Where is the Tomb of Jesus?

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is one of the holiest sites for most Christians worldwide. It is believed to house the site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial. But what can archaeology tell us about the church and its surrounding area? Is it a plausible location for the Tomb of Jesus?

00:00 Introduction
1:54 Critical Excursus
5:59 Origin Story of the Site
8:44 Archaeology of the Vicinity
11:55 Why did Constantine dig here?
14:25 Case for Plausibility
15:11 Case for Inauthenticity
18:14 The Garden Tomb

Select footage and images courtesy of Getty

[Pooneil]

I was still a Christian when I visited the Holy Seplucar in 1983. While I was skeptical of its authenticity, I found it interesting and inspiring just because it was a long standing pilgrimage site. Where true or not, it was THE place people had venerated as the burial place for 1700 or so years. Being part of that tradition was in itself inspiring without accepting it as a fact.

[kakizakichannel]

Maybe the Tomb of Jesus is the friends we made along the way

[JaelaOrdo]

“The whole earth is the tomb of heroic men and their story is not given only on stone over their clay but abides everywhere without visible symbol, woven into the stuff of other men’s lives.”

- Pericles

[achristiananarchist]

The Helena stuff is fascinating because it seems to show how much differently ancient peoples looked at the world than we do. To a modern audience "I talked to the people who live in the town where this happened and they said this is where the tomb is" would be much more compelling than "My mom, who has never been to Jerusalem, had a vision and said this is where we should dig". If something like this were to happen today, it would be much more likely that the latter story would be covered up with the former, but in the ancient world, direct revelation seems to have been more compelling in some cases than more reliable forms of evidence. It kind of makes me think of Paul, and his "I was not told this by any man nor was I taught it" type replies when put into a position where he needed to defend his credentials. As with the Helena narrative, apparently a whole lot of early Christians found this more compelling than Peter's credential of "I personally knew the guy and lived with him for years".

[krisselissan]

As an atheist, I find biblical archaeology, and archaeology in region of the present-day Middle East so incredibly fascinating, just because of how much the ancient history of those lands is still shaping the whole world today

[TheYambo]

I spent 6 months living in Jerusalem in 2016, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was my favourite place to go. Despite being raised Jewish, I could really feel the power of that space. I would often take a book and sit in one of the alcoves, and take in the smell of incense and sound of the different sects praying. I felt very at peace there.

[ernestschroeder]

Love your work. Religion for breakfast is the first channel I recommend to anyone who wants intelligent information about religion.

[AlmqvistRasmus]

Quality content as always! I'm an atheist with a fascination for history and the history of religion, and your always manage to surprise me with well-researched quality content. Thank you!

[kencusick]

Observation: I’ve seen it mentioned numerous times that the bodies of crucified victims were left hanging to be devoured by dogs and carrion. The clear implication is that the crucifixions occurred very close to ground. Probably at virtual eye level. This would increase the humiliation and suffering of the condemned. The depictions we see of Jesus being elevated high above the ground in crucifixion scenes is an attempt to elevate his death above the humiliating way it was performed. This simple transformation has a profound psychological impact.

[TheNightWatcher]

It’s very fascinating that the holy sepulcher is actually a plausible location for the tomb. I had always assumed it was pure tradition.

[feelin_fine]

I'm pleasantly surprised by the plausibility of the traditional site given that I was more familiar with the skeptics' case on this. Folk memory is a fascinating thing, and, in any case, echoing others, I agree that it's the meaning a place takes on over time which lends it a sacred aura.

[franbalcal]

The biggest mystery on this video was why was Andrew was wearing un undershirt on some scenes but none on other scenes.

[dalegaliniak]

I just want to say I've been in those burial niches! When I visited Jerusalem, our tour guide made a point of taking us there and took us to it to show what a burial niche was really like.

[andrewsuryali]

Ah, yes. The ladder is still there. Some things simply don't change.

I've been to both the Garden Tomb and the Holy Sepulchre and have had mass in both. I must say that if you want worthwhile ritual the Holy Sepulchre is where you want to go. The Garden Tomb simply doesn't carry so much gravitas. That's rather ironic given that it's definitely the older edifice, but I guess the way Protestantism works they'll simply never develop it to the same level.

As an aside, one of the smaller tussles between the orders in the HS took place about three days after I was there. I heard they then closed down the Aedicule for about a week and even had the Muslim keyholder family come in to help symbolically lock the church gates to force the combatants to enter arbitration. I'm just glad I already had a chance to enter the Aedicule before all this happened.

[justincheng]

When I was in the Holy Land, the explanation I was given was that Protestant missionaries were denied access to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and so out of their rage, they started doubting the legitimacy of the Church. This is likely an apocryphal tale.

[LawtonDigital]

Regarding "joint ownership/administration", it's funny to note that the ladder under the window here 0:24 has been there for a hundred years because no one can agree on who should move it. It was left behind by a workman.

[nowhereman]

Man, Josephus is really a godsend for Jewish and Christian historical scholarship.

[kirstencorby]

Well the idea of a rival Protestant tomb is too hilarious. But the Holy Sepulcher has a much stronger case than I thought. It reminds me of the mound of Hissarlik. There was a consistent tradition in the area from late antiquity or before, that it was the ruins of Troy.

Intertesting video. Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

[tl]

As the primary patron of Christianity, Constantine had a clear political and propaganda motive to find the tomb no matter what even if it meant manufacturing the discovery. And regardless of whether his mother Helena did or didnt play a role in its alleged discovery, her being woven into the narrative ties the emperor’s lineage into the legacy of Christianity. Another PR win

[brando]

So that is why there is this tradition/parade here in the Philippines we call "Santacruzan", to commemorate Helena and Constantine for finding the tomb.