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A stone slab that many Christians believe once held the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion has been unveiled for the first time in centuries.
National Geographic, which was filming the restoration work at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, said the marble that encased the slab since at least 1555 was removed as part of the project.
“We were surprised by the amount of fill material beneath it,” Fredrik Hiebert, archaeologist-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, told the organization’s website. “It will be a long scientific analysis, but we will finally be able to see the original rock surface on which, according to tradition, the body of Christ was laid.”
The church is one of the most revered sites in Christianity and includes the location traditionally believed to have been the scene of the crucifixion as well as the tomb. It’s also highly controversial, as the location was not identified until centuries after the events depicted in the New Testament.
Today, the operation and maintenance of the church is a tense, “status quo” arrangement between several Christian denominations, including the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches. At times, fights have broken out between these sects. Such disagreements have allowed parts of the facility to fall into disrepair, and last year the Israeli government temporarily shut down the church over fears of a possible collapse.
An overlooked past article
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The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where a stone slab said to have held the body of Jesus Christ has been uncovered for the first time in centuries. Maremagnum via Getty Images
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