ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR CRUCIFIXION, BURIAL AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS

 

The crucifixion of Jesus is a monumental event in the history of Christianity. It marks the beginning of the restoration of a full relationship between humanity and God. 

The crucifixion is detailed in the books of the new testament, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. The Roman soldiers arrested Him, tortured Him and eventually crucified him on the cross in a very gruesome execution.

In our world today, there are many people who disprove this historical event. These individuals range from atheists, scientists, philosophers, highly revered intellectuals that hold various prominent positions in our various institutions of learning. They label the crucifixion as a mere fairy tale fabricated by early Christian scholars to support the Christian religion.

Even though they deny the crucifixion of Jesus, archeological evidence prove them wrong, there are many archeological evidence that prove the crucifixion of Jesus and we shall discuss them next.

The first archeological evidence of a crucified person was discovered in 1968 while construction workers were working in Jerusalem. The workers uncovered an ancient tomb, inside the tomb they found a nail in knotted wood piercing through an ankle bone. 

The nail was left in the bone because the executioners who normally reused nails after the crucified persons died were unable to extract it. So the nail, the ankle and the wood knot were preserved together. When researchers studied the nails and  the woods extensively, they came to the conclusion that they were remnants of the cross from which Jesus Christ was hung.

The ankle was that of another person who was also executed by crucifixion many years after the crucifixion of Jesus, but the the wood and the nails were remnants of the ones used to crucify Jesus since the Romans normally reused nails and woods after the crucified person had died.

Another archeological discovery that provides evidence of crucifixion by the Roman empire was discovered in 2007. During excavation of an  Isolated tomb in a Roman burial site in Northern Italy, a lesion on the foot of a 2000 year old skeleton was discovered. The discovery was considered a tangible evidence of execution by crucifixion after concrete research by interdisciplinary team of Italian researchers. 

Another evidence of the crucifixion of Jesus was that Jesus's Tomb was empty. The Gospel of Matthew states that after Jesus died and was removed from the cross, Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus’ body up and placed it in his tomb. 

Archaeologists have found that tombs in Jesus’ time have a distinctive style which was utilized only in the period from 37 B.C. through A.D. 70. Before and after that period, the Jews used different types of tombs. This is an interesting fact because there are biblical details about Jesus’ burial in a tomb which align with what historians of this period would expect.

This type of tomb has big stone in front of it that is pushed over the entrance. Inside the tomb, there was a stone slab so that the wrapped-up body could be placed on that spot immediately following death. The pattern of tomb was only used during that particular point in history.

The crucifixion of Jesus is an event that cannot be denied. Despite all these discoveries, there's no evidence greater than the one we have in the bible that Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, he resurrected and ascended into heaven and will still return to the earth to judge the living and the dead.

Thanks and God bless you richly.