Repairs to proceed on Church of Holy Sepulchre

ECUMENICAL AGREEMENT: Decades on, historic accord reached on renovation of Jerusalem's Holy Sepulcher Church (Peter Kenny, ECUMENICAL NEWS).

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of Christianity's best known places of worship which is said to house the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem, but it is rather run down in parts.

The church is run as a consortium consisting of Custodia Terrae Sanctae, a Franciscan order that represents the Catholic Church; the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate; and the Armenian Patriarchate, who do not always agree and Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox churches also have a say.

The agreement assigns each part of the building, every floor tile, door, window and corridor, to a specific church, and any alternation, addition or repair requires all three churches to agree.
The church is located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

After decades of wrangling, however, within two months, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher will begin its first major renovation since Israel was established in 1948, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

[...]

This issue has been quiet for some years, but past posts on it (etc.) are here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. I'm glad to see that some sort of agreement seems to have been reached. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Sepulcher) is built over a number of first-century rock-cut tombs, so it is at least possible that it really is the site of the tomb of Jesus.

Quarry layers excavated at Church of the Holy Sepulcher

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Church of the Holy Sepulchre excavation unveils remains from Constantine's time. The researchers said the rock layers of the stone quarry used during the construction of the church during Constantine’s period had been uncovered (Judith Sudilovsky, Jerusalem Post).

Remains of construction dating back to the period of Roman Emperor Constantine at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher are among the discoveries uncovered during on-going excavations at the Christian holy site since March 2022 as part of a complex two-year project to repair and restore pavement stones of the ancient church.

[...]

For more on the strata with the quarry and the remains of the Hadrianic pagan temple, see here.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), start here and follow the links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Coptic protest at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

POLITICS: Coptic Church Gears Up for a New Fight at Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre. The age-old dispute between this long-suffering sect and its rival, the Ethiopian Church, came to a head last week during a protest against renovations at the sacred site (Nir Hasson, Haaretz premium).

But there’s one dispute between the Coptic and Ethiopian churches that has not waned and once again reared its head last week. The incident involved the forcible dispersal by the Israel Police of a quiet protest by a few Coptic monks, who were objecting to renovations by the Israel Antiquities Authority at St. Michael’s, a chapel at the Holy Sepulchre. The Copts regard the structure as belonging to them, and even though they haven’t had the keys to it for nearly 50 years, they insisted on playing a part in the renovations. The state decided to undertake the work on its own, however, and ran into opposition.

This is not the first such confrontation at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre). I noted another one involving the police back in 2004. It sounds as though the Coptic (and Ethiopic?) Church(es) and the IAA and have reached agreement on undertaking the needed repairs. But there is at least talk of further legal action. I hope all parties are able to reach an understanding without it coming to that.

This article gives detailed background on the relationship between the two churches and their connection with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It is complicated.

Cross-file under Coptic Watch and Ethiopic Watch.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

On the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

INTRODUCTORY: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Is this where Jesus was buried? - explainer. Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Is it really where Jesus Christ was crucified, buried and resurrected? Is Jesus's tomb really there? And what does a single ladder have to do with it? (Aaron Reich, Jerusalem Post).

Here is everything you need to know about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

I am not an expert on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), but this article looks to me to be a good summary of its history, its possible historical significance, its organization, and recent developments around it.

Amusingly, someone (I assume not the author) has introduced a subheader that says "Is Jesus actually buried in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre?" That rather misses the point.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Church, start here and follow the links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was buried?

PODCAST ARTICLE: What does archaeology say about the location of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Ahead of Easter, we walk in the Jerusalem Old City church compound with top archaeologist Prof. Jodi Magness in this audio tour of the history and controversy of a unique holy spot (Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel).

As we tour the church and its surroundings, we see parts of the ruins of earlier stages of the church, including an arguably Christian find that predates the Constantine construction in around 330 CE, as well as remains of earlier structures. By the end of the tour, we see what Magness feels is the best evidence that supports the Christian tradition, although nothing is unambiguous.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), start here (cf. here) and follow the links. Posts relevant to the article above are here and here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

The Holy Sepulcher: quarry, temple, churches

BIBLE HISTORY DAILY: Investigating the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. 5 transformations of the site of the Holy Sepulchre (Megan Souter).

