Have John the Baptist"s Bones Been Found?
Relics of saints have played major roles for two millennia in making New Testament history concrete to generations of believers. The latest of these has come from the August, 2010 discovery of a tooth, parts of a cranium and an arm bone purported to be those of John the Baptist, a key figure in Christian biblical history.
Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov headed an archaeological team that uncovered the reliquary, or ancient container for relics, in which the eight bone pieces attributed to John the Baptist were found.
The reliquary was found embedded in an altar in the ruins of a monastery on Sveti Ivan, a small island in Black Sea off Sozopol, Bulgaria.
Professor Popkonstantinov told the media that he bases his support for the find's authenticity on a Greek inscription found on another box with the reliquary: "God, save your servant Thomas. To St John. June 24." The date is that of the religious feast of St. John the Baptist. The island's name and the monastery's dedication to St. John also are considered supporting evidence.
While all Christians revere John the Baptist, he is particularly venerated by members of the Catholic and Orthodox branches of Christianity practiced in the regions where the latest relics were found, another factor that lends weight to the find's veracity.
Yet, as is often the case with artifacts linked to biblical history, the authenticity of the Bulgarian find is disputed.
On one hand, Paul Middleton, a senior lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Chester, England, told CNN that there's good evidence that John the Baptist was a historical figure.
He's mentioned in all four Gospels and in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. These accounts all agree that the ascetic preacher was beheaded by the Jewish ruler, Herod Antipas, whom John criticized for marrying his brother's divorced wife, Herodias. Christians see John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus who prepares the way for the messiah, Middleton told CNN.
On the other hand, Bulgaria's archaeological community has expressed skepticism about the Sveti Ivan find. Most of the criticism has been directed at one of Professor Popkonstantinov's supporters, government minister Bozhidar Dimitrov, also director of Bulgaria's National Museum of History. Dimitrov has made what some experts consider outlandish claims about the find and its significance, according to CNN.
Part of the problem with authenticating the Bulgarian discovery is that there are so many other religious relics that purport to belong to John the Baptist.
For example, if all the claims are to be believed, John the Baptist had four heads. His heads now lie in such far-flung places as the San Silvestro in Capite, Italy; Notre-Dame d'Amiens in France; the Umayyad Mosque in Syria; and the Residenz Museum in Germany.
This thirst for the John the Baptist's head even made it onto television in 2008. One of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, Appointment with Death, was adapted around the plot of a British lord dabbling in archaeology, seeking the skull of John the Baptist. Christie's original book was based on her experiences with her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan, an archaeologist who regularly explored the Middle East.
Artifacts that could confirm the historical existence of John the Baptist would also help to affirm the historical existence of Jesus. In a sense, authenticating Jesus has been John's role since before he was born.
First, Luke 1:39-44 says that John recognized Jesus as the Messiah while both were still in their mothers' wombs. John's mother Elizabeth reported that the fetus within her "leaped for joy" at the sound of the voice of Jesus' mother, Mary, when she came to visit.
Second, in Luke 3 John prophesied the imminent arrival of the Messiah, and preached repentance of sins to prepare for it, using baptism as the means to signify repentance. When Jesus presented himself for baptism, John at first resisted, claiming that instead he needed to be baptized by Jesus, who was considered sinless. Jesus persuaded John to perform baptism by insisting that John's action would fulfill messianic prophecy.
John's following began to wane as Jesus' following increased, but that didn't stop John from publicly denouncing the Jewish ruler, Herod Antipas, for having married his brother's former wife, Herodias. Mark 6:17-29 says that Herodias schemed with her daughter, Salome, to entice Herod Antipas into beheading John. Since then, hundreds of people have searched for the Baptist's remains.
As of March 2011, the Sveti Ivan relics had been turned over to the Orthodox Church for examination. Professor Popkonstantinov told the media that tests to confirm its age are being conducted on the alabaster reliquary in which the bones were found, as well as on the accompanying inscription box. In addition, the bone fragments are being tested to determine if they are male or female, and whether they come from more than one body.
In the end, however, the authenticity of the Sveti Ivan relics most likely will be more a matter of faith than of science. As Professor Popkonstantinov has been quoted: "As far as I know there is no database with DNA profiles of the saints. … Since we cannot prove the attribution of any of the relics with scientific methods, we have to be tolerant of those who want to believe that they are."
The Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994)
Hooper, Simon, "Are These the Bones of John the Baptist?" CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/12/bulgaria.john.baptist.relics/index.html
Bates, Theunis, "Have John the Baptist's Bones Been Found in Bulgaria?" AOL News, http://www.aolnews.com/2010/08/04/have-john-the-baptists-bones-been-found-in-bulgaria/
Christie, Agatha, Appointment with Death, 2008 television movie, Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230605/
Relics Found in an Antique Alabaster Box
Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov headed an archaeological team that uncovered the reliquary, or ancient container for relics, in which the eight bone pieces attributed to John the Baptist were found.
