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hand after (the crucifixion), Joseph of Ari
Amathaea, being a disciple of Jesus . . .
besought Pilate that he might take away the
body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He
came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. . . .
"Now in the place where He was crucified
there was a garden; and in the garden a new
sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
"There laid they Jesus . . . for the sepulchre
was near at hand."
The burying place of Jesus, described by St.
John, is now the site of an aged church which,
despite its outward shabbiness, reflects the most
glorious moments of Christianity. Within the
area of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jesus
was crucified, died, and was buried; on the third
day, He arose again as a sign of His divinity.
For some 200 years, the place of Golgotha was
undetermined except by tradition. Then Con
stantine the Great ordered Bishop Macarius to
locate the skull-shaped hill exactly. Using scrip
ture and tradition, the bishop ordered a temple
to Venus north of Jerusalem to be leveled and
excavation begun. Below the pagan edifice,
historians say, church authorities found a tomb
hewn from rock and about 100 yards eastward
three crosses which appeared to have faith
healing qualities.
Satisfied that this was Golgotha, Constantine
erected several magnificent structures covering
Entrance to Holy Sepulchre
(left), marble tomb in small
chapel directly under dome.
Monks and choir boys (right)
kneeling on steps leading up
to tomb on Easter Sunday.
The marble slab in tomb is
polished and worn by lips of
pilgrims from all countries.
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Huge dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on
Mt. Calvary, Jerusalem, as it was before its last fire.
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Monastery pupils pray before the Stabat Mater, the
small altar which commemorates the sorrows of Mary.
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the sites of the crucifixion and the entombment.
In 614 A. D., however, they were set aflame by
Chosroes II of Persia. When the Crusades cap
tured Jerusalem in 1099, the first of the present
buildings was erected.
Through the centuries, Jerusalem was a bat
tleground for Christian, Jew, and Moslem, but
the church was relatively unscathed until 1808
when fire again claimed most of the structure.
Once more the house of worship was restored
but in such a slipshod manner that few archi
tects expected it to last the century. Yet this
awkward basilica survived an earthquake and
more fires, although beams must prop it up.
Despite efforts at rehabilitation, the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre still is dingy and, to some
observers, a "scandal to Christendom." But in
Holy Week observances, mortar and stone be
come unimportant. The vast church is filled with
sacred chants and the flickering light of candles
at solemn rites. Most of all, it is filled with a
deep spirituality that makes this truly a glorious
monument to the Resurrection.
Pilgrims entering the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre this Easter will worship in a shrine
beneath the great rotunda. The pink-limestone
shrine, 24 by 15 feet, is divided into two chapels.
Pilgrims first enter the Chapel of the Angels,
then proceed to the mortuary chamber.
Within the marble-lined chamber is Christ's
tomb on a raised dais. A marble slab covering
the tomb is worn by the kisses of pilgrims
through the ages. This is the empty resting place
which Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of
James, beheld in terror on the first Easter morn.
"And, behold, there was a great earthquake:
for the angel of the Lord descended from
heaven, and came and rolled back the stone
from the door, and sat upon it.
"His countenance was like lightning, and his
raiment white as snow:
"And for fear of him the keepers did shake,
and became as dead men.
"And the angel answered and said unto the
women, 'Fear not ye: for He is risen as He said.
Come, see the place" where the Lord lay.' "
Seeing this sacred place, 20th-century pil
grims experience much of what St. Matthew
says the two Marys felt "fear and great joy."
The mourning of Good Friday has ended for
them and for the world, and in the time-worn
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, novices chant
the eternal Alleluia.
Family Wetkly, March 29, 1959