The garden tomb has long been suspected as the burial site for Jesus Christ for some time, but recently, from discoveries surrounding the re-discovery of the crucifixion site, the Ark of the Covenant and the tomb stone itself, we can conclusively say that the Garden Tomb WAS the burial site for Jesus. For as the Bible says, "He is not here. For He is Risen!"
Below, photos of the Garden Tomb as well as a portion of the Calvary Escarpment where Jesus was crucified.
The tomb was hewn out of solid rock.
The tomb stone for the Garden Tomb was found in a first century A.D. building surrounding the crucifixion site several hundred feet away. It is 13 feet, 2 inches in diameter and around 2 feet thick. Dimensionally, it fits perfectly into the trough in front of the tomb, and also fits the exact spacing between two iron pegs designed to hold the stone in place (see sketch below). The stone was held in place with a rope or iron chain being fastened to two iron pegs driven into the stone face. It is the largest known tombstone yet discovered and MUCH larger than that covering King Herod's tomb which was 5 1/2 feet in diameter. So when the Bible says a "great stone," it means exactly that.
The angel upon forcefully rolling away the stone, sheared the iron pegs holding the stone in place. The photo on the right shows the sheared off stub still left in its hole.
This show of strength was hardly the act of timid disciples in stealing a body in front of a cohort of Roman soldiers as some allege.
Truly, our Lord is risen!
For many more photographs, video clips of what was found, and much more marvelous information, we recommend the video, Surprising Discoveries, Part III and the Ark of the Covenant CD-ROM.
Photos copyrighted by MindVision Interactive Pty Ltd., Adelaide, South Australia and Jonathan Gray. Used by permission.
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