The reliquary was found embedded in an altar in the ruins of a monastery on Sveti Ivan, a small island in Black Sea off Sozopol, Bulgaria.
Professor Popkonstantinov told the media that he bases his support for the find's authenticity on a Greek inscription found on another box with the reliquary: "God, save your servant Thomas. To St John. June 24." The date is that of the religious feast of St. John the Baptist. The island's name and the monastery's dedication to St. John also are considered supporting evidence.
While all Christians revere John the Baptist, he is particularly venerated by members of the Catholic and Orthodox branches of Christianity practiced in the regions where the latest relics were found, another factor that lends weight to the find's veracity.
Find's Authenticity Is Disputed
Yet, as is often the case with artifacts linked to biblical history, the authenticity of the Bulgarian find is disputed.
On one hand, Paul Middleton, a senior lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Chester, England, told CNN that there's good evidence that John the Baptist was a historical figure.
He's mentioned in all four Gospels and in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. These accounts all agree that the ascetic preacher was beheaded by the Jewish ruler, Herod Antipas, whom John criticized for marrying his brother's divorced wife, Herodias. Christians see John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus who prepares the way for the messiah, Middleton told CNN.
On the other hand, Bulgaria's archaeological community has expressed skepticism about the Sveti Ivan find. Most of the criticism has been directed at one of Professor Popkonstantinov's supporters, government minister Bozhidar Dimitrov, also director of Bulgaria's National Museum of History. Dimitrov has made what some experts consider outlandish claims about the find and its significance, according to CNN.
Bones Are Located in Many Places
Part of the problem with authenticating the Bulgarian discovery is that there are so many other religious relics that purport to belong to John the Baptist.
For example, if all the claims are to be believed, John the Baptist had four heads. His heads now lie in such far-flung places as the San Silvestro in Capite, Italy; Notre-Dame d'Amiens in France; the Umayyad Mosque in Syria; and the Residenz Museum in Germany.
This thirst for the John the Baptist's head even made it onto television in 2008. One of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot novels, Appointment with Death, was adapted around the plot of a British lord dabbling in archaeology, seeking the skull of John the Baptist. Christie's original book was based on her experiences with her second husband, Sir Max Mallowan, an archaeologist who regularly explored the Middle East.
Why John the Baptist Is So Important
Artifacts that could confirm the historical existence of John the Baptist would also help to affirm the historical existence of Jesus. In a sense, authenticating Jesus has been John's role since before he was born.
First, Luke 1:39-44 says that John recognized Jesus as the Messiah while both were still in their mothers' wombs. John's mother Elizabeth reported that the fetus within her "leaped for joy" at the sound of the voice of Jesus' mother, Mary, when she came to visit.
Second, in Luke 3 John prophesied the imminent arrival of the Messiah, and preached repentance of sins to prepare for it, using baptism as the means to signify repentance. When Jesus presented himself for baptism, John at first resisted, claiming that instead he needed to be baptized by Jesus, who was considered sinless. Jesus persuaded John to perform baptism by insisting that John's action would fulfill messianic prophecy.
John's following began to wane as Jesus' following increased, but that didn't stop John from publicly denouncing the Jewish ruler, Herod Antipas, for having married his brother's former wife, Herodias. Mark 6:17-29 says that Herodias schemed with her daughter, Salome, to entice Herod Antipas into beheading John. Since then, hundreds of people have searched for the Baptist's remains.
Bulgarian Relics Undergo Scrutiny
As of March 2011, the Sveti Ivan relics had been turned over to the Orthodox Church for examination. Professor Popkonstantinov told the media that tests to confirm its age are being conducted on the alabaster reliquary in which the bones were found, as well as on the accompanying inscription box. In addition, the bone fragments are being tested to determine if they are male or female, and whether they come from more than one body.
In the end, however, the authenticity of the Sveti Ivan relics most likely will be more a matter of faith than of science. As Professor Popkonstantinov has been quoted: "As far as I know there is no database with DNA profiles of the saints. … Since we cannot prove the attribution of any of the relics with scientific methods, we have to be tolerant of those who want to believe that they are."
John the Baptist Resources
The Oxford Annotated Bible, New Revised Standard Version (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994)
Hooper, Simon, "Are These the Bones of John the Baptist?" CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/12/bulgaria.john.baptist.relics/index.html
Bates, Theunis, "Have John the Baptist's Bones Been Found in Bulgaria?" AOL News, http://www.aolnews.com/2010/08/04/have-john-the-baptists-bones-been-found-in-bulgaria/
Christie, Agatha, Appointment with Death, 2008 television movie, Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1230605/
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