It is clear that on the part of religious figures and the public, the reaction will be ambiguous, especially since the press is greedy for bright headlines, such as “The Holy Sepulcher Has Been Opened”; and in general, any excavations in places sacred to different confessions are always problematic: penetrating into the objects of faith is a very difficult task.
However, due to the fact that the project began precisely as a restoration project, there will be benefits from it. The vault of the crypt will be conserved, put in order, and further studied. But it's just about that...
- That is, most likely, the researchers will not find anything there?
I think yes. In the event that fundamentally new finds are made related to historical burials that could be at this place, then we will learn quite a lot about the forms of the funeral ritual and the features of individual monuments of this region, characteristic of the Roman period. But I repeat, if they find something. Maybe there are some kind of tombs in principle. And then we will specify what was the funeral ritual in Judaea of Roman times. And this helpful information. The project has just started and needs to be monitored. But in any case, do not jump to conclusions.
The marble slab that covered the tomb has been severely damaged over the years, according to National Geographic. It was installed no later than 1555 to prevent pilgrims from trying to break off a piece as a keepsake.
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The researchers spent 60 hours removing the filling layer under the outer surface and, shortly before the completion of the work, they found a marble slab with an engraved Christian cross. The "Sacred Stone" remained untouched.
"I'm shocked. My knees are shaking a little because I didn't expect this. We can't speak with 100% certainty, but it looks like this is material evidence that the location of the tomb has not changed. Scholars and historians have been wrestling with this for decades." , - said the chief archaeologist Fredrik Hiebert.
No less surprising was another fact. It was proved that the walls of the tomb inside the cuvuklia (a small chapel where the Holy Sepulcher is located) also survived.
Recall that archaeologists for the first time in 500 years opened the tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. They are trying to figure out why St. Helena, who was excavating in Jerusalem, decided that Jesus Christ was buried in her.
