The Tomb of Jesus

We should have posted something about this closer to Easter, but even though our timing is a bit off, this is still really cool information.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem is said to contain the site where Jesus was crucified. The area is known as Calvary or Golgotha, and the place believed to be the tomb of Jesus is also located in the same area. The marble covering protecting the original limestone slab believed to be the place where Jesus was laid was actually removed for restoration and cleaning in 2016, which was the first time the tomb had been opened to reveal the original slab since 1555. We say "alleged" because the location of Jesus' burial has yet to be proven archaeologically, but it would make sense that the tomb would be around the same area as the place of death, especially considering the other persons Jesus was crucified with. It was not uncommon during that time period for people who were labeled as criminals to be placed near the execution site in a mass grave sort of situation. Back the alleged tomb of Jesus, since at least 1555 (and it's speculated to have been there centuries before) the limestone burial bed has been covered in marble cladding seemingly to keep Christian pilgrims from removing bits of the original bedding as a souvenir. When we say covered in marble, we mean completely encased such that it would take a team of people to completely remove the marble pieces to get to the burial bed.

If you're interested in viewing/watching that process, there is a fascinating video that covers the restoration of the tomb of Jesus on National Geographic. Of course, the restoration team is just as curious as anyone else and wanted to take some time to date both the marble and the burial bed in order to get more accurate ages on both structures, but as soon as restoration was complete, the tomb was re-sealed with marble and who knows when it will be opened again. Despite this, it seems the team was able to date the tomb around the year 29, but more research needs to be done before conclusions can be drawn.

Why is it so difficult to have the tomb unsealed? This is not just because it is a religious site but also because there are three different entities who control the site and all three must agree to whatever conditions are presented for the site. Over the years, these entities have struggled to find common ground, making even the restoration effort difficult to pass.

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