What do scientists say when they opened the tomb of Christ? The Russian spiritual mission in Jerusalem explained why “they opened the Holy Sepulcher.

Recently, there has been particular activity in the media around the issue of the restoration of the Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher, carried out in Jerusalem. In the general information flow, one can also see very bold publications about signs that supposedly happened over Jerusalem - trumpeting angels and supernatural phenomena in the sky, which are frankly false information dumps, since such phenomena did not actually take place.

Since various doubts are still observed in the church community, we, as those who live and carry out our ministry directly in Jerusalem, would like to help our readers correctly place emphasis on this issue, understanding that these doubts naturally arise from a lack of adequate information.

However, before we begin to present the facts, it is necessary to agree on terms, since their correct understanding depends on the correct designation of things. We need to clearly understand that restoration work in the Edicule cannot, in principle, be called “opening the Tomb.” The term “opening of the Tomb” gives rise to involuntary associations with an invasion of some sacred inviolable area and even with desecration. And if in other cases this may be true of tombs containing human remains, then in no way can it be extrapolated to the burial bed of Christ - there is simply no tomb in the usual sense, as a place that contains human ashes. The tomb of Christ is empty - Christ has risen, “here is not the place where He laid Him” (Mark 16:6).

Thus, we are not talking about the “opening of the Holy Sepulcher,” but about the temporary removal of marble slabs from the funeral bed of Christ that protected it from the vandalism of pilgrims.

Moreover, if this had not been done in our days and the stone of the funeral bed and the surrounding rock, which is simply the foundation of the Edicule built on it, had not been carefully strengthened with modern means, then the process of destruction of the rocky foundation of the Edicule would have become irreversible.

Note that this is not the first time that, due to the need for construction or restoration work in the Edicule, the burial bed of Christ was temporarily freed from the architectural elements covering it.

So, as you know, on October 26, 2016, in the Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, specialists from the Athens Polytechnic University under the leadership of Professor A. Moropoulou removed the marble slabs covering the top of the burial bed of the Lord Jesus Christ. The work was carried out in the presence of Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, representatives of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

Let us note that neither representatives of church circles nor the scientific community kept information about these works secret. Moreover, complete, lengthy, illustrated reports on the restoration work are published on the official website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate ( http://www.jp-newsgate.net/ru/2016/07/21/30664#more-30664 And http://www.jp-newsgate.net/en/2016/10/07/26922#more-26922), which also has a Russian-language version.

According to reports, the removal of the slabs above the stone bed was dictated by the technical need to ensure the safety of the bed and the surrounding rock of the Holy Sepulcher.

According to research conducted before the start of restoration work, the main problem of the Edicule was that this structure, being too heavy, sank under its own weight, simultaneously destroying the rock of the Holy Sepulcher, which consists of soft and brittle limestone and is the foundation for the Edicule.

It is also known that the structure of the Edicule received serious damage from earthquakes, which are very frequent in this region, and as a result of a devastating fire that occurred in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in 1808. It is also impossible to ignore the negative impact of the increased concentration of moisture inside the Edicule and serious problems with the drainage system located at the base of this structure.

According to experts, at the beginning of 2016, the problems of the load-bearing structures of the Edicule required an urgent solution, otherwise their negative consequences for the structure and its shrine - the rock of the Holy Sepulcher - would have become irreversible.

For those interested in more detailed information about the condition of the Edicule, the tasks and difficulties of restoration work, we recommend that you refer to the reports published on the website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate. Without dwelling on these details in detail, we will immediately move on to the question of the need to free the burial bed of Christ from the marble slabs covering it during the work in Edicule.

To ensure the safety of the rock of the Sepulcher and the Edicule erected on it, at the final stage of restoration it was necessary to homogenize the masonry and rock by injecting a special mortar into the existing voids and cracks. For this purpose, a cementless lime-pozzolanic composition was used, which is characterized by a small particle size, high fluidity and the ability to expand in a plastic state, thereby ensuring that even the smallest voids are filled.

