Israel

Friday, June 23

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre dates back to the earilest days of Christianity. It houses two of the holiest sites of the faith: where Jesus was crucified, and where he was buried and resurrected.

My sister was in Jerusalem last year and offered some wise advice: “Visit just before it closes. There are less people at that time. You may be able to find a few minutes of quiet contemplation.” 

She knew what she was talking about. The church hosts thousands of people each day, totaling four million every year. Even though it’s sacred, it’s crowded, noisy, and full of tourists.  Many pilgrims wait a long time for the privilege to see the highlights.

My sister’s advice inspired me to conduct research on the church’s operations. My investigation led me to this four minute video. I encourage you to watch. It shows the opening and closing of the front doors. Should I get there early with hopes to enter first? Or, should I get there late with hopes to exit last?

Then a thought struck me. Maybe I was going about this all wrong. Truly, the most quiet, completive, and sacred time was not at the beginning nor end of the day. It was overnight when the church was locked and all outsiders were absent. The only ones permitted are the monks, priests, and other people who care for it. Then another thought struck me. Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could join them?

Luckily, I did a little work beforehand and I was able to pull a few Catholic strings. On the evening of Thursday June 22nd, I found myself watching the closing of the door ceremony from a perspective only a few ever see: from the inside.

Being locked in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre requires commitment. Here are the rules:

You cannot exit for any reason until the doors open again.
You cannot sleep (Matthew 26:40–44).
You cannot eat nor drink.
You cannot interfere with the sacred rituals. 

It was a covenant, of sorts, between me and the church. The benefit? I was able to experience one of the holiest places in the world mostly to myself. The lock clicked into place and the noise and chaos of the day was replaced with silent solitude.

With hours ahead of me, I needed a plan of how to spend the time. My approach had two distinct parts: share and reflect. 

Share: I would visit each significant area of the church, take mental notes, then develop how I would write about it to you. 

Reflect: I would take time for myself to truly absorb this holy space and to appreciate the blessing of being there. 

There are many ways to approach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Some people walk in, turn left and immediately get in line to see the tomb. I decided to visit in a more deliberate way (I had the time, afterall) using the narrative of the Gospels. Once the morning dawned, I'd view the church again from the archaeological perspective. But for now, I'd surrender to faith and follow in the footsteps of Jesus. 

With our back to the front door, we’ll immediately turn right and ascend the stairs. Why stairs? Use your imagination to travel back to 33 CE. This was once a hill called Golgotha or Calvary, which means “place of the skull.”

After his death sentence, Jesus made his agonizing journey through the streets of Jerusalem to this hill. It was here that he was stripped of his clothes then nailed to the cross. This is commemorated by the Catholic chapel on the right side. 

Next, turn left. This is the very top of the hill. Kneel, then peek beneath the Greek Orthodox altar. You will see a marker where the cross once stood. You can see my shadow cast over the portrait.

Jesus wasn’t the only one in pain. Mary, too, had her heart pierced with sorrow. This is where his body was take down from the cross.

Next, we’ll go down the stairs behind us to the left. At the bottom step, turn right. This darkened chapel is directly below Golgotha. Look through the window. You will see the same bedrock from the hill above with an important detail: a large crack through the center. This refers to Matthew 27:54, when an earthquake erupted at the moment Jesus expired. (A newer tradition says this is where Adam was buried. That’s why this is called the Chapel of Adam.)

After Jesus died, he was taken down from the cross. His body was brought to this stone where it was anointed with oil and wrapped in linen. Today, pilgrims from every country touch the stone for a blessing or they bring religious articles and place them here. The items become immediately consecrated, the only place in the world with that power. 

Jesus’ body was laid in a new tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. This place is now covered by the small building called the Aedicule: the holiest place in all of Christianity. While I was there, the Aedicule was not open due to restoration work. However, I was able to see it in a new way. The construction work lit up the typically dark building, allowing me to make out details I hadn’t noticed before. Here's one photo during the day, and other with more powerful lighting.

And, you all know the end (or beginning) of the story. The tomb is empty for one immaculate reason.

While I reflected in the darkness of the church, I was sure to light a candle at Calvary in memory of my father, just as my sister had done one year before.

I wandered around for hours spending time in each area (more on that later). The doors opened at midnight. Many pilgrims entered for a special Greek Orthodox mass. The silent church was mine no longer. I said goodbye and headed back to the hotel. 

Now that a new day has dawned, it's time to revisit the church. Before we go, do you remember the Garden Tomb? It was another proposed location for Jesus' death and burial. Just like that site, let's see what happens when we view the Church of the Holy Sepulchre through the lens of archaeology. We can present our case by visiting four areas within the structure itself.

