Relics Of The Christ

Author : Joe Nickell
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
Page : 231 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2007-03-16
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780813172125

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Relics of the Christ by Joe Nickell Pdf

Religious relics, defined as “either portions of or objects connected with the body of a saint or other holy person,” are among the most revered items in the world. Christian relics such as the Holy Grail, the True Cross, and the Lance of Longinus are also the source of limitless controversy. Such items have incited people to bloodshed and, some say, have been a source of miracles. Relics inspire fear and hope among the faithful and yet are a perennial target for skeptics, both secular and Christian. To research the authenticity of numerous Christian relics, Joe Nickell takes a scientific approach to a field of study all too often tainted by premature conclusions. In this volume, Nickell investigates such renowned relics as the Shroud of Turin, the multiple heads of John the Baptist, and the supposedly incorruptible corpses of saints, first examining the available evidence and documented history of each item. From accounts of true believers to the testimony of the relics’ alleged fabricators, Nickell then presents all sides of each story, allowing the evidence to speak for itself. For each relic, Nickell evaluates both the corroborating and contradictory bodies of evidence and explores whether the relic and attributed miracles can be reconstructed. In addition to his own experiments, Nickell presents findings from the world’s top scientists and historians regarding these controversial objects of reverence and ire, explaining the circumstances under which each case was examined. Radiocarbon dating and tests to determine the validity of substances such as blood or patina indicate a variety of possible origins. Nickell even reveals some of the techniques used to create archaeological forgeries and explains how investigators have exposed them. Each relic is a mystery to be solved; guided by the maxim, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof,” Nickell seeks only the truth.

Author : Joe Nickell
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2007-03-16
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780813137315

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Relics of the Christ by Joe Nickell Pdf

Religious relics, defined as "either portions of or objects connected with the body of a saint or other holy person," are among the most revered items in the world. Christian relics such as the Holy Grail, the True Cross, and the Lance of Longinus are also the source of limitless controversy. Such items have incited people to bloodshed and, some say, have been a source of miracles. Relics inspire fear and hope among the faithful and yet are a perennial target for skeptics, both secular and Christian. To research the authenticity of numerous Christian relics, Joe Nickell takes a scientific approach to a field of study all too often tainted by premature conclusions. In this volume, Nickell investigates such renowned relics as the Shroud of Turin, the multiple heads of John the Baptist, and the supposedly incorruptible corpses of saints, first examining the available evidence and documented history of each item. From accounts of true believers to the testimony of the relics' alleged fabricators, Nickell then presents all sides of each story, allowing the evidence to speak for itself. For each relic, Nickell evaluates both the corroborating and contradictory bodies of evidence and explores whether the relic and attributed miracles can be reconstructed. In addition to his own experiments, Nickell presents findings from the world's top scientists and historians regarding these controversial objects of reverence and ire, explaining the circumstances under which each case was examined. Radiocarbon dating and tests to determine the validity of substances such as blood or patina indicate a variety of possible origins. Nickell even reveals some of the techniques used to create archaeological forgeries and explains how investigators have exposed them. Each relic is a mystery to be solved; guided by the maxim, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof," Nickell seeks only the truth.

Author : Grzegorz Górny
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2013-11-25
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781586178444

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Witnesses to Mystery by Grzegorz Górny Pdf

In this lavishly illustrated large coffee-table volume, writer Gorny and photographer Rosikon embarked on a two year investigative journey to seek the truth behind all the relics associated with the passion of Christ. The authors investigated a rich body of documentary evidence found in various museums, archives and churches surrounding sacred objects believed to have been preserved since Jesus' lifetime, exploring and collaborating with historians and scientists in their attempt to verify the relics' authenticity. They reach their conclusions not so much on the basis of faith as on the evidence supplied by historical sources and expert scientific opinion. The relics associated with the Passion - the suffering, death and burial of Christ - have long proved something of an enigma for the scientific community. Relics investigated, and photographed, for this glorious volume include: the Cross, nails, crown of thorns, pillar of scourging, Christ's tunic, the Veil of Manoppello, the Sudarium of Oviedo, the famous Shroud of Turin burial cloth and more.

