Archaeologists Open The Tomb Of Jesus For The First Time In Hundreds of Years

At the heart of this journey lies Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, home to the tomb of Jesus. Here, Jesus was laid to rest after his death on the cross, making it his most universally accepted burial site to date.

To this day, the exact location of Jesus’ burial has yet to be proven archaeologically. However, historians agree that the tomb is in the Edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Embark on a journey through time to uncover the burial site of Jesus, arguably the most influential figure in history.

The tomb of Jesus, one of the holiest sites in Christianity, is encased in structures similar to a Russian nesting doll. Historians believe Jesus was laid to rest in a cave carved from a rock wall.

Even though Jesus had died three centuries before, Helena and her companion, Eusebius, a bishop in the area, refused to give up. After an incredible odyssey, they finally located a Roman temple believed to be the burial site of Jesus.

This tomb was said to have a long shelf or burial bed made of limestone – a Jewish tradition – where Jesus’ body was laid out after being taken down from the cross. This ancient discovery offers an interesting insight into the life of Jesus and the burial practices of his people.

To safeguard the tomb of Jesus, they installed a marble slab over the burial site in 1555 and kept it sealed ever since, not wanting visitors to touch this sacred site. This remarkable shrine remains a popular destination for pilgrims from across the globe.

But renovating the church has proven to be challenging as its custodianship is shared by three major Christian denominations: the Roman Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, and the Armenian Apostolic. Over the years, these denominations have struggled to find common ground, making the restoration of the church no easy feat.

In the same vein, this was extended to the tomb of Jesus. No one wanted to risk something so historically and spiritually significant, so the church and the tomb were left untouched despite their deterioration.

Despite their differences, the monks and priests had concluded that it was time for another cleanup. With archaeologists from around the world eagerly awaiting the revelation of what was inside, the restoration project promised to uncover mysteries that had been hidden for centuries. What wonders would be revealed?

But a team of archaeologists embarked on the most audacious mission yet: to prove or disprove whether the Edicule in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the final resting place of Jesus. With the help of modern technology, their findings will have a huge impact on Christianity.

However, two crucifixion sites were uncovered, one in 1968 near Jerusalem, and one in 2018 in Italy, providing more evidence that the Edicule may hold the truth. Join us as we uncover the mysteries of the Church of Holy Sepulchre and discover the real tomb of Jesus.

Many historians have assumed that the Edicule must have been destroyed, yet a miracle occurred – it survived. Rediscover the miracle of the Edicule and the story of how it endured centuries of destruction.

The team’s findings revealed that the church was built to cover up a pre-Christian religion, and it was discovered to have been a temple to either the Roman god Jupiter or the goddess Venus. More recently, a new excavation team has been assembled to uncover the secrets of this ancient sanctuary.

Corbo suggested that the church’s enclosure should be in the same place as the temple’s enclosure, and if that’s true, this lends support to Edicule being in the same place as it always was. 

Recent discoveries, however, have lent legitimacy to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre housing Jesus’ tomb by revealing that the city walls have expanded over time. Thus resolving the dilemma of the Edicule today being inside the city walls when the Bible states that the burial took place outside the city walls.

Primarily, the existing structure should be maintained. First, the excavation team targeted the water damage and mold, followed by reinforcing the Edicule’s exterior and finally excavating Jesus’ tomb. The mission was to bring this ancient and hallowed place back to its former glory.

The most riveting moment of the renovation came when the excavation team got to the slab of marble that had been sealed by Franciscan monks centuries ago and moved it for the first time. This was a moment that the team and the monks had been looking forward to most during the entire restoration process.

Finally, their hard work paid off when, underneath the rubble, a new surprise was revealed. What secrets did this ancient burial chamber contain? Only further exploration could show the truth.

And embedded in it was a breathtaking sight – a cross carved in the center of the stone, revealing a long-forgotten history. This astonishing discovery left the team in awe – they knew they had discovered something truly remarkable.

While there was no consensus, one thing was certain: the marble was at least 500 years old, as old as the surrounding walls. What could it be, and what mysteries did it hold? Join the historians in the quest to unravel this 500-year-old mystery!

After a year of analysis, the results were in: the exact date of the chamber was revealed. Despite the complexity of the task, the team was determined to find the true date of the slab – and they succeeded!

This was around the same time when the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by Constantine. Analysis of the mortar sample from the wall of the tomb also matched the slab. This discovery was a huge development as it confirmed the veracity of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre’s Edicule.

Dating the second marble slab inside the Edicule provided a big breakthrough one that scholars, historians, scientists, and archaeologists are now examining and further exploring. Unfortunately, the restoration of the church was already complete and the chamber was again sealed, making it highly unlikely that the marble slabs will be opened anytime soon.

Even though Protestants and some archaeologists remain adamant that Jesus’ tomb is located in the Garden Tomb outside of Jerusalem, no other site can lay as strong a claim to being the burial site as this one.