Reflection: Is there physical evidence which supports the resurrection accounts?
We are using this season of Easter to explore what is arguably the most significant question in human history: Did the resurrection of Jesus really happen?
Let me tell you the story of Simon. In 1941, the Hebrew University professor, Eleazer Sukenick, and his assistant Nahman Avigad, were excavating the tombs of the Kidron Valley that runs along the eastern edge of the temple mount. They discovered a tomb that had been blocked by a large closing stone. When they entered the tomb, they found eleven ossuary boxes containing bones. The professor documented his findings, and the artefacts were stored away.
For some reason, the findings of the professor were not made public until 1962. When they were, it caused a sensation. On the side of one ossuary box facing the wall was inscribed “Simon Ale,” the name “Simon,” and the first three letters of “Alexander.”* Realizing he didn’t have enough room to carve “Alexander”, the engraver started again on the second line, carving “Alexander.” Then, on the third line, he inscribed “(son) of Simon.” The lid of the box was inscribed “of Alexander” in Greek…and below it, in smaller letters, “Alexander QRNYT.” The most probable meaning of QRNYT is that it is a misspelling of qrnyh – Hebrew for “Cyrenian”. Archaeologists conclude that it is highly probable that these bones were those of the son of the man forced to carry the crossbeam of Jesus’ cross. In our verse for today, Mark writes:
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross (Mark 15:21).
Wow!
The fact that Mark gives details of both sons, suggests that their names were relevant to his readers. In other words, his readers would probably know of them because both men had become Christians. (It is possible that Alexander’s brother, Rufus, is the Rufus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13.)
These are outstanding archaeological findings, and the consistent feature of these discoveries is that they back up the gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection.
* Ossuary box designated “Number nine.”
Prayer:
Thank you for the ways we can have certainty that your Word is true, and that in Jesus’ resurrection, we can have true hope.