Bryant G. Wood
An ancient cave discovered in the fourth century was believed at the time to be the Tomb of Christ. For the past 1700 years it has been venerated, damaged and restored. As preparation for coming restoration, Martin Biddle was asked to record the tomb as it is today. Bryant Wood reviews the results of Biddle’s investigation published in 1999.
The original tomb of Christ, as reconstructed by Martin Biddle, sectional side view (left) and top plan (right). It was comprised of a small forecourt, a low entry passage, and a burial chamber with benches on three sides.
There are two locations in the Old City of Jerusalem claiming to be the Tomb of Christ: the Garden Tomb 100 m (110 yd) northwest of the Damascus Gate, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter. While the Garden Tomb has no ancient tradition associated with it, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has a tradition going back to the earliest centuries of Christianity. In his The Tomb of Christ, Martin Biddle has traced the history of the Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre from the Gospels to the present day.
Biddle is Professor of Medieval Archaeology and Astor Senior Research Fellow and Tutor in Archaeology at Hereford College, Oxford. Since 1986 he has been researching the Tomb to lay groundwork for a major restoration of the Edicule, the small structure built around the Tomb. It is anticipated that much new information will be gained in the course of the restoration.
The Tomb from AD 30 to 135
Scripture tells us that Jesus was buried in a new tomb hewn out of rock (Mt 27:60; Mk 15:46; Lk 23:53; Jn 19:41). It was in a garden near the crucifixion site (Jn 19:41) and outside, although not far from, the city (Jn 19:20; Heb 13:12). In addition, the entrance was low and sealed with a stone (Jn 20:11; Mt 27:60; Mk 15:46), and on the right side it was possible to sit where the body of Jesus had lain (Jn 20:12).
A number of first-century tombs have been excavated in the Jerusalem area and they conform to the description in the Gospels: a rock-cut tomb with a low entrance closed by a moveable stone, and a raised burial couch within (Biddle 1999: 55). No additional information on the Tomb has survived until we reach AD 135. However, it is entirely possible, even plausible,
BSP 13:1 (Winter 2000) p. 14
The ebb and flow of ancient Jerusalem. These maps portray Jerusalem’s changing wall lines for the first seven centuries of the Christian era.
that the Christian community in Jerusalem preserved a knowledge of the location of the Tomb during the intervening years (Biddle 1999: 146, note 6).
The Topography of Jerusalem Through the Centuries
In 41–44 Herod Agrippa expanded Jerusalem northward, taking in the area of the Tomb. What effect, if any, this had on the Tomb is unknown. Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 and later rebuilt by Hadrian in 130/31, renamed Colonia Aelia Capitolina. This, of course, brought major changes to the area, but what happened to the Tomb during this period is not documented.
According to Eusebius, writing in 337/9, the entire site of the Tomb had been covered by earth and paved with stone. Above the Tomb was a temple to Aphrodite (Life of Constantine 3.26; Schaff and Wace 1997). Jerome, writing in ca. 395, attributed this work to Hadrian, although he differs in detail from Eusebius. He wrote that a statue of Jupiter was placed over the location of the Tomb and a statue of Venus (=Aphrodite) on the rock of the cross (Letters 58.3; Schaff and Wace 1996). Hadrian’s works are thought to have been carried out in the period following the suppression of the Bar Kokhbva Revolt in 135. Archaeological evidence does indicate a monumental public structure of Roman date once stood on the site now occupied by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Biddle 1999: 57).
The Tomb from AD 135 to 325
In 325, Constantine ordered the clearance of Christ’s Tomb and construction of a church on the site. Makarios, bishop of Jerusalem from 314 to 333, may have taken a leading role in this enterprise. Possibly he made a personal request to the emperor at the Council of Nicaea in 325 (Biddle 1999: 65). The removal of Hadrian’s works is described by Eusebius, an eyewitness to the event.
Bishop Makarios excavated a site within the city walls and located a tomb that he and others accepted as the burial place of Christ. Eusebius provides no details as to why this was believed to be the Tomb of Christ. He merely states that once the covering fill was removed, the cave, i.e. the Tomb, immediately appeared (Biddle 1999: 65). Discovered in 325, it is the one venerated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre today.
(article continued on page 17)
BSP 13:1 (Winter 2000) p. 15
Structural evolution of the Edicule. A—Constantines Edicule, 325/6–335; B—Byzantine and medieval Edicule, ca. 1012–40, with later modifications; C—the Edicule rebuilt in 1555; D—the Edicule rebuilt in 1809–10. Only the low entry passage along with the floor and right-side bench of the burial chamber have been preserved to the present.
BSP 13:1 (Winter 2000) p. 16
Structural development of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. A—Constantines Martyrium, the Court Before the Cross, and the Edicule, as dedicated in 335, with the Rotunda of the Anastasis (the Resurrection) as completed in the later fourth century; B—As rebuilt in the 1th century and completed by Michael IV Paphlagon ca. 1040; C—As reconstructed by the Crusaders in the 12th century and completed by 1167/9. Both the Tomb of Christ and Golgotha hill were preserved under the roof of all three churches.
BSP 13:1 (Winter 2000) p. 17
The Narbone model of the Edicule. In the fifth or sixth century, a pilgrim from Narbone made drawings or purchased a model of the Edicule as created by Constantine in the fourth century, from which a mason back home cut the great replica in Pyrenean marble that survives today in a Narbone, France, museum. Top —entrance portico and conical roof over the burial chamber; middle—close-up of the interior of the burial chamber with the burial couch to the left; bottom—plan and partial reconstruction of the Narbone model.
