Crucifixion Nails Discovered, Says Filmmaker

Just weird.  I don't even want to consider the merits - simply the claim:  nails that are 2,000 years old, and someone would keep them versus throw them away.  If he kept the nails wouldn't he have kept the crown of thorns, maybe even the cross itself.  Now, assume Jesus was, who Christians believe Him to be - the apostles who followed the Son of God, did not collect trinkets, and they were the ones who knew the who He was with certainty (or near certainty), yet someone who was not certain beyond any doubt opted for the nails and not the cross. in fact why would anyone have collected trinkets - Mary the Mother of God, did not collect bits and pieces, neither did Magdalene.  Peter, the rock - he didn't keep even a locket of His hair ... but this guy thought he should keep nails.

Makes sense.

Crucifixion Nails Discovered, Says Filmmaker

By Alex Johnston
Epoch Times Staff
Apr 14, 2011



Crucifixion nails found at a burial cave in Jerusalem could be connected to the crucifixion of Jesus 2,000 years ago, an Israeli-born Canadian documentary maker said on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The nails were shown to reporters this week at the premiere of a History Channel documentary series.

Simcha Jacobovici, the filmmaker making the claim, said the nails were found at the burial spot of the Jewish high priest Caiaphas, who turned Jesus over to the Romans, according to the New Testament.

“Two iron nails were found inside that tomb," he said, according to AFP. “Somebody went to his grave with that nail among his bones and nobody reported it.”

His documentary, The Nails of the Cross, will examine the question of the nails’ origin and use. The nails were discovered in the burial site around 20 years ago but disappeared.

According to the London Telegraph, Jacobovici said he was able to track them down.

“If you look at the whole story, historical, textual, archaeological, they all seem to point at these two nails being involved in a crucifixion,” he said, according to the Telegraph. "And since Caiaphas is only associated with Jesus's crucifixion, you put two and two together and they seem to imply that these are the nails.”

However, he admitted that he is not 100 percent sure if the nails were used for that purpose.

The Israel Antiquities Authority dismissed Jacobovici’s suggestion and said that there is no conclusive evidence that those were the nails used in the crucifixion, reported the newspaper.

“There is no proof that the nails are connected to any bones or any bone residue attached to the nails and no proof from textual data that Caiaphas had the nails for the crucifixion with him after the crucifixion took place and after Jesus was taken down from the cross,” Gaby Barkay, an archeologist at Bar Ilan University, told the Telegraph.









 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Christ

1,500-Year-Old-Church Unearthed in Israel

By Jack Phillips
Epoch Times Staff
Feb 4, 2011

A 1,500-year-old church was discovered in Israel and has surprisingly well-preserved mosaics of various animals and other depictions, according to media reports this week.

Archaeologists say that the church was used between the fifth and seventh centuries AD, adding that the ancient site of worship was built atop a synagogue that was used 500 years before, according to The Associated Press.

The Byzantine church was discovered during excavations of Horbat Midras in the Judean Hills.

"Researchers believe that in light of an analysis of the Christian sources ... the church at Horbat Madras is a memorial church designed to mark the tomb of the prophet Zechariah," the Israel Antiquities Authority said, according to AFP.

The well-preserved mosaic was believed to be the floor used at the church, say archaeologists. Photos of the mosaic showed various animals, including what appear to be a lions, pheasants, and fish.

"It is unique in its craftsmanship and level of preservation," Amir Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority told AP.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
church

Church / Religion in Europe

Using the English churches as an example of European. The article hints at the main issue but ignores it. What is it!!

Hint: It is what distinguishes US from them on many issues, and it isn't separation of church and state.

*************************************************

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, May 11, 2008


Churches in peril as one in five may be lost

JONATHAN WYNNE-JONES Religious Affairs Correspondent

BRITAIN WILL lose up to a fifth of its churches in the space of a generation unless action is taken to halt the decline, according to new research.

The number of churches is forecast to fall from 48,500 now to only 39,200 in 2030.

Today church leaders warn that the crisis threatens to devastate parishes, depriving local communities of important focal points. Conservationists said Britain was in danger of losing a large slice of its built heritage.

Responding to these concerns, The Sunday Telegraph today launches a campaign to save thousands of the nation’s churches from disappearing forever.

The threat is clear: μTwo churches are being closed down every week μAt least £1 billion is needed to repair all listed places of worship over the next five years μYet the Government spends just £25 million a year on repairs - far less than the £200 million needed μChurches claim that local authorities discriminate against church-based community projects, reducing income still further μPlanned EU changes to VAT rules for repairs could see churches having to find another £10 million every year.

But the decline is not inevitable. Increases in government grants to repair churches and to back their community work, and minor changes to planning law, could head off the crisis.

The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, Bishop for Urban Life and Faith, today backed The Sunday Telegraph’s Save our Churches campaign, saying it was scandalous that the Church of England has to devote a sixth of its annual budget to maintaining its historic buildings on behalf of the nation.

Bishop Lowe accused the Government of lacking imagination in taking advantage of church buildings.

“We don’t want to just preserve these buildings, but to open them up. They should be used seven days a week, rather than for just a few hours on a Sunday,” he said.

Around 13,000 of the country’s 14,500 listed places of worship are Church of England premises, yet the Church currently receives only around £40million in repair grants – half government money from English Heritage, half from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Congregations provide a further £70million toward maintenance of their buildings, leaving a £75million shortfall. If the gap isn’t filled soon, churches warn that large numbers of buildings will fall into disrepair.

Last year, Gordon Brown promised in the Spending Review to examine what help the Government could give to churches, which he acknowledged remained “at the heart of so many communities”.

Hugo Swire, the shadow culture secretary, yesterday lent his support to the campaign and called on ministers to work closer with churches to come up with a long-term solution.

“Churches are not only very often architecturally distinguished, but they also play a key role in rural life,” he said. “Church closures rip the heart out of the local community, but it is quite clear that they can not be expected to sustain this huge bill.”

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) also backed the campaign. Kate Gordon, its senior planning officer, said: “Places of worship account for much of our finest heritage, yet maintaining these buildings is often prohibitively expensive.”

Leading church figures claim that local authorities discriminate against appeals from churches for money for community projects, cutting off a revenue stream which could indirectly help pay for the maintenance.

One senior member of the General Synod – the Church’s parliament – said churches faced “barriers of prejudice”.

Crispin Truman, the chief executive of the Churches Conservation Trust, said: “Churches need to be adapted so that they are relevant to their communities. It must be done sensitively, but there must be small sacrifices if we are to save our heritage for the future.

“They can be an agent for social change and a place for people to meet. It is crucial that we keep them and help prevent society from fracturing even further.”


***************************************

Ever do the thing with the hands - hear is the church, see the steeple, open the doors and .... there are no people = no money for the churches = falling down = THIS STORY.

But they do not wish to deleve too deeply into the reasons and instead blame it on the governments rather than on the real issue - the churches of Europe have failed.