It was to examine the base of the Edicule - the rock of the Holy Sepulcher - for cracks and voids, and then to correctly inject the fastening solution, that it was necessary to temporarily remove the marble slabs covering the top of the bed of Christ, as well as the marble lining of the walls inside the burial chamber of the Edicule.

It is important to note that by removing the marble slabs, scientists made sure that underneath them was the original burial bed of Jesus Christ, carved inside a rock burial cave and being one piece with the rock. The distance from the surface of the upper slab, which pilgrims see, to this stone bed is approximately 35 centimeters.

The work described above was completed on October 28, but the restoration of the Edicule is planned to be completed by Easter 2017.

In the coming days, a video prepared by the press service of the Russian Spiritual Mission will be released, which contains an interview about restoration work in the Edicule of the Holy Sepulcher with His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem.

Photo: Official information website of the Jerusalem Patriarchate

As has already become known, restoration work is being carried out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Scientists restoring the tomb of Jesus Christ removed the protective marble slab from the stone on which the body of Christ lay. This slab was installed on the burial bed of the Holy Sepulcher in 1555 to protect the shrine, as pilgrims tried to break off a piece of the Holy Sepulcher for themselves, thereby destroying it.

Scientists who removed the marble slab from the burial bed of Christ claim that the basis of this process is the desire to restore the shrine of the Christian world. They also hope to find out how the mother of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Helen, learned that this particular place was the Holy Sepulcher.

Some representatives of both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches do not see anything reprehensible in the opening of the burial place of Jesus Christ. For example, the deputy chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Maxim Kozlov, stated that this event is purely in the field of church archeology. “From a religious point of view, I don’t see anything remarkable here at all,” he added.

To the remark that scientists simply want to amuse their own curiosity, the chairman of the synodal missionary department of the Moscow Patriarchate, Hegumen Serapion, replied that curiosity is natural to man and he cannot be prohibited from learning something new. “In particular, people are interested in what Saint Helena did when she was looking for the Holy Sepulcher and the Life-Giving Cross, which was the tomb of Jesus,” he explained.

So, neither from a religious nor from a human point of view, this event has no basis for discussion. Is it so? I don’t know, I’m not a theologian, but as a simple Orthodox Christian I ask questions that really confuse me.

Firstly, was Christ’s Tomb opened only out of curiosity? I extremely doubt and am of the opinion that “researchers” will try to confirm the information from the film “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”, shot in 2007 in Canada, using all sorts of lies. And in this film, the authors claim that based on strictly “scientific” archaeological and criminological research, DNA analysis and statistical calculations, it has been “proven” that the biblical Jesus is buried in the Talpiot tomb along with his family. As is now known, Talpiot is a residential complex in Jerusalem. In 1980, a team of construction workers opened a tomb there. Researchers say five of the ten coffins discovered in the Talpiot crypt were inscribed with names believed to be associated with key New Testament figures: Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph, and Mary Magdalene. The sixth inscription, written in Aramaic, is translated as “Judas son of Jesus.” Thus emerged “new scientific facts” and allegedly DNA analysis carried out in one of the most advanced laboratories, which indicate that the Talpiot tomb contained “the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family - Mary Magdalene and the son of Judas.”

But even if we discard my version regarding the plans to open the real tomb of Jesus Christ as untenable, many serious questions still remain. Firstly, who needs all this and why? Scientists? For what? To find evidence that this is exactly the Holy Sepulcher? Or do the Christian Churches, which gave permission to conduct scientific experiments on Christ’s bed, need scientific proof of the holiness of this place? Is it not enough for both of them that the Holy Fire descends here every year?

And since it has come to the point that holiness must be confirmed by scientific examination, then let’s submit the relics of various saints for DNA analysis and attach a certificate of conformity to them?

