Last week, on Oct. 26, the internet went berserk after the news of workers opening the burial tomb of Jesus Chrsist for the first time in Jerusalem's Church of Holy Sepulchre. Now, archaeologists have examined the interior of the tomb, and here's what they found.
The researchers from the National Technical University of Athens initially found a layer of fill material after the tomb's top marble was removed. However, after further research, another marble slab was uncovered with a cross carved on its surface. And then after over 60 hours, Jesus' burial bed was revealed, National Geographic reports.
According to Fox News, Jesus Christ's burial bed was made of limestone from a wall cave and is covered in marble cladding since 1555 A.D. The said limestone is also present inside the Edecule, a 19th century structure in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
"This is the Holy Rock that has been revered for centuries, but only now can actually be seen," said Chief Scientific Supervisor Professor Antonia Moropoulou, who's leading the project.
The original burial bed was covered in marble cladding to prevent past pilgrims during the earlier times to remove pieces of the original rock as souvenirs.
Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic's archaeologist-in-residence, expressed his excitement on the discovery. He said, "I'm absolutely amazed. My knees are shaking a little bit because I wasn't expecting this. 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."
National Geographic notes that from an archaeological perspective, it's hard to determine if the said tomb is the real tomb of Jesus Christ or an another Jew known as the Jesus of Nazareth. However, historircally, an identification of the site by representatives of the Roman emperor Constatine suggests a possibility that this might be indeed the tomb of Jesus Christ.