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Tag: Holy sepulcher

The History of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church

Posted on by Elenie

Send Prayer Request Online at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The History of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church

Send your personal prayer request online to the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem where Jesus Christ was buried and resurrected. Our volunteers will carry your prayer and pray there.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is also called the Church of the Resurrection or Church of the Anastasis by Orthodox Christians

The Holy Sepulchre and Church History

“And they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull,” (Matthew 27:33)

Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, known in the New Testament (Matt. 27:33–35; Mark 15:22–25; John 19:17–24) as “the place of the skull”. This location lay outside the perimeter of the city walls at the time and was an abandoned stone quarry.

Around a decade later, a wall was built which enclosed the site inside what we know today as Jerusalem’s Old City.

Stone of Anointing (Stone of Unction)

Stone of Anointing

Another point of interest inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the so-called Stone of Unction, which was the spot where Joseph of Arimathea prepared Jesus for Burial.

It is customary for pilgrims to kneel and kiss the stone on their arrival at this location within the church. This tradition stems from John 19:40:

“Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury”.

The kneeling action is also represented in the large mosaic above the Stone of Unction, which depicts subjects kneeling alongside the stone.

How was it discovered?

The tomb itself was discovered in the process of building a church ordered by Roman Emperor Constantine I. This then became the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre which could be accessed by a set of steps which rose from one of Jerusalem’s main streets.

Early pilgrims would have walked through a basilica and the ‘holy garden which contained ‘the rock of Golgotha, before reaching the Holy Sepulchre.

The Church starts to form around the Stone of Anointing

A small building was built around the tomb, which was originally exposed. The relic of the cross of Jesus, another important feature of the church, is said to have been discovered by Saint Helena, Constantine’s mother, in 326.

In the 11th century, the Chapel of the Invention of the Cross was founded, in a cave deep beneath the basilica’s ruins, which is still present today.

A number of destructions and restructurings have taken place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, including a 614 ransacking by a Persian Army, a 966 fire which destroyed the dome in anti-Christian riots, and a complete dismantling by fanatical Arab leader Fatimid caliph al-Hakim in 1009.

After being rebuilt by Constantine IX Monomachus, the Byzantine emperor – after the first Crusade, ending in 1099, freed it up as a place of worship – it was reconsecrated 50 years later to the day. While work has been carried out periodically over the years, the post-Crusade Church of the Holy Sepulchre is much like the one which stands today.

Today pilgrims often light a candle, make a prayer or take part in a procession around the site. The experience is very emotional for some, evocative for others, and gives Christians the chance to communicate with God and ask for what is in their hearts. For those who are far away, we are offering the pilgrims experience as an online option.

How Can The Salvation Garden Help You?

The Salvation Garden believes that every believer in the world should be easily able to access the holy places of the Holy Land. We want to assist you in achieving success in your spiritual and material life.

Those who are unable to make it to these pilgrimage sites, we volunteer to carry your prayers to one of the holiest sites in these lands.

Click here to fill the online prayer request form with your personal prayer. Choose the Church of Holy Sepulcher or multiple holy churches and holy places in the Holy Land.

We will visit those holy places and personally deliver your printed prayer request. You will get the delivery confirmation from us to your email and an optional video.

We also deliver your urgent prayer request to the Holy Land. While our service comes free, your donations help us with our travel, printing, security, and other expenses.

What do we know about resurrection?

Posted on by Elenie

What Do We Know About Resurrection?

When thinking about resurrection in Christianity, the first thing that comes to most of the believers’ minds are the events that happened in Jerusalem around 30-33 AD.

The Christian belief that Jesus will return and bring His followers back to life stems from extensive accounts,

  • found in the Four Gospels of the New Testament, about the resurrection of Christ that happened three days after His crucifixion and burial.
  • The gospels’ narratives of many incidents where Jesus appeared to over 500 people in the 40 days after His death
  • The events of nine other resurrections with eyewitness accounts.

 

The opponents say

Over the years, many theories have surfaced because of some inconsistencies in the accounts, such as beliefs that

  • – Jesus had only temporarily lost consciousness, or
  • – the Apostles had stolen His body from the grave, but these theories are easily disputed by the overwhelming abundance of matching events in the gospels, which assert the belief of Jesus being resurrected.

 

What that matter is…

In the end, despite the ongoing efforts of scientist and historians to find factual information, it’s not really a matter of proving or disproving the event, because it transcends these matters with its meaning.