But the Holy Sepulcher needs restoration, opponents may object to me. And who could determine that the bed of Christ, hidden for centuries, needs to be restored and, again, why? Maybe a Muslim Russophobe who sponsors terrorists in Syria and supports the massacre of both Muslims and Christians there is King Abdullah II of Jordan? After all, it was he who invested as much as 4 billion dollars (!!!) in general restoration work in Edicule. Yes, the restoration work was supported by almost all Christian denominations. But this is also confusing for me, because the Holy Sepulcher is the Holy of Holies. And it’s hard for me to imagine that the Holy of Holies of Christians around the world, with the sponsorship of the billionaire thug Abdullah, is being invaded by unknown people, stamping their feet on the shrine and justifying this by the need to carry out restoration and research work. But for me, this is simply desecration of a shrine. Have we forgotten how the Bolsheviks “examined” the relics of saints in Russia? But then Orthodox Rus' stood up to the best of its ability to defend its shrines. None of the clergy justified the conduct of such “scientific work” in any way, and in general Christians considered it sacrilege and blasphemy.

And now they are trampling on the Holy Sepulcher - and nothing! Such actions, no matter how they are justified, are desecration of a holy place, a violation of the law given by the Lord Himself: “And God said: do not come here; take off your sandals from off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5)

With all of the above, I am extremely embarrassed by the silence of the Christian Churches regarding the desecration of the Holy Sepulcher and even their agreement with this. What is this if not a sign of the onset of global apostasy?

If I am wrong in my conclusions, then with Christian humility I ask the readers to correct me and forgive me for the views that are erroneous for an Orthodox person...

Igor Evsin , Orthodox writer, Ryazan

As you know, restoration work is being carried out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Scientists restoring the tomb of Jesus Christ removed the protective marble slab from the stone on which the Body of Christ lay. This slab was installed on the burial bed of the Holy Sepulcher in 1555 to protect the shrine, as pilgrims tried to break off a piece of the Holy Sepulcher for themselves, thereby destroying it.

Some representatives of both the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church (which is not surprising - here and further in parentheses, the editor's note from the RF editors) do not see anything reprehensible in the opening of the burial place of Jesus Christ. For example, the deputy chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Maxim Kozlov (known for his liberal views), stated that this event is purely in the sphere of church archeology. “From a religious point of view, I don’t see anything remarkable here at all,” he added (lightly).

Firstly, was Christ’s Tomb opened only out of curiosity? I extremely doubt and am of the opinion that “researchers” will try to confirm the information from the film “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”, shot in 2007 in Canada, using all sorts of lies. And in this film, the authors claim that based on strictly “scientific” archaeological and criminological research, DNA analysis and statistical calculations, it has been “proven” that the biblical Jesus is buried in the Talpiot tomb along with his family. As is now known, Talpiot is a residential complex in Jerusalem. In 1980, a team of construction workers opened a tomb there. Researchers say five of the ten coffins discovered in the Talpiot crypt were inscribed with names believed to be associated with key New Testament figures: Jesus, Mary, Matthew, Joseph and Mary Magdalene. The sixth inscription, written in Aramaic, is translated as “Judas son of Jesus.” Thus emerged “new scientific facts” and allegedly DNA analysis carried out in one of the most advanced laboratories, which indicate that the Talpiot tomb contained “the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family - Mary Magdalene and the son of Judas.”

But even if we discard my version regarding the plans to open the real tomb of Jesus Christ as untenable, many serious questions still remain. Who needs all this and why? Scientists? For what? To find evidence that this is exactly the Holy Sepulcher? Or does the Church, which gave permission to conduct scientific experiments over Christ’s bed, need scientific evidence of the sanctity of this place? Is it not enough for both of them that the Holy Fire descends here every year?

But the Holy Sepulcher needs restoration - opponents may object to me. And who could determine that the bed of Christ, hidden for centuries, needs to be restored and, again, why? Maybe a Muslim Russophobe who sponsors terrorists in Syria and supports the massacre of both Muslims and Christians there is King Abdullah II of Jordan? After all, it was he who invested as much as 4 billion dollars (!!!) in general restoration work in Edicule. Yes, restoration work was supported by almost all Christian denominations. But this is also confusing for me, because the Holy Sepulcher is the Holy of Holies. And it’s hard for me to imagine that the Holy of Holies of Christians around the world, with the sponsorship of the billionaire thug Abdullah, is being invaded by unknown people, stamping their feet on the shrine and justifying this by the need to carry out restoration and research work. But for me, this is simply desecration of a shrine. Have we forgotten how the Bolsheviks “examined” the relics of saints in Russia? But then Orthodox Rus' stood up to the best of its ability to defend its shrines. None of the clergy justified the conduct of such “scientific work” in any way, and in general Christians considered it sacrilege and blasphemy.

