Corpus-Paul

["Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net>]

Tomb of Saint Paul Found?
By Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Feb. 22, 2005 - A tomb that may contain the remains of Saint Paul, one of
the Christian church's most important leaders and the author of much of the
Bible's New Testament, has been unearthed in Rome, according to a Vatican
Museums archaeologist.

An official announcement from the Vatican is expected soon.

Although church leaders long had believed that Saint Paul was buried in
Rome, the discovery of the sarcophagus supports years of oral and written
historical accounts, said one of the archaeologists who worked on the
project, Giorgio Filippi.

"The tomb that we discovered is the one that the popes and the Emperor
Theodosius (379-395) saved and presented to the whole world as being the
tomb of the apostle," Filippi said, as quoted by the Catholic World News
(CWN).

Filippi explained that the tomb was found at the basilica of St. Paul
Outside the Walls in Rome. This basilica was erected in the 4th century on
order of Roman emperor Constantine in 386 A.D. Before Constantine's rule,
Rome's leaders both shunned and persecuted Christians, who were forced to
hide important tombs and relics. Ancient Rome also had a decree that no
individual was to be buried within the main city confines.

Archaeologists discovered the sarcophagus on what would have been the ground
floor of the 4th century basilica. It was found under the altar next to a
marble plaque that reads, "Apostle Paul, martyr."

"Nobody ever thought to look behind that plaque," said Filippi, who
indicated that he and his team were surprised when they found the tomb.

Phill Cunningham, c.s.p. (Congregation of Saint Paul's), a reverend at Old
Saint Mary's church in San Francisco and a Christian scholar who has
authored several books, told Discovery News that Saint Paul is thought to
have been buried where he was beheaded sometime after 60 A.D. Cunningham
said that the heads of both Saint Paul and Saint Peter are believed to be at
Saint John Lateran church, on the Caelian Hill, in Rome.

Silver busts said to contain the heads are located beneath an arch under the
church's transept, near the altar where some of the earliest pope's,
including Saint Peter, once likely said mass.

Excavations and analysis of such relics and remains are complicated by the
fact that most are housed in churches and commemorative buildings that are
still used. Filippi and his team worked upon the request of the
administrator of St. Paul's basilica, Archbishop Francesco Gioia.

During the Jubilee Year 2000, Gioia was inundated by questions from pilgrims
visiting the site. Most wanted to know where Saint Paul was buried.
Researchers then began the excavation work, which was aided by a
19th-century layout for the building. The basilica had been rebuilt after a
fire in 1823.

Filippi said he would like "to make known the figure of Saint Paul and the
historic reality" of his burial at the namesake basilica, but neither he nor
Cunningham is especially curious about the contents of the tomb.

"I am not surprised that Saint Paul's tomb was found. It is where we always
thought it would be," Cunningham said. "It does not change anything for me
doctrinally. I don't believe in anything else today that I did not already
believe in yesterday."

Saint Paul is thought to have been born shortly after Jesus. He was from
Tarsus, now part of Turkey, which was within the Roman Empire. Raised in the
Jewish faith, Paul converted to Christianity as an adult. He is said to have
worked as a tireless missionary for the rest of his life.

According to church teachings, Paul's travels included missionary work in
Jordan, Syria, Cilicia, Cyprus, parts of Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece.
When he returned to Jerusalem, he was arrested due to criticism from Jewish
opposers. As a Roman citizen, Paul demanded to be tried in Rome, where he
was imprisoned for approximately two years before his execution.

It could take many years, and possibly even decades, for church officials to
confirm, if possible, that the newly found tomb is really that of Saint
Paul, according to CWN. It was pointed out that the tomb of the first pope
was found in 1941, but that a statement of authenticity was not released
until 1976 by the then pope, Paul VI.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20050221/stpaul.html