In his article “The Holy Sepulchre in History, Archaeology, and Tradition,” published in the Spring 2021 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Justin L. Kelley examines recent archaeological investigations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. He also walks readers through the relevant texts to reconstruct the site’s rich history. From execution spot to magnificent church, it has gone through quite the transformation! For Bible History Daily readers, we have highlighted five major phases of its history.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy Sepulcher), see here and links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem is still on

IN THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER (HOLY SEPULCHRE): Holy Week ceremonies in Jerusalem to proceed in limited format. Eastern Orthodox churches will still receive Holy Fire from Jerusalem (Lahav Harkov, Jerusalem Post).

One of the most complex ceremonies in Holy Week is the Holy Fire, to take place on the night of April 18 this year.

Orthodox Christians describe Holy Fire as a miracle, which happens the day before Easter each year. Before heading into Jesus’ tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Greet Orthodox Patriarch is checked that he does not have any way to produce fire. Then, he goes into the tomb by himself and comes out with fire. Normally, the fire is distributed among the thousands of people people gathered at the church.

This ceremony has taken place since the year 867, with evidence that it has happened annually, uninterrupted for six to seven centuries.

Then, some of the fire is put into special containers and brought to Ben-Gurion Airport to planes waiting to distributed it to Eastern Christendom via churches in Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and other countries.

The flights are arranged, although the other details are not yet set. We'll see what happens.

The article is not clear whether the Palm Sunday parade in Jerusalem will happen this year, but it won't include the normal large crowd of people.

Ramadan begins this year on 23 April. Whether the Temple Mount will be open that soon remains to be seen.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

4th-century mortar at the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

MATERIAL CULTURE: Mortar Found in 'Tomb of Jesus' Cave Dates to Constantine Era One mystery surrounding the tomb had been the origin and date of the marble slab at the bottom of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Haaretz).

Mortar found in the limestone cave at the bottom of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem has been dated to the time of Emperor Constantine, who reigned in the 4th century C.E., National Geographic reported on Tuesday.

Chemical tests of the mortar between the limestone and the marble slab covering the purported tomb date it to around 345 C.E., NatGeo reports. It certainly could be the tomb found by envoys of Emperor Constantine and the Holy Roman Empire around 20 years earlier.

[...]

This seems a bit gratuitous:

There is no archaeological evidence whatsoever for the existence of Jesus, let alone for the identity of the person who might have been buried in that cave, if any.

I wouldn't expect much in the way of direct archaeological evidence for the existence of a first-century Palestinian itinerant healer. But there is plenty of textual evidence. What we can say about the historical Jesus which goes beyond his mere existence is, of course, a matter of considerable debate. Likewise, we have no way of being sure who was buried in this tomb. The really interesting thing from an archaeological perspective is that it does seem to be a first-century tomb.

More on the recent repairs at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre) is here and links (cf. here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

An ancient garden at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher?

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE: Echoing Gospel account, traces of ancient garden found under Church of Holy Sepulchre. A landmark excavation, set to conclude soon at Old City of Jerusalem church, has offered unprecedented historical insights. ToI gets a sneak peek (Rossella Tercatin, Times of Israel).

“Low stone walls were erected, and the space between them was filled with dirt,” said Stasolla. “The archaeobotanical findings have been especially interesting for us, in light of what is mentioned in the Gospel of John, whose information is considered written or collected by someone familiar with Jerusalem at the time. The Gospel mentions a green area between the Calvary and the tomb, and we identified these cultivated fields.”

A long, detailed article with coverage of the excavation results through the late antiquity. For some PaleoJudaica posts on the recent renovations and excavations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), and much more on the Church, see here and links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Places where Jesus might have been buried?

HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY? These are the places where people think Jesus might be buried — including Japan (Tom Murray, Business Insider, UK).

Last week, the tomb of Jesus Christ was opened for the first time in centuries, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Except that it might not be the tomb of Christ. In fact, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is just one of the places where people think Jesus might have been buried.

As per the nature of the Bible story — that Jesus was resurrected then ascended to heaven — it's pretty much impossible to say definitively what or where the Tomb of Christ is, as it won't contain any remains.

Although there will never be any archaeological evidence of Jesus' body, there are other factors that make certain sites look more probable than others.

In accordance with Jewish custom, researchers know that Jesus would have been buried outside of Jerusalem's city walls. However, soon after Jesus' death, the walls were expanded — meaning that Jesus' burial site could now rest within the modern-day 'Old City' of Jerusalem.

