Relics of John the Baptist confirmed to date to 1st century

By Tom Beasley on June 18, 2012

The Huffington Post reports via the AP that relics, including those signifying the name of John the Baptist actually date to the 1st century.

It’s a tantalizing find in a Biblical mystery – Oxford University researchers have concluded that a set of skeletal remains which many Bulgarians attribute to John the Baptist probably belonged to a first century male from the Middle East.

The article continues in saying that there are actually more than 25 purported relics of John the Baptist, often claiming to be from his head (which contains more symbolic significance given the story). It is also quite a common phenomenon for people and churches to claim to have fragments of the cross that Jesus died upon. Other notable frauds include the Shroud of Turin, which initially everyone believed to be death shroud of Jesus, and was later proven to be a hoax. However, the difference with these John the Baptist fragments is that science does not contradict their authenticity. Some religious people will discard science if it does not fit their narrative, but the problem is that even if science and other archeology could positively confirm that these are the remains of John the Baptist, it lends no credibility to the miracle claims of the holy texts. For example, many historical sites exist that the Bible describes, but likewise archeologists have discovered a location of what was likely the city of Troy — that does not mean that the Odyssey is real. Regardless, collection of information and new historical finds are exciting and add to the depository of collective human knowledge. It is only a shame when we misuse knowledge or draw silly conclusions from it.