Resurrection is not only a testament to God’s power over life and death but:

– A symbol of the unification of body and soul.

– An example of justice and salvation for those who had humbled themselves and followed God’s word.

Ultimately, it means the unification of Christ and His followers.


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JESUS AND THE IMPORTANCE HE SAW IN RESURRECTION

Posted on by Elenie

JESUS AND THE IMPORTANCE HE SAW IN RESURRECTION

Jesus knew he had to be in Jerusalem, he knew he must be killed and resurrect. In this article, we will review the events.

Most of our knowledge about Jesus comes from the apostles and therefore we are bringing here the highlights.

Jesus is giving his disciples a detailed review of the upcoming events:

According to the book of Matthew:

“From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life”. (16:21)

After the crucifixion – Jesus was crucified and died at noon. Upon his death, an earthquake struck the area:

“And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,” (27:52-53)

Joseph of Arimathea was keen to ensure that the corpse was buried according to the Jewish law, put the body in a new shroud and buried his body in the tomb just before sunset (27:57-60).

Women who followed Jesus had carried and prepared spices for anointing the body of Jesus Christ, and before they went to rest on the weekly Sabbath day, they made sure his tomb was sealed.

“And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher” (27:61)

The Resurrection

Then the body of Jesus Christ was in the tomb for three days and nights, and near sunset, he rose with the promise of bringing salvation to humankind.

The women that prepared the spices arrived early in the morning and found that Jesus had already risen,

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified” (28:5).

Jesus met his eleven disciples and sent them to us, to the world, with his promise

“I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (28:19)

With these last words, we have the legacy of Jesus regarding our Salvation and his all-time presence.

We, The Salvation Garden, offer you the chance to send your urgent prayer requests for any reason. Allow us to pray for you! Send your Urgent Prayer Requests now.

Our dedicated team members will personally take your urgent prayer requests to a Church of your choice in the Holy Land and then offer them to our Lord. After we bring your prayer requests to your chosen Holy Church, we will send you videos or pictures to assure you.

Cremation, how is it connected to the Holy Land?

Posted on by Elenie

Cremation, how is it connected to the Holy Land?

Cremation, how is it connected to the Holy Land

One of the main issues of humanity is related to land and, in the modern era, the lack of it. Real-estate is a pressing issue, especially in the urban areas around the world. As a result, more and more families are looking for new solutions and new traditions regarding their accommodation. But while we are looking for solutions for the living, we should also look for new spaces for the deceased, as well as new methods.

Traditions and solutions

In most of the Western countries, the most popular method is the burial. Some families are buried in mausoleums, which is a structure where there is room for coffins and personal belongings. It is also where generations of the same family can rest in peace together. Some families can’t afford these buildings and are buried in the same cemetery plots for generations. But as the world population is at its peak, burial becomes an issue. In some of the largest cemeteries, there are vacant spaces only for the next 40-50 years.

But why is burial the common solution? There are two apparent reasons:

The first one is the lack of other available options, and the second one is the Christian tradition and the change in the Catholic canon law.

Only in the late 19th century, a professor from Italy perfected the cremation model. Once this solution became available, it began to spread across Europe and North America. In the USA, by the beginning of the 20th century, there were around 20 crematories. By the end of the century, there were over 2,000 crematories.

Revised Canon Law

Even though cremation was available for Catholic Christians since the middle of the 20th century, its full regulations became clear only last year.

According to the new guidelines, the main concern is the memory of the deceased and keep him as part of the community. This concern is met at best with burial in a cemetery, and therefore other solutions, such as cremation or burial in private locations, are less common.

At the beginning of this article, we found out that burial has turned out to be an issue demanding of new solutions. With the revised canon law, cremation is a new solution that brings with it even further outcomes.

 New Traditions

As part of the growing movement of cremation, new traditions are rising. One of them is sending ashes to sacred places, such as the Holy Land. Officials in Israel are stating that this is a growing movement, which increases in popularity by thousands every year. Most of the families have no relatives in Israel, but a wish to be closer to Jesus and his legacy.

In Israel import and burial are allowed, this rule is in accordance with the Catholic canon law, which forbids scattering the ashes. Today, a family can have a local and personal ceremony, and afterward, send the Urn to the Holy Land to place it for its final rest in a sacred and secure place. Such a service is available in the Salvation Garden,

We, The Salvation Garden, offer you the chance to send your urgent prayer requests for any reason. Allow us to pray for you! Send your Urgent Prayer Requests now.

