The exact location of the tomb has survived to this day.
The location of the Lord’s tomb has survived to this day, and millions of people visit it every year. This means that to see it you have to queue a lot.
Around 33 AD. Jesus rose from the dead. Even today there is concrete evidence of this event. Jesus was crucified and died. His body was placed in a tomb carved into the rock. On the third day on Easter morning, the tomb was empty. An angel showed the women the empty funeral bed, where the body had been lying shortly before. Today you can see it with your own eyes. The empty tomb is located in Jerusalem, inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This large church is built around the places where Jesus was crucified and buried. Today we are going to see how this tomb is tangible proof of Christ’s resurrection.
The tomb began to be visited immediately after the resurrection.
In the first century, asking someone in Jerusalem where the tomb of Jesus was. Was like asking someone in Pompeii where Vesuvius was.
The Bible tells us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people near Jerusalem. The rumour spread rapidly throughout the country. The disciples began to preach the resurrection. Eyewitnesses were confirming Jesus’ sightings. Soon the tomb began to be visited and became a place of interest. Christians began to consider that place sacred.
The tomb was originally outside the city.
Sceptics say the location of the tomb is not authentic because the Bible says it was outside the city. When they built my city, my house was outside it. Today I live in the same house but it is located within the city. So, according to sceptics, my house is not my house.
The tomb was located outside the city walls at that time. Shortly thereafter, before 70, Jerusalem was expanded and the tomb area was included within the new walls. This is why today we find it inside the city.
Jerusalem was destroyed in 70.
Emperor Vespasian with his son Titus in command of the army destroyed and sacked the city. In case of victory, the Jews would have got Titus circumcised.
A few years later the Jews revolted against the Roman empire. Consequently, Emperor Vespasian with his son Titus in command of the army, besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and its temple. This happened in 70. Today in Rome we can still see the Arch of Titus, built to celebrate the victory. On that, we can see some soldiers pictured while taking away precious furnishings from the temple. It is reasonable to think that the tomb was still intact at that time.
Hadrian decided to build a pagan city on the ruins of Jerusalem.
Building a pagan city over Jerusalem is like entering the cinema with an elephant… that’s crazy.
From 70 to 131 the city of Jerusalem lay in ruins. Emperor Hadrian decided to build a new city on its ruins. Hadrian wanted to transform Jerusalem into a pagan city. His goal was to fight the spread of the Christian faith, replacing it with paganism. Hadrian’s idea was to build a large pagan temple as the central element of the new city. Depending on the location of the temple, the rest of the city would have developed accordingly.
Hadrian believes that the tomb of Jesus is very important for Christians.
Today, centuries after Hadrian’s death, we can talk very badly about him.
Hadrian chose to place the temple on the tomb of Jesus. He knew that the tomb was visited by many Christians. He also knew that the tomb was evidence of the resurrection. The tomb was the main place of Christian worship in the city. Like today, the tomb was frequently visited by large numbers of people to worship Jesus. In this way, Hadrian wanted to get rid of this problem. Erase the tomb from the memory of posterity. Substitute the temple for the tomb. Take this place of worship away from Christians. The ancient historian Jerome confirms that the persecutors of Christians thought that, by polluting their sacred places, they would deprive them of the faith. A large statue of Jupiter was specifically placed on the spot above Jesus’ tomb.
The tomb is hidden under the temple.
I already heard about burying the deceased, but burying the tomb too, seems a bit exaggerated to me. Once the work was finished, Hadrian, enraged, declared “You incompetent people! Why didn’t you inform me from the start that the tomb was empty!”.
Eusebius, a contemporary of the temple, says that during construction a large quantity of dirt was brought from outside the city to cover everything up to a certain height, to form the temple floor. Jesus’ tomb was then covered with dirt and hidden under the temple.
Traces of the pagan city still exist in Jerusalem today.
In the 19th century, a famous archaeologist, during some excavations in Jerusalem, also discovered a time portal to the year 131. Scientists claim that it would reveal many mysteries of history. Unfortunately, it is still not accessible today because it is managed by four different denominations.
The temple was then built over the tomb of Jesus. This is the same location in which we find the church today. The main road started from the temple and ran towards the north gate. This gate exists even today. Its original structure is still partially visible. The road also still exists and leads to the church. Inside the church we can find today part of the entrance to the temple. It is also possible to purchase coins from that time depicting the image of the temple.
Constantine puts an end to the persecution.
Constantine converts to Christianity. While crying repented and confesses “I skipped school in Greek classes!”.
The historian Eusebius wrote Constantine’s biography. In 312, during the battle in which he conquered Rome, Constantine converted. This was the end of the persecution of Christians. In 324 he gained control of the eastern part of the empire. Jerusalem was part of this area. Christianity became legal throughout the empire. Constantine moved the capital of the empire to Istanbul which he called Constantinople.
Constantine rediscovers the tomb again after 250 years.
The Lord’s tomb was finally unearthed after 250 years. A local hotelier appealed to the director of the works: “Please, someone tell the workers to take off their shoes”.
After having reconquered the east, Constantine sent a letter to the bishop of Jerusalem, Macarius. The orders were to find Jesus’ tomb. Macarius knew very well where to dig. In fact, everyone in the city knew that the tomb was located under Hadrian’s temple. So Constantine ordered the temple to be destroyed and to excavate underneath it. Quickly the tomb was found. The works are today considered the oldest archaeological excavation in history. Eusebius emphasizes this discovery by creating an analogy between the resurrection of Jesus and the discovery of the tomb which comes to light after being lost for 250 years. Eusebius himself states that the testimony of the tomb is stronger than that of many voices.