Author : J. Charles Wall
Publisher : Sophia Institute Press
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2016-01-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781622823277

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Relics from the Crucifixion by J. Charles Wall Pdf

The Jews usually burned the crosses used by the Romans after executions but following Jesus' crucifixion they quickly threw the Cross in a ditch to get it out of sight before the feast of Passover. That preserved the True Cross, and memory of the events preserved its location. Disgusted with continued Christian veneration of the spot, pagan Roman Emperor Hadrian erected on the Cross's burial site a statue to Venus, hoping thereby to obliterate their memory. It didn’t work. Indeed, because of the statue, when the Empire became Christian, St. Helena knew the exact spot where she would find the very Cross on which Christ died. All relics from Christ's crucifixion have a similarly fascinating story, all of which are told here in this 1910 work by the enterprising Catholic investigator Charles Wall. Among the things you’ll discover in these pages: The miracle that revealed to St. Helena which of the three discovered crosses was that of JesusThe horse’s bit made from a nail of the True Cross, and the successes it brought the horse’s riderThe nails — and why there are so many in existence todayA history of the fortunes the Crown of Thorns to those who held them, and a list of towns where thorns are foundWhere, in 1492, workman accidentally discovered again the actual board on which “King of the Jews” was writtenThe modest Frenchman who saved a holy nail from profanation during the French RevolutionDrawings of the spear of Longinus, and reports of its later use in battlesRelics of Jesus’s actual blood from the Crucifixion: and why it makes sense that some still existsThe veil of Veronica, Christ’s seamless robe, and much more!

Author : Jean Calvin
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 1854
Category : Relics
ISBN : STANFORD:36105025772158

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A Treatise on Relics by Jean Calvin Pdf

Author : David Farley
Publisher : Penguin
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2009-07-09
Category : Travel
ISBN : 9781101104972

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An Irreverent Curiosity by David Farley Pdf

Read David Farley's posts on the Penguin Blog.A tour through the centuries and through a bizarre Italian town in search of an unbelievable relic: the foreskin of Jesus Christ In December 1983, a priest in the Italian hill town of Calcata shared shocking news with his congregation: the pride of their town, the foreskin of Jesus, had been stolen. Some postulated that it had been stolen by Satanists. Some said the priest himself was to blame. Some even pointed their fingers at the Vatican. In 2006, travel writer David Farley moved to Calcata, determined to find the missing foreskin, or at least find out the truth behind its disappearance. Farley recounts how the relic passed from Charlemagne to the papacy to a marauding sixteenth-century German solider before finally ending up in Calcata, where miracles occurred that made the sleepy town a major pilgrimage destination. Blending history, travel, and perhaps the oddest story in Christian lore, An Irreverent Curiosity is a weird and wonderful tale of conspiracy and misadventure.

Author : Joan Carroll Cruz
Publisher : TAN Books
Page : 476 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780895558503

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Relics by Joan Carroll Cruz Pdf

Scripture speaks of miracles wrought through relics: a dead man was raised when Elisha’s bones touched him, and the clothing of Jesus and His apostles healed the sick. In the early Church, Masses were celebrated over the bones of the martyrs, and phials of their blood have effected countless miracles. Direct successors of the Apostles themselves speak of venerating relics; Church Fathers encourage it; throughout the ages of Catholic legacy, relics of the saints are always present. The Church takes diligent care in preserving and documenting the authenticity of her relics. Best-selling author Joan Carroll Cruz takes full advantage of these resources. With painstaking research, she exposes the details behind hundreds of the Church’s most famous and beloved relics. She covers 38 second-class relicsof our Lord and Lady, such as the Holy Grail and Our Lady’s Veil, and relics of all sorts from 75 favorite saints, such as St. Mary Magdalene, St. Agnes, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Maria Goretti, and many more! Relics is a unique collection of years of dedicated research about the lives of the saints and the mementos they left behind, to remind us of their presence and intercession for us.