Over time, researchers have found over a thousand 'rock-cut' tombs that match those that Jesus could have been buried in, but only a handful have laid a convincing claim on the son of God's resting place.

See them below ...

Two of these, the ones in India and Japan, just have fanciful legends about Jesus associated with them and aren't in the running in any historical sense. And, as the article notes, the Garden Tomb really is not in the running archaeologically speaking. The Talpiot Tomb is at least from the right time period, but specialists in the New Testament and archaeology have not found the arguments for any connection with Jesus or his family persuasive. On that, see most recently here, here, here, and here, with links to many earlier posts.

The tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre) seems to be from the right period as well, and if we know the place of Jesus' burial, it is the only possibility in the running. But for that matter, it is possible that the tomb narratives in the Gospels are partly or completely legendary and that the place where Jesus was buried is entirely unknown or even that, as was the norm for crucified criminals, his body didn't have any formal burial at all. We just don't know.

It is interesting that when Paul talks about the resurrection of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15, he refers to Jesus being buried (v. 4), but says nothing about a tomb. If he knew about a tomb tradition, it doesn't seem to have been important to him.

For more on the recent restoration work on the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, see here and links.

The keyholder of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

ECUMENICAL: The Muslim Who Holds the Ancient Key to Jesus' Tomb in Jerusalem. As Christian denominations vie for control over the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the 800-year-old key rests with a Muslim man named Adeeb Joudeh (Reuters/Haaretz).

Due to archaeologically-informative restorations, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre) has been in the news recently. For past PaleoJudaica posts on the Church, start here and follow the links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Result of holy-lands church survey

THE BIBLE PLACES BLOG: Favorite Church in the Holy Lands Survey Results. First place went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Follow the link for the rest of the results.

Background here. Some past posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Sepulchre) are here and links.

FINDING JESUS' FORESKIN? Usually I ignore things like this, but I couldn't resist this one. This strange article from AND, South Africa, is so garbled it's hard to say if it's based on anything real:

Christian gravesite found in Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery.

Reprint permission by: Judaistic Review

Issue 14:22 Yeshuhana Journal

25th of Tevet, 5767

By Mitch Ugana

Important Archaeological Find: Christian Gravesite at Mount of Olives

Christian gravesite found in Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery. Christian researchers were invited to Mount Olive Cemetery, just outside the walls of Jerusalem. This sacred site made infamous by the biblical story of Jesus last spot on earth, before leaving on a cloud for heaven.

Summoned by archaeological scholars from Egypt, Rome, Greece and Tunisia, the Christian Scholars are excavating a site which may hold clues to some of the burials of those left behind after Jesus departure. Although the bible doesn’t specifically state the disciple’s place of interment, Mount of Olives is a reasonable place to expect them to be buried. The mainly Jewish graveyard is where the Jews wait until the Messiah comes to take them home.

The finding of a Christian Cross type headstone is what all the fuss is about. This is so unusual, and had gone unnoticed for so many years; until a visitor noticed a stone hidden by an olive tree at the site. When they carefully moved the olive tree, they found a white cross with the Greek inscription, To The God Jesus Christos. This same inscription was found in a ruin adjacent to Megiddo prison in Israel, where a mosaic floor also had written in ancient Greek, “To the God, Jesus Christo.” Some say it may be the burial grounds of the rabbi Jesus himself, but the Christian scholars were quick to point out, that it couldn’t be, as Jesus left on a cloud, as witnessed by Peter, and possibly other disciples, and this was collaborated by two strangers who were present at the time of Jesus passage from earth. YX is the Ancient Greek Inscription for Jesus Christ.

The Christian scholars are interested in the find, but both agree that the finding of the possible prepuce of Jesus is a much greater find. Jesus, being Jewish, and of devout parents would have had his ritual circumcision on the 8th day after his birth. The prepuce would have been expected to be kept by his Mother Mary, as only she knew for sure he was the son of God. They surmise she may have buried Jesus prepuce in a ritual box, and in a location where Mary felt it would be safe. This only remnant of Jesus left on earth, is a subject of great interest to scholars. What will the DNA reveal and what does this mean for Christian’s worldwide?

