The Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre (Al Qeyameh)

Ever since the reign of Emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.) the Christians have been blamed for the burning of Rome and had been vigorously persecuted; St. Peter was crucified up-side down and St. Paul beheaded. The early Christians hid in catacombs (burial grounds) to escape from being rounded up. The ancient catacombs were used extensively from the beginning and throughout the persecution; from Emperor Nero to Diocletian in the 3rd century just before Constantine came into power. In 300 years the fledgling Church had suffered terribly in the hands of the Roman Rulers; some 6 million bodies of martyrs and Christians were interned there until the 5th century. If the catacombs were put back to back they would extend more than 900 miles. In 70 A.D. the Romans legions under Titus sacked Jerusalem during which it was said that over a million people died and the city with it's Temple destroyed; (second one built by Herod the Great) just as Jesus had prophesied (Lk 19:44). In the year 135 A,D. the revolt of Bar Kokhba was successfully suppressed by the Romans and the City of Jerusalem razed to the ground; with the Jews and Christians expelled. The Roman Emperor Aelius Hadrian wanted re-store a Hellenistic city and at the same time remove all traces of Christianity. He built a new city on the hill over the burial site; renaming the city from Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina. Erecting a temple over the tomb of Jesus and dedicating it to the god Venus. In doing so he had subsequently and unintentionally preserved the authenticity of the holy site.

When Constantine finally became the first Christian Emperor in 313 A.D. he proclaimed the ‘Edit of Milan’ granting freedom of worship and Christianity spread like a wild brushfire throughout the entire Roman Empire. In 325 A.D. his mother Queen Helena, went for pilgrimage to Holy Land. She conducted what is known as the first archaeological excavation, discovering the site of the crucifixion and the empty tomb of Jesus. St. Helena was a devote convert and prompted her son to built a Basilica to commemorate Jesus burial site. The Holy Sepulchre is one of Christianity oldest and Holiest Church and was built in 326-335 A.D.; taken 9 long years to complete and the inauguration attended by some 300 bishops.

Matt 27:57-61 The Burial (quote from Jerusalem Bible)

‘When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate thereupon ordered it to be handed over. So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of rock. He then rolled a large stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away. Now Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulcher.’

In verse 59 Matthew specifically mentioned that 'So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud and put it in his own new tomb.' And in verse 61 Matthew said there were 2 witnesses, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary.

In the other two Synoptic Gospels, Lk 23:50-54, Mk.15:42-47 and also in Jn 19:38-42 they all are referring to Joseph of Arimathaea who approached Pilate to claim Jesus’ body. Jesus was crucified on the day before Sabbath and died at the ninth hour. The Jews did not want corpses hanging during the Sabbath day; that explains why the legs of the two thieves had to be broken to hasten their death. The legs of Jesus were not broken because he was already dead (as prophesied). The bodies had to be taken down on the same day before sunset. It was Preparation Day (that is vigil of the Sabbath) and the Sabbath was imminent and they were rushing time. Jn 19:42 ‘Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there’. In Luke 23:55 ‘Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and the position of the body. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. And on the Sabbath they rested as the law required.

The entrance to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre at the Chapel of Adam lies a long slab of polished pink limestone called 'Stone of the Anointing'. This stone marks the place of the ancient Oratory of the Anointing. According to tradition is the place where the body of Jesus was anointed after it had been taken down from the cross. Where his beloved mother wept over him (XIII Station of the Cross) marked by the altar of 'Stabat Mater'.

Josephine at ‘Stone of the Anointing’

The fact points out that Jesus was hurriedly buried near the place of execution, just outside the walls of the old city, in the new un-used tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea provided a very clear indication what tradition holds. The tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea is in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, dug into the rock is the only part belongs to the Ethiopian Church. The name of the tomb refers to Joseph of Arimathea.

In 614 A.D. the Persian conquered Holy Land, killing Christians and destroying monasteries, churches or shrines holy to the Byzantine. The relic of the Holy Cross was carried off as a booty.

However in the year 628, the Byzantine Emperor Heracles regained from the Persian and made a specticular entery into Jerusalem through the 'Golden Gate' with the Cross recovered from the enemy. The restoration of the Basilica of the 'Holy Sepulchre' was undertaken by Modestus, an Abbot from the Basilica. Muslim Armies invaded Palestine in 634 and after 4 years Caliph Omar captured Jerusalem; but the Omayyad Conquerors showed greater understanding and tolerance towards the Christians than the previous Persians. They even allowed freedom of worship.

In 1009 the fanatical Caliph el-Hakim ordered the total destruction of the Basilica and all trappings of Christian splendour. By 1030 the Cairo Caliphate of Egypt became master of Jerusalem and allowed the Byzantine to restore the Basilica; a task which was completed in 1048.