Constantine built a church and mausoleum around the tomb.
Constantine built a monument around the important sites of Christ’s passion so that their location is not lost. Constantine rejected some of Maddalena’s descendants’ requests. Interviewed comments “Among the commemorated places, we will not include the gardener’s shed.”
Constantine ordered the construction of a church around the tomb. The rock surrounding it was removed. The church and the mausoleum were connected by a porch, which also included the original place of Jesus’ crucifixion. At that time the cross was also found. We can find evidence of the construction of this church in Rome. The church of S. Pudenziana is considered the oldest Christian place of worship in Rome. It was built in that period, that is, in the 4th century. In one of its mosaics, we can see a landscape of Jerusalem represented. There we can spot part of the Byzantine church of Constantine containing the tomb pictured in it.
The church and tomb suffered damage and were restored several times.
The church has been restored many times over the centuries, much like some Hollywood actors do with their faces.
Over time the church and the tomb have been destroyed and rebuilt several times due to wars, fires, and earthquakes. We can find evidence of it in the church’s walls showing subsequent repairs. Layers come from every historical era starting from the temple of Hadrian. Climbing upwards we see many repairs carried out over the centuries.
The area containing the tomb was used as a cemetery in the first century.
Sceptics say that the first-century niches preserved in the church were actually used for other purposes. An inscription translated as follows was found: “The Niches Hotel is very quiet. I booked a family room but they only have single rooms. Once in, we found a sheet, scented balms, and some bandages. There are no windows. After you’ve been inside for a while you start to get short of air. We wanted to go out for some fresh air but the door was too heavy to open from the inside. We were all locked inside. Perhaps the only positive side of this experience is that we rested in peace. Horrible! I wouldn’t go back there even if I died.”
Just behind the hall containing the sepulchre, we find some crypts from the first century, this is evidence that the area was used as a cemetery and that it was outside the city.
The building of one structure on top of another over time indicates authenticity.
Architecture confirms it. Ancient historians confirm it. The Bible confirms it. Sceptics say it is a coincidence. Hadrian chose the place for the panoramic view. Constantine dug out an ancient cheap hotel. Christians were praying there because of the good reverb.
In archaeology, when we find the construction of one element on top of another, this represents proof of the authenticity of a location. This is what happened with the tomb. This evidence adds to the historical sources from Eusebius and Jerome who are contemporaries of the construction of Hadrian’s temple and Constantine’s church. In addition to oral tradition and the information contained in the gospels.
The history of the tomb outlines some key points.
In 34 AD everyone knew that:
- Jesus preached to the crowds.
- Jesus had been crucified and killed.
- Jesus’ body had been placed in the tomb.
- The tomb was found empty.
- Eyewitnesses claimed that Jesus had risen from the dead.
- The tomb was located near the Golgotha in a position known to all.
- The tomb was preserved due to the event of Jesus’ resurrection.
- The tomb was often visited by numerous people.
- The tomb was a place considered sacred to Christians.
From what do we deduce these points?
- The location of the tomb has survived to the present day.
- Part of the structure of the tomb has reached us.
- The tomb is visited to this day and is considered a sacred place.
- Throughout history, the tomb has always been an important monument of Christianity.
- The area near the tomb was used as a cemetery in the first century.
- The tomb was therefore outside the city before 70.
- The information provided by archaeology corresponds to that provided by the gospels.
- Ancient historians confirm the location and importance of the tomb.
- Emperor Hadrian knew the importance of the tomb for Christians.
- Emperor Hadrian hid it as a hostile act towards Christians.
- Emperor Hadrian built a pagan temple on top of it.
- Constantine was aware of the existence of the tomb.
- Constantine believed it was important to find the tomb.
- 250 years later in the time of Constantine, Macarius knew the location of the tomb.
- Macarius knew that Hadrian’s temple was located above the tomb.
- Macarius actually found the tomb under the temple.
- Constantine built the church of the Holy Sepulchre.
- During the story, the church and tomb are destroyed and rebuilt.
The history of the tomb eliminates the hypothesis of myth.
According to sceptics, a scientist proved with a mathematical formula that the first Christians actually visited the empty tomb only to hear a beautiful echo.
One of the arguments used by sceptics is that the resurrection is a myth that Christians created over time. According to sceptics, Jesus was only a historical figure, and his resurrection was fabricated over time by the gospel writers. If that were the case, Jesus would never have truly risen from the dead. If Jesus had died, how can we explain the fact that the tomb is visited immediately after the resurrection? How can we explain that Hadrian does everything to hide it and replace it with his pagan temple? How can we explain that Constantine spent time and resources to carry out the excavations and build a church around the tomb? How can we explain the fact that Macarius finds the tomb under the temple, right in the spot known to everyone? How can we explain the consistency with the accounts of the gospels and external sources?
Conclusion.
From the time of Jesus until today, Christians have visited the tomb of Jesus and worshipped at this place. This is a place that cannot be forgotten and is proof that the resurrection is a historical event. Hadrian tried to make the Christians forget this place, hoping that they would lose the faith they had. But he failed in his aim. Instead, the temple was useful for marking the exact location of the tomb.
Unfortunately, the original structure of the tomb has not survived to the present day. In fact, every time the church was destroyed by an invading army, the tomb was destroyed in the same way, since that is what the church commemorates. Today we have a structure that marks the location and layout of the tomb. All this destruction and reconstruction shows us that there is no doubt that this is the original location of the tomb.