The article obviously belongs in the crank file, but I wonder if it is vaguely inspired by the Akeldema ossuaries excavated by Shimon Gibson, which included the "shroud of the leper" and perhaps the James Ossuary (in it's original form, whatever that was). The findings at the Megiddo prison are much later and are not of relevance for the time of Jesus, so any similar discovery at the Mount of Olives (if there actually has been one, which I don't know) is likely to be irrelevant as well. Any reference to burial grounds of Jesus is the wildest of speculation, although the garbled allusion to Acts 1:6-11 is really neither here nor there.

For the record, I know of no evidence that foreskins of circumcised Jewish infants were saved in antiquity. So don't get your hopes up about recovering Jesus' DNA.

UPDATE (18 January): It seems the holy prepuce has a long and illustrious history (if that's the right term). Reader Robert S. Schwartz e-mails to point to the "Holy Prepuce" Wikipedia article, which I will repost here (but you have to go to the article itself to follow all the links). Apparently the traditions go back to apocryphal infancy gospel material. And the relics were put to some very creative uses (note, for example, the applications reported of St. Bridget and Leo Allatius).

Holy Prepuce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Holy Prepuce, or Holy Foreskin (Latin præputium or prepucium) is one of several relics attributed to Jesus. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess it, sometimes at the same time. Various miraculous powers have been ascribed to it.

Contents


* 1 Theological origin
* 2 Claimants
* 3 Modern practices
* 4 Historical allusions and references to the Holy Prepuce
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

Theological origin

As a Jew, Jesus would have been expected to be circumcised on his 8th day after birth.

According to the apocryphal Infancy Gospels, after Jesus' circumcision in a cave, Mary's midwife placed the foreskin in an alabaster jar filled with spikenard, a preservative, which she gave to her son, admonishing him "Guard well this jar of aromatic nard and do not sell it, even when they offer you 300 denarii". [1]

According to legend, the prepuce was eventually given to St. John the Baptist by Mary Magdalene. [2]

Since the circumcision removed his foreskin, this raises the question of what happened to it once Jesus had ascended forty days after his death. Some ancient Christians believed that Jesus ascended bodily, hence implying that Jesus' foreskin would be one of the few physical remainders of Jesus left behind on Earth, unless it had been restored to him during his resurrection, and by the fourth century this became the traditional stance.

There was also some theological dispute as to whether Jesus can really be said to have ascended wholly into Heaven if this part of his body was actually missing. This was resolved by noting that his foreskin was no more an obstacle to this than the hair and fingernails that he had cut throughout his life or the blood he shed. The Jewish custom of burying the foreskin in the earth would, however, seem to argue against its preservation, and hence its ability to be a relic.

Some argue that when God achieves something by miracle, it is arbitrary to propose limits to what that miracle can restore. In Mark 12:18-25, Jesus responded to the Sadducees' question about marriage after the resurrection, saying that "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven." (KJV) This suggests that the resurrected dead may have certain anatomical differences that may make the question irrelevant. But then again, he may have restored the foreskin in heaven without taking the discarded one away from earth.

The act of circumcision was a ritual of profound religious significance to Jews, and marked their membership in the covenant community. The New Testament contains extensive discussions about whether circumcision was needed for Gentile converts, and concludes that it was not; the position settled upon is that Jesus' crucifixion established a new covenant for Christians for which the rite was not necessary.

The modern, peri'ah style of circumcision did not become the standard mode until around the time of the revolt led by Simon bar Kokhba in AD 132–135, whereas the style of circumcision practised by Jews in Judea prior to bar Kokhba removed only the 'tip' of the foreskin, not all of it. Thus modern, and probably medieval, ideas of what Jesus'foreskin would be like were, and are, wide of the mark.[citation needed]

Claimants

"Depending on what you read, there were eight, twelve, fourteen, or even 18 different holy foreskins in various European towns during the Middle Ages". [3] The relic was originally said to have been given to Pope Leo III on December 25, 800 by Charlemagne on the occasion of his coronation; he in turn is said to have claimed that it had been brought to him by an angel while he prayed at the Holy Sepulcher (although another version of the story says it was a wedding gift from the Byzantine Empress Irene). The Pope placed it into the Sancta Sanctorum in the Lateran basilica in Rome with other relics. [4]

