'Burial slab' of Jesus found in Jerusalem church 3 / 19 USA TODAY Mary Bowerman1 hr ago 'Burial slab' of Jesus found in Jerusalem church Researchers recently uncovered a stone burial slab which many believe Jesus Christ's body may have been laid on following his death. The original surface of the tomb was uncovered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem during restoration work and has been covered by marble cladding since at least 1555 A.D., National Geographic reports. The marble cover was pulled back, and researchers were surprised by the amount of fill material beneath the covering, Fredrik Hiebert, an archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, and a researcher on the restoration project, told National Geographic. “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,” Hiebert told National Geographic. National Geographic is filming the restoration process for the Explorer series, which will air in November. According to the Bible, the body of Jesus Christ was laid on a burial bed, or slab of limestone following his crucifixion. © Gali Tibbon, AFP/Getty Images A general view showing one of Christianity's holiest site, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also know as the Basilica of the Resurrection in Jerusalem's Old City.Christians believe that Christ was resurrected following his death, and women who came to anoint his body three days after the burial reported that Jesus’ remains had vanished. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by the Emperor Constantine in 325 A.D., and has long been considered by Christians to be the spot where Jesus Christ was buried, AP reported. In June, a team of experts began renovations on the church and the Edicule or ancient chamber that held Jesus’ tomb, AP reported. The exposure of the burial bed will allow researchers to answer questions about the original form of the tomb, Antonia Moropoulou, of the National Technical University of Athens, told National Geographic. "We are at the critical moment for rehabilitating the Edicule," Moropoulou, who is supervising the restoration. "The techniques we're using to document this unique monument will enable the world to study our findings as if they themselves were in the tomb of Christ."... http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...und-in-jerusalem-church/ar-AAjsZZC?li=BBnb7Kz
This illustrates again that Jerusalem is not a city like any other: it is unquestionnably a "saint" place.
Jesus's tomb opened for first time in centuries Preservation experts have opened for the first time in at least two centuries what Christians believe is Jesus's tomb inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Some of the historic work was witnessed by AFP photographer Gali Tibbon who captured images of the site believed to contain the rock upon which Jesus was laid in around 33 AD as it was uncovered as part of ongoing restoration at the site. A marble slab covering the site, among the holiest in Christianity, was pulled back for three days as part of both restoration work and archaeological analysis, experts on the scene told AFP. © Provided by AFP Greek preservation experts place back the marble slab stone that covered the Tomb of Jesus, where his body is believed to have been laid, after it was removed for 3 days to allow the team to do restoration works It was the first time the marble had been removed since at least 1810, when the last restoration work took place following a fire, and possibly earlier, said Father Samuel Aghoyan, the church's Armenian superior. A painting of Jesus can be seen in the narrow area above where the marble slab was removed. Debris and material was found beneath the marble and was being further studied, Aghoyan said. "It is moving in a sense, something we've been talking about so many centuries," Aghoyan told AFP. National Geographic has been documenting the restoration work which is being carried out by a team of Greek specialists. It reported that "the exposure of the burial bed is giving researchers an unprecedented opportunity to study the original surface of what is considered the most sacred site in Christianity". - Major restoration project - ... http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...first-time-in-centuries/ar-AAjB8pd?li=BBnbfcL