The original tombstone where Jesus Christ is believed to have been buried and revered for centuries in the Christian community has been uncovered recently. This occurred during a restoration work in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The entire place has been exposed.
In an exclusive report by the National Geographic, it is stated that as a part of a massive restoration project initiated by the National Technical University of Athens at Jerusalem's Church of Holy Sepulchre. Fredrik Hiebert, an archaeologist who was involved in the excavations said, "I am absolutely amazed. My knees are shaking a little bit because I wasn't expecting this."
The tomb of Jesus, which is popularly known as Holy Edicule, consisted of a burial bed that has been carved out of limestone. This tomb has been sealed with a protective marble casing since 1555 A.D. as an effort to prevent pilgrims from collecting fragments of the stone as souvenirs, reported The News Minute.
While clearing a fill material that was lying beneath the marble cladding, another marble slab with a cross adorning its surface was discovered. They found a layer of debris beneath the marble that was not previously detected. About 60 hours after this, when the team was about to re-seal the slab, the original limestone of the burial bed was discovered.
Being identified as a holy place for the Christians, the Church of Holy Sepulchre attracts more than 4 million devotees every year. Over the years, it has been a constant spot of a target for destruction. Despite the numerous efforts to destroy the church itself, the tomb remains untouched.
However, it is still not clear if the tomb belongs to Jesus Christ. Archaeology also reveals the possibility of the tomb belonging to another Jew by the name Jesus of Nazareth. Reasoning the argument, archaeologist Jodi Magness said: "All of this is perfectly consistent with what we know about how wealthy Jews disposed of their dead in the time of Jesus."