In addition to the Holy Foreskin claimed by Rome, other claimants in history have included the Cathedral of Le Puy-en-Velay, Santiago de Compostela, the city of Antwerp, Coulombs in the diocese of Chartres, France as well as Chartres itself, and churches in Besançon, Metz, Hildesheim, Charroux, Conques, Langres, Anvers, Fécamp, Puy-en-Velay, Calcata, Santiago de Compostela, and two in Auvergne. [3]

According to legends of the village of Calcata, in 1527 a soldier in the German army sacking Rome looted the Sancta Sanctorum; when he was eventually captured in the village he hid the jeweled reliquary containing the Holy Prepuce in his cell, where it was discovered in 1557 and officially venerated by the Church since that time, offering a ten year indulgence to pilgrims. Calcata thus became a popular site for pilgrimmage.[4]

The abbey of Charroux claimed the Holy Foreskin was presented to the monks by Charlemagne. In the early 12th century, it was taken in procession to Rome where it was presented before Pope Innocent III, who was asked to rule on its authenticity. The Pope declined the opportunity. At some point, however, the relic went missing, and remained lost until 1856 when a workman repairing the abbey claimed to have found a reliquary hidden inside a wall, containing the missing foreskin. The rediscovery, however, led to a theological clash with the established Holy Prepuce of Calcata, which had been officially venerated by the Church for hundreds of years; in 1900, the Church solved the dilemma by ruling that anyone thenceforward writing or speaking of the Holy Prepuce would be excommunicated. In 1954, after much debate, the punishment was changed to the harsher degree of excommunication, vitandi (shunned); and the Second Vatican Council later removed the Day of the Holy Circumcision from the church calendar .[5]

Modern practices

Most of the objects reputed to be the Holy Prepuce were lost or destroyed during the Reformation and the French Revolution. [5]

Calcata is worthy of special mention, as the reliquary containing the Holy Foreskin was paraded through the streets of this Italian village as recently as 1983 on the Feast of the Circumcision, which was formerly marked by the Roman Catholic Church around the world on January 1 each year. The practice ended, however, when thieves stole the jewel-encrusted case, contents and all. [5] Following this theft, it is unclear whether any of the purported Holy Prepuces still exist. In a 1997 television documentary for Channel 4, British journalist Miles Kington travelled to Italy in search of the Holy Foreskin, but was unable to find any remaining example.
According to 17th century theologian Leo Allatius (Leone Allacci), the foreskin may have divinely ascended to become the rings of Saturn.
According to 17th century theologian Leo Allatius (Leone Allacci), the foreskin may have divinely ascended to become the rings of Saturn.

Historical allusions and references to the Holy Prepuce

Apart from its physical importance as a relic, the Holy Foreskin is sometimes claimed to have appeared in a famous vision of Saint Catherine of Siena. In the vision, Jesus mystically marries her, and his amputated foreskin is given to her as a wedding ring. [6] However, this has not been traced any earlier than a seventeenth-century anti-Catholic parody, and as such is of dubious credibility.

Because the sweet scent that the relic was supposed to give off was reputed to enhance fertility and ease childbirth, when Catherine of Valois was pregnant in 1421, her husband, King Henry V of England, sent to Coulombs for the Holy Prepuce. According to this legend, it did its job so well that Henry was reluctant to return it after the birth of the child (the future King Henry VI of England).[6]

Saint Bridget was said to have received the Holy Prepuce from an angel, and would experience "orgasm-like sensations" when she would place bits of it on her tongue.[6]

During the late 17th century, Catholic scholar and theologian Leo Allatius in De Praeputio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Diatriba ("Discussion concerning the Prepuce of our Lord Jesus Christ") speculated that the Holy Foreskin may have ascended into Heaven at the same time as Jesus himself and might have become the rings of Saturn, then only recently observed by telescope.

Voltaire, in A Treatise of Toleration (1763), ironically referred to veneration of the Holy Foreskin as being one of a number of superstitions that were "much more reasonable... than to detest and persecute your brother". [7]

Umberto Eco, in his book Baudolino, has the young Baudolino invent a story about seeing the holy foreskin and navel in Rome to the company of Friedrich Barbarosa.