The Syriac Chapel
This is often overlooked by pilgrims because it's behind the Aedicule in a darkened place. However, it’s vital to establishing the church’s legitimacy. It may not look like much, but it contains the remains of Jewish tombs...with loculi! Yep, they date to the same time period as Jesus. They also prove that the location was outside of the city walls, just like the Bible says. (There’s more proof with some recent excavations regarding wall placement.) Since these tombs are present, they strengthen the argument as the church being the location of Jesus’ resting place.

The Aedicule
It’s important to remember that throughout the years, the church was destroyed and rebuilt many times just like Jerusalem itself. It's difficult to determine what is original and what is not. (Most of the church we see today dates to around 1100 CE.) Due to the sacredness of the site, very little research has been done…until 2016. The stone slab over the tomb was in desperate need of repair. Archaeologists took the once-in-a-millennium opportunity to test the material beneath. Wanna hear something cool? To many peoples' surprise, it was dated all the way back to the Constantinean era, when the church was first constructed! The original seal was there even after the multiple reconstructions. The protective rock itself was removed to find a marble covering with a Crusader-style cross. Beneath that was an intact limestone burial bed, not seen for a thousand years. So, this was a truly venerated, untouched burial location close to the time of Christ.

Chapel of Saint Helena / Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross
Jerusalem was completely destroyed after the Roman siege of 70 CE. As if that wasn’t enough, the emperor Hadrian leveled everything else to create a new city called Aelia Capitolina. He constructed a temple to Venus in this area. In his haste to build (and to disrupt the new religion), he buried the same tombs you see today. Fast forward to 313 CE. The emperor Constantine made it official: don’t hassle the Christians. In fact, his mother was a Christian herself (which I’m sure made his decision easier - everyone wants to keep Mom happy). Helena was so devoted that she made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land to find and preserve relics connected with Jesus. By interviewing those who lived there, she determined that the site of crucifixion was beneath the previous Temple of Venus. She ordered the rubble to be removed and the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre be built. The Chapel of Saint Helena honors her. 

Then, we descend twenty two stairs to find the Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross. This showcases the location where tradition says she found remnants of the true cross. I have to admit it. I have a thing for Helena. She understood the importance of history and preservation. That’s why she’s the patron saint of archaeologists.

Chapel of Saint Vartan
My overnight vigil within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre gave me the opportunity to visit each area alone, free of crowds. However, there was one section still off limits. It was a locked metal door to the left of the Chapel of Saint Helena beyond a protective iron gate. I knew what was behind that door: the most compelling evidence of all.   

In the 1970s, the Armenian Orthodox Church was doing repairs and stumbled across a hidden area behind the chapel. They began excavating and uncovered a huge room with remnants of Hadrian’s temple to Venus. Really! They also discovered the foundation of Constantine’s first church. Even with many destructions over the years, an original component is still there! They removed more debris and uncovered a portion of the quarry where some of the stone was extracted.

So, what’s an enthusiastic archaeology student to do?

Luckily, I did a little work beforehand and I was able to pull a few Armenian strings. It’s not easy finding the leader of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He’s the one with the keys to the internal workings of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a circuitous research journey, I was able to establish contact with Father Aghoyan. He agreed to have one of his deacons unlock the door. He allowed me to visit the oldest and deepest region of the church. Here’s what it looks like.

Most of my life goes according to plan. However, events sometimes occur that surprise even me. I asked the deacon if I could leave the walkway and descend even deeper into the quarry. When the team was excavating, they found a lot of pottery. It was here when Harian’s temple was constructed. It was here when the first Church of the Sepulchre was formed by Helena. It was here when the Church was destroyed and rebuilt. It’s been here the whole time. Even though he didn't speak English well, he clearly saw my interest in the history. He grabbed a sherd and said, “I give.” What? I first refused, but he repeated: “I give.” In my hand, I held a piece from the beginning of the church itself.

One last story: With so much history within, it’s no surprise that control of the church has been disputed for many years between the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, and the Armenian Apostolic churches. It wasn’t until 1853 that the decree of the status quo was finalized. This is an incredibly detailed agreement documenting who is in charge of what. Each inch is managed by a specific religious order (even the roof is by the Ethopians and the doors by the Muslims). The ladder at the entrance is a symbol of this. It was placed there in 1728 to allow clergy to enter and exit when the doors were closed. Due to the status quo, it cannot be moved, rearranged, or altered without the consent of six religious groups. Ever try to get two people to agree? How about three? Now imagine six sects with thousands of believers behind them. The result? One immovable ladder.    

I’ve presented both the spiritual and the archaeological evidence for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Now, it's up to you. Is this the real the tomb of Jesus?

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