Our dedicated team members will personally take your urgent prayer requests to a Church of your choice in the Holy Land and then offer them to our Lord. After we bring your prayer requests to your chosen Holy Church, we will send you videos or pictures to assure you.

A Short one: On Jerusalem in the eye of Christianity

Posted on by Elenie

A Short one: On Jerusalem in the eye of Christianity

A Short one: On Jerusalem in the eye of Christianity

Jerusalem: the Holy City

According to Zechariah, the Lord promised to protect Jerusalem, to make it an ‘immovable rock for all the nations’ and to ‘shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David’.
This, coupled with Luke 24:47:’and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’ has led Christians to believe that salvation of the Earth will begin in the Holy City.

Is it still a significant place?

Yes, Because of this belief, and because Christ died and was resurrected in the city, Jerusalem has become one of the most significant places on Earth for Christians.

Each year, millions of Christians make the pilgrimage to the empty prayer of Jesus at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the city to pray. They are seeking solace and redemption in the process.

Many also wish to be buried there, as they believe that the Last Judgment will take place in Jerusalem.

We, The Salvation Garden, offer you the chance to send your urgent prayer requests for any reason. Allow us to pray for you! Send your Urgent Prayer Requests now.

Our dedicated team members will personally take your urgent prayer requests to a Church of your choice in the Holy Land and then offer them to our Lord. After we bring your prayer requests to your chosen Holy Church, we will send you videos or pictures to assure you.

The Stone of the Anointing

Posted on by Elenie

The Stone of the Anointing

The Stone of the Anointing

The Stone of the Anointing is also often called the Stone of Unction. It can be found just inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains the two most holy Christian sites in Jerusalem, Calvary where Jesus was crucified and the Stone of the Anointing where his body was prepared for burial by anointing and being wrapped in cloth.

Importance to Christians

The Stone of the Anointing is of enormous importance to Christians across the world as it was here that Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the newly risen Jesus. She didn’t realize it was him and thought she was speaking to a stranger when she said:

“They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where to find him.”

For Christians, this is the most important event in the history of mankind, as it is when death was conquered by Jesus and from that moment on his believers felt they too could defeat death and experience eternal life. The importance of this event is reflected in the importance of the Stone of the Anointing.

History

Most historians are in agreement that the Stone of the Anointing is the place where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial. Because of this, the stone itself and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are very popular destinations for pilgrims and they have been the scenes of some difficult times throughout history.

The Roman Emperor Hadrian didn’t want a site of such significance to be available to Christians, so he built a temple to the goddess Venus over the holy site in the 2nd Century AD. Around 325 AD the Roman empire had its first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, who oversaw the replacement of the temple by a church.

In 630 AD this church was damaged by a Persian attack and a difficult history of earthquakes, fires and repairs followed.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was totally reconstructed in 1810 and it was at this time that the current Stone of the Anointing was placed where Jesus’ body was prepared for burial.

What people do there today

The Stone of the Anointing remains a very holy pilgrimage site for Christians today. Pilgrims queue to either kiss the stone or rub it with oil or rosewater and then wipe it with a cloth. Priests burn incense around the stone and sometimes people place their own crosses on it in order to transfer the unction or anointing.

Rosewater

Rosewater is used to anoint the Stone of the Anointing because it is a perfume that has traditional use in a number of religions. For example, during Muslim burials rosewater is sprinkled into a grave before burial. Rosewater has in the past been used for the embalming of bodies as it has properties that are good for the skin.

Visitors to the Stone of the Anointing

Over hundreds of years, there have been stories of miracles and cures experienced by people who have visited and anointed the Stone of the Anointing. The atmosphere in the Church of the Sepulchre is one of reverence and worship. This is clearly one of the holiest places and somewhere that each and every one of us should consider visiting during our lifetimes.

We, The Salvation Garden, offer you the chance to send your urgent prayer requests for any reason. Allow us to pray for you! Send your Urgent Prayer Requests now.

Our dedicated team members will personally take your urgent prayer requests to a Church of your choice in the Holy Land and then offer them to our Lord. After we bring your prayer requests to your chosen Holy Church, we will send you videos or pictures to assure you.

Send your prayer request to The Holy Churches of Jerusalem

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