See also

* Circumcision
* Holy Umbilical Cord
* Shroud of Turin
* True Cross

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Boussel, Patrice; Des Reliques et de Leur Bon Usage, 1971.
3. ^ a b [2]
4. ^ a b [3]
5. ^ a b c "Fore Shame", David Farley, Slate.com, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2006
6. ^ a b c [4]
7. ^ [5]

* Müller, Alphons Victor: Die hochheilige Vorhaut Christi im Kult und in der Theologie der Papstkirche. Berlin 1907.
* Shell, Marc: "The Holy Foreskin; or, Money, Relics, and Judeo-Christianity." Jews and Other Differences: The New Jewish Cultural Studies. Ed. Jonathan Boyarin and Daniel Boyarin. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota P, 1997.

External links

* Relics article from the Catholic Encyclopedia
* The Relics of Romanism article at the European Institute of Protestant Studies (anti-Catholic site)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Prepuce"

Categories: Articles with unsourced statements | Circumcision | Relics attributed to Jesus | Famous body parts

(# This page was last modified 02:49, 29 December 2006.
# All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License)

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is closed.

ANOTHER CLOSURE: Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre closes amid coronavirus fears (Reuters/Yahoo). Initially for a week, starting yesterday.

For many past PaleoJudaica posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), see here, here, and here, and follow the links.

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Architectural ideology in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Commemorating Jesus: Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jordan J. Ryan).

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy Sepulcher), see here and links and here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

On Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre

THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST TODAY: Commemorating Jesus: Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jordan J. Ryan).

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are commemorated, looms the largest of the early commemorative churches in Christian memory, imagination, and history. Its original construction was begun circa 325-326 CE in the wake of the Council of Nicaea and in tandem with the celebration of the twentieth year of the Emperor Constantine’s reign. It was finally dedicated ten years later as part of the celebration of Constantine’s thirty-year jubilee in 336 CE.

For some PaleoJudaica posts on the recent renovations and excavations in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre), and much more on the Church, see the links collected here, plus here and here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

New films on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

IT HAS REOPENED: Sacred and profane collide in two new films on Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Even as church reopens from coronavirus closure, two documentaries portray complex modern struggles at site where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, buried and resurrected (Renee Ghert-Zand, Times of Israel).

It was news to me that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy Sepulcher) reopened on Sunday. For past posts on the Church, with some attention to internal territorial disputes, see here and links.

For the Holy Fire Ceremony on Orthodox Easter, see here and links

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

The Holy Sepulchre tomb uncovered in renovations

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: Exclusive: Christ's Burial Place Exposed for First Time in Centuries. Restorers working in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Israel uncover stone slab venerated as the resting place of Jesus Christ (Kristin Romey).

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL For the first time in centuries, scientists have exposed the original surface of what is traditionally considered the tomb of Jesus Christ. Located in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem, the tomb has been covered by marble cladding since at least 1555 A.D., and most likely centuries earlier.

"The marble covering of the tomb has been pulled back, and we were surprised by the amount of fill material beneath it,” said Fredrik Hiebert, archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, a partner in the restoration project. “It will be a long scientific analysis, but we will finally be able to see the original rock surface on which, according to tradition, the body of Christ was laid."

[...]

Whoever may have been buried there (and I neither insist on nor exclude Jesus), this is an excellent opportunity for scholars and archaeologists to study a rock-cut tomb that probably dates to the first-century CE. At least the other tombs nearby fit that description. Todd Bolen has some helpful background on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy Sepulcher) at BiblePlaces.com. Background on the current renovations to the Church are here (cf. here) and links.

Easter 2022

HAPPY EASTER to all those celebrating. My 2021 Easter post with links is here. See also here.

My 2016 Easter post contains links leading to biblical and related passages concerning Easter and to correct information on the origin of the word. And this post gives biblical references for the Passion narrative.

And yes, I do know about the "ancient" altar recently discovered in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre). It's an important discovery, but it is medieval, not ancient, so outside of PaleoJudaica's main range. But if you're interested, follow the link.

UPDATE (18 April): More on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Holy Sepulchre) here.

UPDATE (26 April): More on Easter here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.

Professional pilgrim graffiti in Church of the Holy Sepulcher?

TECHNOLOGY WATCH: 3D imaging sheds light on Holy Sepulchre 'graffiti' (Reuters). Video essay with transcription.

Imaging technology indicates that the "graffiti" (inscribed crosses) was executed by professional masons, presumably hired by medieval pilgrims.

For many PaleoJudaica posts on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Holy Sepulcher), start here and just follow those links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.