Relics attributed to Jesus

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There are many relics attributed to Jesus that people believe or believed to be authentic relics of the Gospel accounts.

Contents 1 Birth of Jesus 2 Holy Face 3 Holy Shrouds 3.1 Shroud of Turin 3.2 Sudarium of Oviedo 4 The Holy Chalice 5 The True Cross 6 Other Crucifixion Relics 7 Holy Blood 8 James Ossuary 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Birth of Jesus

• The Holy Prepuce, or Holy Foreskin
• The Gifts of the Magi in the St. Paul Monastery in Mount Athos
• The swaddling clothes baby Jesus wore in Dubrovnik's Cathedral, Croatia

[edit] Holy Face

• The Image of Edessa, also known as the "Icon Not Made by Hands" that Jesus allegedly sent to King Abgar V of Edessa to cure him of leprosy. The image was accompanied by a letter said to be written by Jesus himself to Abgar, the King of Edessa declining an invitation to visit his palace.
• Veronica's Veil, used to wipe the sweat from Jesus' brow as he carried the cross. The veil allegedly bears the likeness of the Face of Jesus not made by human hand (i.e. an Acheiropoieta)

[edit] Holy Shrouds

[edit] Shroud of Turin

The Shroud of Turin is perhaps the best-known relic; its authenticity was questioned due to radiocarbon dating, performed in 1988, the accuracy of which has itself been subsequently questioned. The earlier-measured sample was generally agreed to have been thrown off by contamination on the shroud, though retests are also debated, and it remains a controversial item.

[edit] Sudarium of Oviedo

The Sudarium of Oviedo purported to be the cloth that was wrapped around the head of Jesus after he died. In the work Asarim, by Marisa Vallejo, a bloodstained cloth called the Sudarium (John 20:7) is described as a turban or napkin (Greek: σουδάριον) wound around Jesus' head at the time of his burial. It is claimed that this is the cloth that was set aside in the tomb after the Resurrection. This relic can be seen in the Holy Chamber of the Cathedral of Oviedo in Spain. There is some evidence that at some stage in time, this cloth and the Turin Shroud covered the same dead body.

[edit] The Holy Chalice

Another famous relic is the Holy Chalice which Jesus used at the Last Supper. Stories of this relic are often intertwined with medieval legends around the Holy Grail.

[edit] The True Cross

• Pieces of the True Cross, including the half of the INRI inscription tablet, preserved at the ancient basilica Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome. Very small pieces or particles of the True Cross are preserved in hundreds of other churches in Europe and inside crucifixes. According to Gerasimos Smyrnakis^[1] Rohault de Flery calculated that the total volume of the True Cross was 178,000,000 cubic millimeters but by his time only 3,942,000 cubic millimeters survived. Smyrniotakis noted the largest part (870,760 cubic millimeters) was in Mount Athos, 537,587 in Rome, 516,090 in Brussels, 445,582 in Venice, 436,450 in Ghent and 237,731 in Paris.

[edit] Other Crucifixion Relics

• The Holy Coat: The possession of the seamless garment of Christ (Latin: Latin tunica inconsultilis (John 19:23), for which the soldiers cast lots at the Crucifixion, is claimed by the cathedral of Trier, Germany, and by the parish church of Argenteuil, France. The Seamless robe of Jesus is kept at the cathedral of Trier. The Argenteuil tradition claims that the garment venerated in that city as the Holy Coat was brought there by Charlemagne.
• The Scala Sancta, the stairs from Pontius Pilate's praetorium, ascended by Jesus during his trial proceedings.
• The Calvary of crucifixion, a small rock called Golgotha, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Inside the church is a pile of rock about 7 m long by 3 m wide by 4.8 m high, believed to be what is now visible of Calvary.
• The Iron Crown of Lombardy and Bridle of Constantine, said to be made from nails used during the crucifixion
• The Holy Lance (or Spear of Destiny), the spear of Longinus used to pierce Jesus' side when he was on the cross, to ensure that he had died.
• The Crown of Thorns which was placed upon the head of Jesus at his crucifixion by the soldiers
• The Holy Sponge, in Santa Croce in Gerusalemme
• The Column of the Flagellation, which Jesus was tied to during the Flagellation of Christ
• Tears Jesus wept over Jerusalem (location of weeping marked by a chapel)

[edit] Holy Blood

The are various alleged traces of Blood shed by Jesus on the cross, especially those on the Shroud of Turin and on the Sudarium of Oviedo. The Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges, Belgium, has another alleged specimen of Christ's blood.

[edit] James Ossuary

Since Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven, no bones are attributed to him as relics.

In 2002, the James Ossuary was found. This limestone box is inscribed Ya`aqov bar Yosef akhui Yeshua` ("James son of Joseph brother of Jesus"). Though it came to light under questionable provenance, some thought it could be historical evidence for Jesus's brother James.^[2][3] On June 18, 2003, the Israeli Antiquities Authority reported that the inscription on the ossuary was a modern forgery, basing their analysis of the patina. It appears that the inscription was added recently and made to look old by addition of a chalk solution. The dealer, Oded Golan, was indicted for fraud in December 2004.^[4] Golan maintains his innocence.

[edit] See also

• Historicity of Jesus
• Jesus in the Christian Bible

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Cruz, Joan Carroll (1984). Relics. Our Sunday Visitor. ISBN 0-87973-701-8. 
• Nickell, Joe (2007). Relics of the Christ. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0813124255. 

[edit] External links

• http://www.shroudstory.com The Shroud of Turin Story: A Guide to the Facts
• http://www.innoval.com/C14 Possibly the Biggest Radiocarbon Dating Mistake Ever