Christ's tomb opened for first time in 500 years; archaeologist shares awe at new discovery

One of the longest-standing debates in the Christian world has been on whether the widely-venerated Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem really houses the tomb where Jesus Christ was laid to rest and resurrected three days after crucifixion. Recent archeological findings suggest that the site may be authentic.

A team of researchers from the National University of Athens, in partnership with National Geographic and with blessing from the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches and the Franciscan monks who share responsibility for the church, removed the marble slab that was built in 1555 reportedly to shield the tomb from pilgrims who tried to steal holy relics.

According to National Geographic, preliminary findings indicate that parts of the original tomb remain intact, despite the church having been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times over the centuries.

The most groundbreaking discovery from the expedition was the existence of a second marble slab underneath the first one. The previously unknown second lid has a cross carved on it, which, among other things, suggests that it is the same site identified by Roman emperor Constantine as the final resting place of Jesus. Based on historical accounts, Constantine's men came to Jerusalem in A.D. 325 to find the tomb, and were directed to a temple that Roman emperor Hadrian purportedly built over the original tomb.

"The most amazing thing for me was when we removed the first layer of dust and found a second piece of marble," says Fredrik Hiebert, National Geographic's archaeologist-in-residence, as reported by Mirror.

Hiebert explained that they could not tell with absolute certainty if the shrine, which had been damaged and destroyed several times, was rebuilt in exactly the same spot each time. "But this seems to be visible proof that the spot the pilgrims worship today really is the same tomb the Roman Emperor Constantine found in the 4th century and the Crusaders revered. It's amazing," he offered, adding, "When we realised what we had found my knees were shaking a little bit."

The researchers are expected to spend months studying and analyzing the extensive data collected from the burial site.