The burial
slab that many Christians believe once held the body of Jesus Christ has
been uncovered by scientists for the first time in centuries.
The
original surface was exposed during the restoration work being done at
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem
Until then, marble had encased the slab since at least 1555 AD.
Fredrik
Hiebert, the National Geographic Society’s archaeologist-in-residence,
said: ‘The marble covering of the tomb has been pulled back, and we were
surprised by the amount of fill material beneath it.
‘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.’
Christian
tradition says Christ’s body was laid on a slab cut from a limestone
cave after his crucifixion by the Romans more than two thousand years
ago.
He
was resurrected three days after his death, according to scripture, and
the women who came to anoint his body said no remains were found.
The
burial slab was enclosed in a structure known as the Edicule – a word
derived from the Latin term aedicule meaning ‘little house.’
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