Tomb Raider
Finally, the slab covering the ancient tomb was being lifted after decades of campaigning for a closer look. She was still reeling from the news that they’d been given permission to uncover “Christ’s tomb,” but now she was actually holding the slab in her shaking hands.
Holding her breath, she peered inside. What she saw was more than she could have hoped for.
Sacred Church
The Church of Holy Sepulchre is just about the most sacred church in the world. Aside from being an architectural marvel, the holy building is believed to have been built upon the site of two pivotal biblical events.
The first is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which already had Chief Scientific Supervisor Antonia Moropoulou giddy at the thought of what she might find now she’d been granted permission to investigate. And the second event would lead to the most thrilling moment in her entire career.
Resting Place
The Jerusalem church is not only where Jesus was crucified, but is also said to be where he was buried and resurrected.
Covered by a shrine for centuries, no one alive today had laid eyes on what lies beneath. In fact, many scholars were doubtful a sacred tomb even existed at all. But Antonia was determined to find out.
Turbulent History
Experts have long cast doubt on the validity of the Church of Holy Sepulchre as the site of Christ’s death and resurrection - and for good reason.
Throughout centuries of war and natural disasters, the church was eventually destroyed and rebuilt, meaning it’s technically not even the same building theologians say was constructed upon the holy tomb. But centuries later, when Antonia finally held the slab in her hands and peered inside, the naysayers would soon be silenced.
In The Beginning
Roman emperor Constantine The Great sent his mother off in search of Christ’s tomb after he converted to Christianity in 312 following a vision of a cross in the sky. When she reported back that she’d found a tomb with three crosses outside, he immediately ordered the construction of the grand church.
Future archaeologists would later discover several rock tombs and remains from the original church, but what Antonia would eventually find blows all that out of the water.
Status Quo
Getting confirmation of the tomb of Christ would surely have been a priority for historians for some time, but granting permission to excavate the area has been an eternal struggle.
This is mostly down to that fact that a formidable trinity of Christian denominations: Roman Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, and Greek Orthodox have fought amongst themselves over giving the greenlight for years. But centuries of water damage and questionable structural integrity after several earthquakes meant that a heavy renovation was the only way forward. And that’s where Antonia came in.
Conflicting Evidence
Eventually, the powers that be granted Antonia and her team permission to go in search of the truth.
With modern archaeology tools at her disposal, the biblical history community was buzzing with speculation that she might really prove that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre really does house the tomb of Christ. But Antonia had a lot of conflicting evidence to contend with.
Moving Church
According to the Bible, Jesus was buried outside of Jerusalem’s walls. But the church - or more specifically, this incarnation of the church - was very much inside the walls of the Old City.
Research suggests the church wasn’t rebuilt in exactly the same location, and the city walls were since extended. But there was only one way to know for sure - and it all hung on what Antonia was about to uncover.
Monks’ Blessing
It was the monks of the Church of Holy Sepulchre that eventually gave permission for Antonia and her team to begin restoration work - including a chance to look inside the tomb itself.
But there was a catch: if Antonia was to be granted her dream project, she would have to make a solemn promise first.
Don’t Touch
Antonia would be allowed to explore the supposed tomb of Christ if she agreed not to alter the structure of the church or the shrine surrounding the tomb during the renovation.
After agreeing to be respectful to the sacred architecture, Antonia got to work. But she never expected such a long road ahead of discovering the truth.
Hard Work
After 10 months of hard work strengthening the temple, repairing the water damage and cleaning up the mold, Antonia’s team was finally able to get to the moment they’d all been waiting for.
It was time to remove the slab that covered the entrance to the tomb - quite a big deal considering it hadn't been touched in nearly 500 years.
Sealed Up Tight
The tomb had been protected in 1555 by Franciscan monks with a big marble slab. Antonia was grappling with the gravity of the historical significance of what they were about to do.
In order to protect the old slab itself, the team spent 60 hours carefully removing it. Once it was pulled up, the team stared at something unexpected.
Under The Slab
After placing the slab to one side, the team stood speechless as they gazed upon something no one had seen for centuries.
It was another slab of marble. Antonia could clearly see that the slab was much older than the one they had just spent three days removing. And the etching in the middle of it helped them date it even more specifically.
Unexplained Etching
There in the middle of the slab, a cross was etched. It wasn’t immediately obvious to Antonia who had put it there. She suspected it could have been the Crusaders after their conquest of Jerusalem...
But Antonia knew if she was able to verify the age of the stone, she would have the evidence that would make the experts think twice about whether she was actually standing over the final resting place of Christ.
Truth And The Light
Antonia sent some samples to the lab, and one year later, she got her answer. The tests proved the slab had last been exposed to light in the fourth century, right around the time Constantine’s mother discovered the tomb and built the church. The tomb was as old as the stories said.
Perhaps one day they’ll get permission to look a little deeper inside...