The Tomb from AD 325 to 1009
Once the Tomb of Christ had been identified, the surrounding rock was cut away to leave only the rock actually containing the burial chamber. It became an isolated block rising from a level surface (Biddle 1999: 69). A small structure, or Edicule, was then constructed to enclose the Tomb chamber. The Tomb, as well as a rock outcrop 45 m (49 yd) to the east identified as Golgotha, was enclosed in a church referred to as Constantine’s Martyrium.
Amazingly, an early replica of the Edicule, probably from the fifth century, has survived. It is presently in the Musee d’Art et d’Histoire in Narbone, France, and is referred to as the Narbone model. It depicts an entrance portico and a small tomb chamber with a bench on the right side. Many other artistic representations of Constantine’s Edicule are also known, dating from the sixth century until its destruction in 1009.
Constantine’s Edicule survived unchanged until 1009. In September of that year, the Fatimid Caliph of Egypt, al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, ordered Yaruk, governor of Ramla, to demolish Constantine’s Church of the Martyrion. Tragically, the order was carried out and the church and much of the Tomb were destroyed
BSP 13:1 (Winter 2000) p. 18
(Biddle 1999: 72).
Surviving accounts suggest the rock-cut roof and the east and west walls of the Tomb were removed by Yaruk. The south wall, burial couch, and part of the north wall appear to have been spared. It is hoped that detailed investigations during the restoration will reveal how much of the original Tomb survived Yaruk’s attack (Biddle 1999: 73).
Rebuilding the Church
During the first half of the 11th century, work was undertaken to rebuild the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was done in two phases. Between 1012 and 1023 local Christians and Arabs contributed to the reconstruction. From ca. 1037 to 1040 imperial initiative was imposed, resulting in a grand Byzantine edifice (Biddle 1999: 79).
With the rebuilding of the Edicule there was some elaboration. The eastern entrance portico was made into an enclosed compartment, now the Chapel of the Angel. A cupola on pillars was added over the burial chamber. In addition, a small chapel, now the Coptic Chapel, was added on the west side of the burial chamber (Biddle 1999: 81–88).
The Crusaders
The primary objective of the Crusades was “to deliver Christ’s Tomb” from the Turkish Muslims who gained control of Jerusalem in 1071 (France 1996: 2). The Crusaders seized Jerusalem in 1099 and proceeded to make a number of changes in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. By the 1160s they had extended the Byzantine church to the east and rebuilt the chapels around Calvary. Little was done to the Edicule other than to place a silver figure of Christ on top of the cupola, and perhaps rework the cupola and other elements in conjunction with the rebuilding of the Calvary chapels (Biddle 1999: 98).
Medieval and Modern Times
In 1187 the Muslim Saladin wrested Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Fortunately, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was not damaged and it was placed in the hands of Eastern Christians. In 1244 Khwarismian horsemen from north of Iran overran Jerusalem. They entered the Church, slaughtered the Christians gathered there, and did much damage to the Edicule. For the next three centuries the Tomb fell into a state of disrepair (Biddle 1999: 98–100).
The Franciscan Boniface of Ragusa was appointed Custos of the Holy Land in 1551. With papal and imperial backing Boniface removed the ruined Edicule and erected an entirely new structure. Following this complete rebuilding, the Edicule entered another period of decline (Biddle 1999: 100–102).
In 1808 the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was extensively damaged by fire, including the exterior of the Edicule. Once again, the Edicule was completely rebuilt from the foundations up. This is the structure that protects the Tomb of Christ today. An earthquake seriously weakened it in 1927. In March 1947 the entire structure was strapped together with a cradle of steel girders by the Public Works Department of the British Mandatory Government of Palestine. Since then, nothing has been done to the Edicule (Biddle 1999: 103–108).
Conclusion
Based on all of the information presently available, Biddle reached the following conclusions concerning the original form of Christ’s Tomb.
1. The Tomb consisted of two components: an unroofed or partly covered rock-cut forecourt with a low entrance opening into a fully enclosed rock-cut tomb chamber.
2. A large stone closed the entrance to the tomb chamber. There is no evidence that the stone was round. It is more likely to have been roughly dressed and to have been trundled rather than rolled across the entrance (see Kloner 1999).
3. The burial chamber was a square or rectangular room with a flat ceiling, with benches along the sides, and with only a limited space excavated to floor level between the benches (Biddle 1999: 116–17).
Hopefully these observations can be checked and new information gleaned from the coming restorations. To date, neither the complete restoration plan nor its starting date have yet been made known. Whether one accepts Biddle’s conclusions or not, the Edicule of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is an important Christian structure and needs to be thoroughly and carefully renovated.
Bibliography
Biddle, M.
1999 The Tomb of Christ. Gloucestershire, England: Sutton.
France, J.
1996 The Destruction of Jerusalem and the First Crusade. Journal of Ecclesiastical History 47: 1–17.
Kloner, A.
1999 Did a Rolling Stone Close Jesus’ Tomb? Biblical Archaeology Review 25.5: 22–29, 76.
Schaff, P., and Wace, H.
1996 A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, vol. 6. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans.
1997 A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, vol. 1. Grand Rapids MI: Eerdmans.