After the crucifixion of Jesus and his removal to the tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea (the tomb was actually purchased by Joseph for himself and was located inside the gardens of his home nearby), with the help of Nicodemus, the body was prepared hastily “as the Sabbath approached” and then the tomb was sealed.
As the word of the Gospels spread over centuries, a shrine was built around this tomb that was ordered by Emperor Constantine, until finally the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was erected. In the 1940s, British authorities installed an array of additions, two of which included a limestone cover that was placed over the top of the limestone slab on which Jesus’ body rested in shrouds, as well as a small barred window through which pilgrims could peer into the tomb itself.
As the decades rolled by, it was apparent that there were structural issues with the church and Israeli officials inspecting the building were concerned that it would collapse. The three churches that shared a hand in guarding the holy sepulcher inside the church decided to hire Greek masons and builders from Athens who were experts in the restoration of ancient sites. When the Greek workers finished their assessment, they gave the bad news to the church leaders: They would have to shut down the church for at least a year to do these restorations.
During this time, the masons and builders made numerous constructions renovations that included injections of solidifying agents inside stone and titanium bolts inside beams to stabilize the structure. When they turned their attention to the holy tomb, they opted to open up the entrance once again, removing the concrete that was placed there after the turn of the 20th century.
Inside the tomb (or edicule), the workers determined that the mortar that surrounded the newer limestone cover which was lain over the limestone table should be removed completely so that the surface of the slab could be revealed to pilgrims upon their visit. What they found was astonishing.
On October 26, the team entered the inner sanctum of the shrine, the burial chamber of Jesus, and temporarily slid open an old marble layer covering the bedrock where Jesus’ body is said to have been placed.
Below the outer marble layer was a white rose marble slab engraved with a cross, which the team dated to the late Crusader period of the 14th century.
Beneath that marble slab was an even older, grey marble slab protecting the bedrock, and mortar on the slab dates to the 4th century, when Roman Emperor Constantine ordered the Church of the Holy Sepulcher built.
The restorers cut a small window from the shrine’s marble walls for pilgrims to see – for the first time – the bare stone of the ancient burial cave.
‘It seems we are in front of levels of history that are validated,’ said Antonia Moropoulou, who supervised the renovation.
Gone was the unsightly iron cage built around the shrine by British authorities in 1947 to shore up the walls and the black soot on the shrine’s stone façade from decades of pilgrims lighting candles.
And gone were fears about the stability of the old shrine, which hadn’t been restored in more than 200 years.
‘If this intervention hadn’t happened now, there is a very great risk that there could have been a collapse,’ Bonnie Burnham of the World Monuments Fund said.
‘This is a complete transformation of the monument.’
The fund provided an initial $1.4 million (£1 million) for the $4 million (£3 million) restoration, thanks to a donation by the widow of the founder of Atlantic Records.
Once again, lending credence to accounts by the Holy Bible in so far as accuracy of historical events is concerned, science has proven that the words printed there are 100% correct!
It cannot be said with any seriousness that the Bible is pure fantasy when, time after time, the cynics are proven wrong. The Today Show on NBC captioned the National Geographic documentary series, not with an overlay that read, “NATGEO proves that the tomb of Jesus is as old as was claimed!” No, they took a different approach. “Is this the tomb of Christ?”
Well, we’ve only been saying that for 2,000 years! Or haven’t you heard?
Chalk another victory up to science which once more proves that the Holy Bible is what it claims to be and, much to the consternation of Bill Maher, happens to have a perfect record.
Source: The Daily Mail
You’re right, just more nonsense! Death? Resurrection? Complete nonsense = mythology of the worst kind, the absolute worst!
I don’t know. I just pray.