The story goes thusly: The Knights Templars, a secretive religious association of the Middle Ages, are said to have had a fort. In that fort, a nail has recently been found. What is amazing about this is that the nail is believed to date from the 1st century A.D., the same time that Jesus was crucified. In addition, nails don’t last that long ‘in the wild,’ so it is theorized that the Knights Templar must have cared for it, as an important religious relic. And what religious nail could be more important than one which pierced Christ himself? It’s all speculative at this point, but it’s not altogether impossible that it’s genuine, as far as I know. (See update below)
Now all this is fascinating, but the good news is that for us as Christians, it does not deeply matter whether we find out the nail is genuine, a forgery, or forever in doubt. This is because our faith based on nothing less, as the song tells us, than “Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” and does not rely on the existence of anyone or anything else. On Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand. And that’s good news.
And if the the classic hymn isn’t your sort of thing, how about the way Rich Mullins put it in ‘While the Nations Rage‘:
Where are the nails that pierced His hands?
Well the nails have turned to rust but behold the Man
He is risen
And He reigns
In the hearts of the children rising up in His name
Where are the thorns that drew His blood?
Well the thorns have turned to dust but not so the love
He has given
No it remains
In the hearts of the children who will love
While the nations rage
UPDATE: Claude Mariottini reports that the whole things a bunch of nonsense.
a nail from jesus’ crucifixion?
Claude Marriotini reports it.
The story goes thusly: The Knights Templars, a secretive religious association of the Middle Ages, are said to have had a fort. In that fort, a nail has recently been found. What is amazing about this is that the nail is believed to date from the 1st century A.D., the same time that Jesus was crucified. In addition, nails don’t last that long ‘in the wild,’ so it is theorized that the Knights Templar must have cared for it, as an important religious relic. And what religious nail could be more important than one which pierced Christ himself? It’s all speculative at this point, but it’s not altogether impossible that it’s genuine, as far as I know. (See update below)
Now all this is fascinating, but the good news is that for us as Christians, it does not deeply matter whether we find out the nail is genuine, a forgery, or forever in doubt. This is because our faith based on nothing less, as the song tells us, than “Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” and does not rely on the existence of anyone or anything else. On Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand. And that’s good news.
And if the the classic hymn isn’t your sort of thing, how about the way Rich Mullins put it in ‘While the Nations Rage‘:
UPDATE: Claude Mariottini reports that the whole things a bunch of nonsense.
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