Crown Of Thorns: Jesus Relic Displayed For First Time Since 1997

Jesus crown of thorns is being put on display for the first time in 17 years. The ancient relic held by the Catholic Church will make a special appearance at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, France.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, various relics of Biblical times have been discovered over the years, ranging from a piece of the wooden cross of Jesus to St. Peter’s bones, which was authenticated by the Vatican.

The New Testament of the Bible describes Jesus’ crown of thorns:

“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!'” (Matthew 27:27-29)

The crown of thorns do not look like you might expect. They’re not a simple woven band of branches with sharp edges. Instead, the crown of thorns was transformed into a gilded work of art by encasing Jesus’ crown in a tube of gold and jewels.

The existence of the Jesus relic was first discovered by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem during the 5th century, but it was not until the 10th century that Constantinople had the crown transferred to the seat of the Byzantium empire after the city was taken from the Turks during the Crusades. Then in 1239 King Louis IX of France acquired the crown of crowns.

This also happens to be the reason why Jesus’ crown of thorns is being showcased for the public for three days. France is celebrating the 800th anniversary of the birthday and christening of their 13th century king. Over the seven centuries that the crown of thorns have resided in France it’s only been show publicly a few time in recent history. The last was 1997, and before that it was shown right before World War 2 began.

But is this really Jesus’ crown of thorns? The website for the Notre Dame Cathedral claims it’s been object of prayer for more than sixteen centuries but “despite numerous studies and historical and scientific research efforts, its authenticity cannot be certified.” Like many relics, it was once split up into many pieces by the European royalty to be housed in reliquaries where traveling pilgrims could come to see a piece of Biblical history.