and then, according to the gospels, after he was laid to rest, jesus is resurrected. the only thing left behind in his tomb, the linen used to cover his body. the crucifixion is among the most powerful parts of the gospel, simply because it s the death of jesus, the son of god. but it s also his entre into new life. it is extraordinary to find an archaeological piece that is proof of his existence, of his death and of his resurrection. based on the research that
going to be burned up unless you repent. it talks about judgment. he talks about god s anger. so he really is the sort of preacher of coming judgment. the kingdom of heaven is at hand. repent. in the centuries after his death, bone relics of john the baptist begin spreading out from the holy land as early christians seek a physical connection with the man who played such a decisive role in the life of jesus. his relics become extremely important all over the world. so there are lots of narratives of discovering parts of his body, whether it s his head or other relics, his hand and arms seem to be incredibly important because he points to jesus during the baptism. by the 15th century, there are over 200 relics of john the baptist across europe. far more than could possibly be genuine.
fifth century orthodox christian monastery dedicated to john the baptist, a box the church believe contains relics of his bones. bulgaria was the first time that we had really formally investigated using modern scientific techniques a relic that was found in a place which had a very reliable context. and when the results of the carbon dating finally come in, they discover something truly remarkable. when it came through, my jaw was a little bit down on the floor. right there, 30 a.d., that s when john the baptist is thought to have died. you can see the date fits right within that margin. 30 a.d., a date consistent with the death of john the baptist. the dna results go even further, indicating the bones came from a middle eastern man.
we see jesus in the same way even unto death. in mobilizing his followers to repent and turn towards god, john the baptist had dared to speak truth unto power. and for this, he pays the ultimate price. i think he understood that he was a martyr. he was a martyr in the cause of something greater. he was the martyr in the cause of a beautiful kingdom of god on earth, which is what he had preached all his life. i see jesus and john as being very similar in terms of their conception of god, in terms of what they wanted people to do, in terms of their call for repentance, in this idea that the world would be transformed. and they re calling people really to start it in the here and now. in the wake of john s death, many of his followers turn to jesus as john s movement slowly declines. eclipsed by the new growing christian church whose message spreads across the world.
narrative speaks about the pain, the humiliation of jesus death. it begins with the most appalling flogging. flogging that will have brought jesus to within an inch of his life. it s a really appalling spectacle, when you think about it. he was spat upon, laughed at, anything to just crush his spirit as much as possible. but the shroud of turin also