Page 24 - Holyland Magazing - Catholic Edition 2016

unpopular ruler, who displayed insensitivity holy people. This was in the belief that the Heel bone and nail from the ossuary of ”Yehohanan
to the religious feelings of the Jews. journey that climaxed in Jerusalem brought son of Hagkol”, Jerusalem, 1st century CE
According to the New Testament, it was he them closer to God and salvation. After
who sentenced Jesus to be crucified. The visiting Jerusalem came the Galilee and the hundreds of years ago - the first Crusaders
inscription on display in the gallery is the sole North of the Sea of Galilee, Mount Gerizim, who started the movement that these visitors
remnant from his time that bears his name: Bethlehem and Mamre, and down to the are part of today, and who can now almost
"...Building in honor of Tiberius... Pontius Negev and the Sinai. touch the evidence that they have heard
Pilate, Governor of Judea." The original about all their lives.
stone tablet was certainly set in the Temple The Crusader took with him from the Holy
built in honor of the Emperor Tiberius. It was Land articles specially created for him, which
found in the Roman theater in Caesaria, the bore the blessing of the place, a talisman
capital of the province, incorporated as a against all evil: they contained oil from the
secondary use in a staircase. lights in the holy places, water from the
Jordan, or oil that had been poured over the
Even though execution by crucifixion remains of saints. On their way to the Holy
was in common use by the Romans, no Land, the Crusaders took with them things
archaeological finding was discovered of this from the places where they stopped. Other
method for almost two thousand years. In ways of carrying a blessing were tokens
1968, everything changed. In a burial cave made of earth or mud from the holy places
in the north of Jerusalem was discovered an that were redolent of the scenes from the life
ossuary on which was written the name of the of Jesus and the Christian saints. Visitors on
dead person, "Yehohanan son of Hagakol," the Cradle of Christianity tour can appreciate
and inside was discovered a skeleton whose the souvenirs of their predecessors from
right heel was pierced by a large iron nail.
This discovery testifies to Jonathan having
been executed by crucifixion. Even though
thousands were executed by crucifixion, this
discovery is the sole archaeological evidence
so far discovered. It is possible that the
reason was that the Romans re-used the
nails several times. Every nail was removed
from the body after crucifixion and used to
crucify the next rebel or criminal. The nail in
the heel of Jonathan son of Hagakol is bent
at the end, and apparently this made pulling
it out of the foot difficult.

Back to the first Crusaders Monumental Tel Dan inscription, from the 9th century BC

At the end of the tour (only some of the
stations on the tour have been reviewed
here), visitors are greeted by someone who
preceded them by almost 1,500 years.
The Crusades to the Holy Land were a
mass movement through which the faithful
displayed their admiration for the saints
of Christianity and associated with its

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