Author : Charles River
Publisher : Independently Published
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2023-12-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9798873254972

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The Search for Christian Relics by Charles River Pdf

That Jesus of Nazareth (ca. 4 BC-30 CE) was crucified is the closest to a historical fact anyone can say about him. Biblical scholars have spent centuries debating the details of what Jesus did and said, but this crude fact - that Jesus suffered capital punishment at the hands of the Roman authority by crucifixion - is accepted by the overwhelming majority of scholars. That there once was a cross where Jesus suffered and died is, therefore, the sequential logical affirmation. Jesus's destiny was not uncommon. Indeed, many other Jews perished were nailed to a wooden cross on the outskirts of Jerusalem (thousands, according to the historian Josephus, who was an eyewitness to the great Jewish revolt against Rome). The cross, a symbol of failure and shame for those who died on it and their families, was considered, from the dawn of Christianity, as the climactic moment in the career of its Messiah: His crucifixion and the ascension to His throne as the true king of the Jews. Hence, once the persecution against Christianity was over, and after enough time had passed, those who were interested began to search for the truth in the evidence. In many respects, none of this should be surprising because holy relics can be found in many different religions, whether Christian, pagan, Hindu, or Buddhist. A relic is defined as something directly associated with a revered saint, teacher, ancestor, or some miraculous manifestation of deity in the material world. A relic and a reliquary are two types of sacramental tools. A reliquary is a container or box for a relic, allowing it to be displayed to the public and thus transfer its powers to magical and liturgical works. There is another definition of a relic: anything that would be a miraculous manifestation of a deity in the material world. In Christianity, there are countless numbers of relics, most of them being associated with Jesus Christ. In the early years of Christianity, it was forbidden to move and share the remains of saints and martyrs, and they were protected so that their final resting places, such as catacombs and cemeteries, remained intact. The earliest recorded Christian relics, specifically the bones and ashes of martyrs, date from the 2nd century. 200 years later, St. Ambrose and others set out to dig up the corpses and honor them. At that time, it was considered that every holy body could be dismembered and divided among the faithful to worship it. The remains of corpses sometimes came into someone else's hands as a gift, and sometimes they were stolen. At one point, the demand for holy bodies was such that bodyguards were assigned to dying saints to prevent their bodies from being dismembered after death. The veneration of the relics of saints was so common among the faithful because they believed saints in Heaven interceded for believers on Earth. As a result, numerous healings and miracles were attributed to the relics, and many stories and myths about miracles arose from these beliefs. By word of mouth, the stories spread among the faithful, and finally, they were recorded in books of hagiographies such as The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine. Inevitably, the demand for relics grew with the popularization of stories about their miracles, so a rich trade in relics developed indirectly.

Author : John Calvin
Publisher : BoD - Books on Demand
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2022-12-17
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9791041940837

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A Treatise on Relics by John Calvin Pdf

The Treatise on Relics is an indictment of Calvin against the worship of relics in use in the Catholic Church. With this writing, he calls for the disappearance of “this pagan superstition of canonizing the relics, both of Jesus Christ and of his saints, to make idols of them”. The text consists of two parts: first an essay which analyzes the pious frauds and other "lies" linked to this cult; then, a catalog raisonné of these relics.

Author : John Calvin
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2013-12-06
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781627933971

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A Treatise of Relics by John Calvin Pdf

St Augustinus complains, in his work entitled "The Labour of Monks," that certain people were, even in his time, exercising a dishonest trade, hawking about relics of martyrs, and he adds the following significant words, "should they really be relics of martyrs," from which we may infer, that even then abuses and deceits were practised, by making simple folks believe that bones, picked up any where, were bones of saints. Since the origin of this abuse is so ancient, there can be no doubt that it has greatly increased during a long interval of years, particularly as the world has been much corrupted since that age, and has continued to deteriorate until it has arrived at its present condition.

Author : Jean Calvin
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 84 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Religion
ISBN : UVA:X030473983

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Treatise on Relics by Jean Calvin Pdf

For much of its history the Catholic Church has countenanced the veneration of relics--objects or even bones associated with a saint, or with Jesus Christ himself, that were deemed to have healing power or some beneficial spiritual effect on believers. Despite criticism from some skeptical observers (including even St. Augustine), the belief in relics has continued to this day. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the Protestant Reformation launched a wholesale attack on Church practices, the use of relics was included among the superstitions that were deplored as a corruption of the Christian faith. John Calvin, one of the chief architects of the Reformation, published this thorough critique of relic worship in 1543. He runs through the gamut of objects that are venerated in various churches. From the alleged swaddling clothes of Jesus to pieces from the crown of thorns, Calvin pointedly shows how little proof there is that these objects are real and how obviously they are used as a means of taking advantage of the gullible. He is especially scathing and witty on the then-widespread belief in the authenticity of fragments of the so-called True Cross. Calvin remarks that if one were to accept all such claims, one would have enough wood to fill up a ship's cargo hold! This edition of Calvin's classic treatise includes an interesting introduction by expert investigator Joe Nickell, author of Relics of the Christ, Inquest on the Shroud of Turin, and Looking for a Miracle, among many other books (see www.joenickell.com). Nickell presents a brief biography of Calvin and brings the story of investigating relics up to date by explaining how sophisticated modern techniques are helping to unravel the mysteries surrounding such famous relics as the Shroud of Turin and many other similar venerated objects.

