Early European Christian Relics: The History of Holy Crowns, Icons, and Other Objects that Spread across Europe in the Early Middle Ages

Summary

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.