With all of the above, I am extremely embarrassed by the silence of the (Local Orthodox) Churches (and even other “churches”, heretical, defending sodomites, migrants and anyone and anything, but not real shrines) regarding the desecration of the Holy Sepulcher and even agreement with this. What is this if not a sign of the onset of global apostasy?

If I am wrong in my conclusions, then with Christian humility I ask the readers to correct me and forgive me for the views that are erroneous for an Orthodox person...
Let us add that there is already an official Orthodox assessment of this blasphemous initiative on the Internet. According to the Russian Calendar website, the diocese of Yekaterinburg commented on the opening of the tomb of Jesus Christ in the Jerusalem Church of the Holy Sepulcher: “For Orthodox Christians, everything that needed to be known has already been learned. And everything that needed to be opened has already been opened. And no new discoveries, except for the Second Coming, are expected in the next few thousand years."

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Experts from Russia are still skeptical about the work in Jerusalem

In Jerusalem there is a grave where it is believed that Jesus Christ was buried after death on the cross. This news attracted everyone's attention. However, so far the information coming from the Holy City is very scarce. And even confused. We talked with experts about whether we can expect any significant discoveries.

After the crucifixion, Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate to give the body of Christ. And “he laid him in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of the rock” - this is how the burial of Jesus Christ is described in the 27th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

According to the chronicles, later Saint Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I, found the site of the grave of the Son of God. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher has stood on this site in Jerusalem for many centuries. This is where the current excavations are taking place.

I have been to this sacred place for Christians several times, the last time quite recently. However, those photos and videos that can now be seen on the Internet and in the media leave me bewildered,” says Alexander Koltypin, director of the Scientific Center for Fundamental Research in Natural Sciences, Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences. – The fact is that I don’t understand where exactly the work is being done.

The core of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the cuvuklia - the internal underground chapel. In its depths there is a stone bed, on which, according to legend, the body of the Savior lay after burial.

But those “pictures” that are now broadcast by news agencies do not at all resemble the interiors of Edicule. It is much more likely that the workers lifted a marble slab over the Stone of Confirmation, which lies in the central vestibule of the temple (according to legend, the body of Christ was placed on this stone after he was taken down from the cross, and it was here that the body was prepared for burial, anointing it with myrrh and aloe – Auth.)... And the text of the Russian-language explanations published by us is very incomprehensible; perhaps some confusion arose during the translation from a foreign source.

It is reported that research remains to be done to identify the "original surface of the stone" on which Jesus' body lay. As a geologist, tell me, is it possible to use modern scientific methods to determine the age of this grave and make sure that the burial in it took place exactly 2 thousand years ago?

You can, of course, try to find and scrape off the crusts of mineral deposits formed on the stone walls and analyze them, but this is unlikely to give a satisfactory result in this case. After all, by geological standards, two millennia is a very short time interval. Carbon analysis could provide real help in dating, but for this it is necessary to find during the ongoing excavations at least a small fragment of carbon-containing material - a coal, a piece of wood that accidentally fell into the grave during those biblical events. The question is whether archaeologists will be lucky to make such a find...

The progress of the unique and at the same time strange archaeological operation to open the vaults of the crypt in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem was also commented on by the famous researcher of oriental antiquities Viktor Solkin.

- Archaeologists are archaeologists, what do they want to find out for themselves in principle?

New Testament history worries many specialists, primarily from Israel, because they want to find some significant or simply noticeable confirmation of the events that we read about in the Gospels.

In the era of late antiquity and the Middle Ages, a large number of places were formed in Palestine that began to be considered holy; in particular, Empress Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, during a pilgrimage to Palestine, discovered some evidence that one of the places she visited was the burial place of Christ.