Then came the Crusaders led by Geoffrey of Bouillon who overran Jerusalem in 1099, followed by a horrible blood-bath killing many Muslim and Jews alike. He was hail as Defender of the Holy Sepulchre and the Crusaders set about establishing a Latin Kingdom and restoring the Basilica. The Sepulchre is almost in the centre of the old city. and entry to this church is from the public square named as the ‘Dooms Day’ area.

In 1187 the Crusaders was totally defeated by ‘Saladin’ the Sultan of Egypt in the ‘Battle of the Horns of Hattin; King Guy of the Latin Kingdom was taken prisoner. Next to fall was Jerusalem itself and Saladin’s lieutenants prompted him to torch the ‘Church of the Holy Sepulchre’, However, Saladin refused after all Jesus is a prophet also accepted by the Moslems and they honour Mary his mother. It is inscribed on the walls of the Mosque of Omar better known as the 'Dome of Rock'

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Entrance to the empty tomb of Jesus

Quoting Koran a passage from Surah 19:33

‘God bless your messenger and your servant Jesus, the son of Mary. Blessed be he on the day of his birth, on the day of his death and the day on which he will be raised from the dead’

Instead Saladin simply locked up the church and passed the keys to the Muslims and the two families in Jerusalem; are the ‘Nuseybe’ and the ‘Cude’. So from ancient times it was customary for the Muslim family to ‘open/unlock the door’ for the Christians to enter for worship.

Subsequent regimes, Mamluks, the ‘Ottomans’ from Turkey maintained the “Status Quo” The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was strictly regulated according to this tradition, so much so even the roof could not be repaired for 19 years. The reason the ‘Ottoman’ administration lacked a ruling for such an issue. Anyway it had shown tolerance for the peaceful co-existence of Muslim and Christians.

In 2006 April my wife Josephine and I went for a 12-day pilgrimage to Holy Land to the place where Jesus was born, walked, preached, crucified, died, buried and resurrected. Our spiritual director was a Franciscan monk, Friar Joseph and we visited the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. The Franciscan Order had been the Custodian for the Holy Land since the year 1342. That day we began early in the morning as we walked the way of the Cross following the foot-step of Jesus along the cobble pavement of ‘Via Dolorosa’. We entered the Basilica by the IX Station marked by a Roman column passing through the Coptic Chapel (Egypt) and heard chanting of strange language. In the XIV Station, the shrine of the Holy Sepulchre is in the middle of the

Sketch of the ‘Holy Sepulchre’

rotunda of ‘Anastasis’ (Greek word for resurrection). Through centuries of transformation, the original cave of ancient Jewish tombs being cut away. A small building of Turkish rococo design called the Aedicule covering the tomb of Jesus was erected after a fire broke out in 1808. To our right is the XI Station, the Chapel of the Nails and this part belongs to the Roman Catholic. This is the place where Jesus was stripped off his garments and nailed to the cross. Above the altar is a beautiful scenario done in mosaic of Jesus lying on the cross and being nailed, actually beneath the flooring that we stood upon is the rock of Golgatha. Our Spiritual Director Friar Joseph celebrated Holy Mass; this Eucharistic celebration is Catholicism highest form of prayer and worship. The word ‘Catholic’ simply means universal.

Next on our left is the Chapel of Crucifixion belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church. A life size icon of Jesus hanging on the cross with his mother Mary and his disciple John, standing by the foot. In between the Greek Orthodox shrine and the Catholic Chapel of nails is the shrine of ‘Stabat Mater’ of Mary, Jesus’ mother in grief at her son dying on the cross. The different Christian ownership of their respective shrine is a sad reminder of the great schism that split the Catholic Church in 1054 between the Latin-rites Roman Church and the Byzantine Eastern-rites Greek speaking Orthodox Church. Presently the Church is shared by a few different religious communities, Latin, Greek, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian : they contribute to the maintenance of the church and conduct their own services according to their liturgy.

Mosaic scene in the ‘Chapel of Nails’

The shrine of ‘Stabat Mater’

Finally we came to the XIV Station ‘Jesus is laid in the Tomb’ the place where the story of Jesus' earthly life ended and entered the Aedicule erected over the tomb. Upon entry the larger chamber is called the ‘Chapel of Angels’ and that leads to another smaller room called the ‘Mortuary Chamber’ where the empty tomb of Jesus is. It is on the right-hand side of the room and here a marble slab protects the rock of the tomb. Above a number of silver lamps hanging belonging to 4 different Christian churches. The 3 over the slab represent the Resurrection according to Greek, Latin and Armenian versions. Anyway the place is really narrow and cramp for even 5 persons at a time. Outside the queue had been exceptional long and you are rushed, to kiss or touch and quickly move on. However we discovered that behind of the Aedicule is an Egyptian Coptic shrine where a monk on duty to assist you by showing the spot underneath the altar. There is a hole in the ground where you can touch the original rock of the tomb.

The Coptic (Egypt) Shrine