The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the ancient church in Jerusalem situated where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried, was where archeologists recently found evidence of ancient olive trees and grapevines. The specimens date back roughly 2,000 years.
They were able to make this claim as they found pollen and seeds preserved at the site.
Francesca Stasolla, an archaeology professor at the Sapienza University of Rome, also mentioned that many artifacts have been found at the site so far, with some dating all the way back to the Iron Age. The discoveries attest to the area's status as a pilgrimage location since the fourth century.
"Ceramics, metals, glass… [all] document both the occupation of the area and the presence of believers and pilgrims," she noted. "The excavation's [aim is to gain] knowledge about this significant area of the city of Jerusalem."
The Church was founded in 326 AD, though the original fourth-century structure was destroyed by Islamic ruler al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in 1009 AD.
The site was taken over by Christian Crusaders nearly a century later, and Stasolla said that the still-standing church is largely the work of the Crusaders.
And now, as we celebrate Lent and are preparing to celebrate Holy Week, Passover and Easter, another of the Bible’s secrets is revealed. It is amazing how Science and Bible tell the same story.
When asked if she felt that the discovery echoes John 19:41, ("Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid"), Stastolla agreed, though she drew a line between archaeological research and theology.
"Archaeology provides us with data that must then be historicized and interpreted," she said. "In this case, it documents an agricultural use of the quarry… the Bible quote is certainly suggestive of this.”
The Science and Theology will come together much like art and life as we continue to explore the secrets the earth continually reveals.
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