Unfortunately, history has not conveyed to us the details of what exactly she found there, how she identified this place, and why she chose it. As a result, a decision was made, first as part of restoration work, then as part of a research project, to at least open the vaults to see what stone fragments might be there - what exactly attracted Elena’s attention?

Of course, with modern methods and attention to detail, some discoveries can be made there. But for now it is very, very early to talk about any real archaeological and scientific significance of this project.

- Why then everything?

In my opinion, there is an echo of a now very fashionable trend in archeology for a certain study of myths. Not from the point of view of evidence - whether the tomb of Christ was there or not, but so that there is some factual basis under the legend or religious dogma. It is clear that the reaction from religious leaders and the public will be ambiguous, especially since the press is greedy for bright headlines, such as the one that “The Holy Sepulcher has been opened”; and in general, any excavations in places sacred to different faiths are always problematic: penetrating objects of faith is a very difficult matter.

However, due to the fact that the project began as a restoration project, there will be benefits from it. The vault of the crypt will be preserved, put in order, and further studied. But that's all we're talking about for now...

- So, most likely, researchers will not find anything there?

I think yes. If fundamentally new finds are made related to historical burials that could have been at this place, then we will learn quite a lot about the forms of funeral ritual and the features of individual monuments in this region, characteristic of Roman times. But I repeat, if they find something. Maybe there are some kind of tombs there. And then we will clarify what the funeral ritual was in Judea in Roman times. And this is useful information. The project has just begun and needs to be monitored. But under no circumstances should we draw hasty conclusions.

Some representatives of both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches do not see anything reprehensible in the opening of the burial place of Jesus Christ. For example, the deputy chairman of the Educational Committee of the Russian Orthodox Church, Maxim Kozlov, said that this event is purely in the field of church archeology. “From a religious point of view, I don’t see anything remarkable here at all,” he added.

But even if we discard my version regarding the plans to open the real tomb of Jesus Christ as untenable, many serious questions still remain. Firstly, who needs all this and why? Scientists? For what? To find evidence that this is exactly the Holy Sepulcher? Or do the Christian Churches, which gave permission to conduct scientific experiments on Christ’s bed, need scientific evidence of the holiness of this place? Is it not enough for both of them that the Holy Fire descends here every year?

But the Holy Sepulcher needs restoration - opponents may object to me. And who could determine that the bed of Christ, hidden for centuries, needs to be restored and, again, why? Maybe the Russophobe Muslim who sponsors terrorists in Syria and supports the massacre of Christians there is King Abdullah II of Jordan? After all, it was he who invested as much as 4 billion dollars (!!!) in general restoration work in Kukvuklia, or Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, a famous freemason, friend of the Pope and troublemaker who assembled the Cretan Cathedral? Yes, restoration work was supported by almost all Christian denominations. But this is also confusing for me, because the Holy Sepulcher is the Holy of Holies. And it’s hard for me to imagine that the Holy of Holies of Christians around the world, with the sponsorship of a Muslim thug, is being invaded by unknown people, stamping their feet on the shrine and justifying this by the need to carry out restoration and research work. But for me, this is simply desecration of a shrine. Have we forgotten how the Bolsheviks “examined” the relics of saints in Russia? But then Orthodox Rus' stood up to the best of its ability to defend its shrines. None of the clergy justified the conduct of such “scientific work” in any way, and in general Christians considered it sacrilege and blasphemy.

And now they are trampling on the Holy Sepulcher - and nothing! Such actions, no matter how they are justified, are desecration of a holy place, a violation of the law given by the Lord Himself “And God said: do not come here; take off your sandals from off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” (Ex. 3:5)

For the secular world, the opening of the slab of the Holy Sepulcher is an act of desacralization of the greatest shrine of the entire Christian world. In addition, this is an eschatological act that followed, albeit unrecognized, but apparently the last “Ecumenical Council” and the already begun Third World War. After this, the silence of the Christian Churches regarding the desecration of the Holy Sepulcher and even agreement with this is not surprising. Apostasy - it is apostasy...

If I am wrong in my conclusions, then with Christian humility I ask the readers to correct me and forgive me for the views that are erroneous for an Orthodox person.

, Orthodox writer, Ryazan