Author : Thomas J. Craughwell
Publisher : Image
Page : 338 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2011-07-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780307590732

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Saints Preserved by Thomas J. Craughwell Pdf

A “fascinating” (HuffPost) tour of the sometimes surprising ancient relics left behind in the modern world, from the Crown of Thrones at Notre Dame to the skeleton of a Roman martyr enshrined in a cathedral in Los Angeles. A finger, a lock of hair, a crucifix, a chalice—if such items belonged to a saint, they are considered to be relics and as such are venerated by the Catholic Church. Anyone who thinks that relics are remnants of the Middle Ages should log on to eBay. On any day of the week the online shopper will find a thriving business in the sale of these items, ranging from the dust from the tomb of Christ to splinters of the True Cross to bone fragments of countless holy men and women. In Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics, author Thomas J. Craughwell takes us on an exhilarating journey through the life and death of more than three hundred saints and along the way enlightens us about the sometimes strange bits and pieces that the saints left behind. Including entries on the famous (Saint Peter, Saint Francis, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux) and the not so famous (Saint Foy, Saint Sicaire, Saint Chrysogonus), Saints Preserved also features information on such notable relics as the Holy House where Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived; the Holy Grail; and the seven places that claim to possess the head of Saint John the Baptist—among them a mosque in Damascus. Moreover, this book includes major relics that are enshrined in the United States. From the extraordinary Aachen relics to the remains of Saint Zita, Saints Preserved is an indispensable compendium for spiritual seekers, history buffs, and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the Catholic faith.

Author : Cynthia Hahn
Publisher : University of California Press
Page : 175 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2020-01-07
Category : Art
ISBN : 9780520305267

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Passion Relics and the Medieval Imagination by Cynthia Hahn Pdf

Although objects associated with the Passion and suffering of Christ are among the most important and sacred relics venerated by the Catholic Church, this is the first study that considers how they were presented to the faithful. Cynthia Hahn adopts an accessible, informative, and holistic approach to the important history of Passion relics—first the True Cross, and then the collective group of Passion relics—examining their display in reliquaries, their presentation in church environments, their purposeful collection as centerpieces in royal and imperial collections, and finally their veneration in pictorial form as Arma Christi. Tracing the ways that Passion relics appear and disappear in response to Christian devotion and to historical phenomena, ranging from pilgrimage and the Crusades to the promotion of imperial power, this groundbreaking investigation presents a compelling picture of a very important aspect of late medieval and early modern devotion.

Author : Charles Freeman
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2011-05-24
Category : History
ISBN : 9780300166590

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Holy Bones, Holy Dust by Charles Freeman Pdf

Relics were everywhere in medieval society. Saintly morsels such as bones, hair, teeth, blood, milk, and clothes, and items like the Crown of Thorns, coveted by Louis IX of France, were thought to bring the believer closer to the saint, who might intercede with God on his or her behalf. In the first comprehensive history in English of the rise of relic cults, Charles Freeman takes readers on a vivid, fast-paced journey from Constantinople to the northern Isles of Scotland over the course of a millennium.In "Holy Bones, Holy Dust," Freeman illustrates that the pervasiveness and variety of relics answered very specific needs of ordinary people across a darkened Europe under threat of political upheavals, disease, and hellfire. But relics were not only venerated--they were traded, collected, lost, stolen, duplicated, and destroyed. They were bargaining chips, good business and good propaganda, politically appropriated across Europe, and even used to wield military power. Freeman examines an expansive array of relics, showing how the mania for these objects deepens our understanding of the medieval world and why these relics continue to capture our imagination.

Author : Joe Nickell
Publisher : History PressLtd
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : Religion
ISBN : 0752445987

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The Jesus Relics by Joe Nickell Pdf

The truth behind the Jesus relics, revered by Christians through the ages and yet a perennial target for sceptics, both Christian and secular.