Dating Tests on ‘Christ’s Tomb’ Confirm Origins of Ancient Shrine

© Gali Tibbon / AFP

Scientists conducting tests on a tomb purported to be the burial place of Jesus Christ have confirmed a vital part of the site’s history.

Researchers studying Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre made the discovery after taking mortar samples from the original limestone surface of the burial bed inside the tomb. They also tested the marble slab laid over it.  

The results, as reported by National Geographic, reveal that the marble dates back to around 345 AD, the era of Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor. Antonia Moropoulou, chief scientific coordinator of the restoration works for the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), told AFP the results are consistent with the traditional belief that the Romans enshrined the tomb in a new church, known as the Edicule, in 326 AD.

"This is a very important finding because it confirms that it was, as historically evidenced, Constantine the Great responsible for cladding bedrock of the tomb of Christ with the marble slabs in the Edicule," said Moropoulou.

The church housing the Edicule has endured a rather turbulent history. It has been periodically attacked by successive waves of invaders including Persians and the Crusaders. Razed and rebuilt in the second century, and then again in 1009 AD, dating tests on the church’s walls have returned varied results. Tests on the plaster of the cave purported to hold the burial tomb of Christ have been dated between 335 AD and 1570 AD.

It’s not known if Jesus was buried at the shrine, an event thought to have occurred around 33 AD. 

Hint: He's not there anymore! He is risen! On the third day!

The mortar samples were taken during extensive archaeological and restoration works to the Edicule by the NTUA last year.  

The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic churches, the joint custodians of the site, contributed more than $3 million for the project, with King Abdullah of Jordan also reported to have made a contribution. It is the first time in more than two centuries that the Edicule and the cave have received any maintenance work, following repeated warnings from archeologists that a failure to restore the site would lead to its catastrophic collapse.

‘My Knees are Shaking’: Jesus Christ’s 'Tomb' Seen for First Time

The team had 60 hours to examine the tomb before it was resealed. © Ammar Awad / Reuters

Further details of the supposed burial tomb of Jesus Christ have been revealed by researchers in Jerusalem. The limestone slab where Christ is said to have been placed has been exposed along with part of the original wall.

The research team working at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre detected the original limestone shelf, known as a “burial bed”, last week but have now been able to reveal the fully intact “Holy Rock” in full, according to National Geographic.

"I'm absolutely amazed. My knees are shaking a little bit because I wasn't expecting this," Fredrik Hiebert, one of the archaeologists involved in the project said.

“We can't say 100 percent, but it appears to be visible proof that the location of the tomb has not shifted through time, something that scientists and historians have wondered for decades.”

Part of the original cave wall has also been revealed with the team cutting a window into the side of the tomb to view it. "This is the Holy Rock that has been revered for centuries, but only now can actually be seen," said professor Antonia Moropoulou, who is directing the project.

When marble cladding was first removed from the tomb it revealed a layer of fill material. After hours of removing this, another marble slab with a cross etched into it was uncovered. This slab was taken away for a short time by the team, exposing the original burial slab where Jesus is believed to have lain before his resurrection.

The church was first believed to be the location of Jesus’s burial in 325 A.D. when representatives of the Roman emperor Constantine arrived in Jerusalem.

"We may not be absolutely certain that the site of the Holy Sepulchre Church is the site of Jesus' burial, but we certainly have no other site that can lay a claim nearly as weighty, and we really have no reason to reject the authenticity of the site.” archaeologist Dan Bahat told National Geographic.

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A team from the National Technical University of Athens (NTU) had 60 hours to study the tomb before it was resealed. The project is part of a restoration effort to repair water damage underneath the tomb.

This is the first time that anyone alive today has been able to view the tomb, which has never been photographed or drawn. Located inside a small structure within the church known as an Edicule (‘little house’), the tomb has been covered in marble since at least 1555 A.D. to prevent pilgrims from removing rock from the original bed.

According to scripture, Christ was laid on the shelf in the tomb after dying at the crucifixion around 33 A.D. After three days his remains were discovered to be missing and Jesus was said to have appeared over a period of 40 days before ascending into heaven.