New tests find tomb of Jesus Christ is 1,000 years older than thought

 

The ancient tomb that Christians believe once held the body of Jesus Christ is nearly 1,000 years older than experts initially suspected.

Tests run on the limestone cave in Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre revealed the tomb was originally constructed in A.D. 345, National Geographic reported. It ties into a popular timeline suggesting Christian Roman Emperor Constantine ordered it be enshrined around the same time.

“Obviously that date is spot-on for whatever Constantine did,” archaeologist Martin Biddle said. “That’s very remarkable.”

It was previously believed to have originally been constructed during the era of the Crusaders — which would make it no older than 1,000 years old.  Experts analyzed mortar from the surface of the tomb as well as the marble slab that covers it to establish that the vault is in fact closer to 1,700 years old. They relied on a process called Optically Stimulated Luminescence, which deduces when the sediment was last exposed to light, according to the publication.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre — where the cave was first discovered and enshrined by the Romans around 326 A.D. — was completely destroyed in 1009 and later rebuilt. The tomb has since withstood violent attacks as well as fires and earthquakes.

Researchers were initially skeptical that the remains of the cave were evidence of the early Roman shrine, though new tests support such claims.

The tomb in October 2016 was opened for the first time in centuries when the shrine housing it — called Edicule — underwent restoration efforts helmed by the National Technical University in Athens.

While experts will never be able to officially establish that the tomb is where Christ is buried, it is the most widely accepted site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection — typically referred to in the bible as Golgotha or Calvary.