Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-03-06
PICTURES OF THE cprrC1r,vro,,


| For the Sunday Register
| Clarksburg, w. Va, February 90
The picture of the CrIcifvior &c ~,
Saviour, claimed to have been Ia+a1s
discovered at Rome by Prof. Marncch;
| on the walls OF the palace of Tihar;,,s1F
! and cartoon of which was nnhIieba1
| by the New York Sunday JonrnaI +urs
weeks since, recalls to mind what III
writer wrote to the Register from +bat
| spot nearly SIX years ago, as follows.
Yesterday we visited the Palatirs
Hill. Hex trees and gardens now
| grow on top OF the debris that covers
| a portion of the palace of the C,aeears
| The excavations at Rome of late voars
| have revealed much of its ancient bis1
| tory.
j One Of the guard-rooms of Caesars.
Palace was laid bare, and showed
markings on the walls made nv tbo
heather soldiers who We're on enard
here SO many centuries ago. Nov
some of the antiquarians claim that
these writings on the walls go to prove
that there were Christians among tbe
soldiers of Tiberius; and they claim
also, that the carvings and hieroglvnh-
les go to show that these Christian SOL
| diers were prosecuted and derided by
| their heather comrades-in-arms,
/ In the guard-room of the Palace ot
! Tiberius was lately found on the wall
! the first representation Of the Cruel
| fixion that was, perhaps, ever made,
| as they claim.
! 1t was made by one of these bar
J barian soldiers with his spear, or SONS
| other sharp instrument, traced in pas.
| ter, there to remain and to be uncov.
| cred from the debris, nearly two thou,
sand years later.
| This drawing consists of the figure OF
| a mans body with the head of an ami
NAL with long ears, suspended upon a
| cross. Underneath is written the fol-
| lowing legend, in ancient Greek:
This is the God of AleXamenos,"
In an adjoining room, which is also
| beneath the surface of the ground,
| there was found another cartoon, il
| the rude carving may be SO termed,
| which some of the antiquarians say
was the reply of Alexamenus, who they
| take to have been a Christian soldier,
! to his prosecutors. 1t is as follows:
| A cross most carefully drawn, with a
| kneeling figure before it, in a devouta
| attitude, underneath is written in Lat
| in: "Alexamenes tidelis!" Literally
| "Alexamenes the faithful but inter-
preted as meaning that Alexamenes
was faithful to his God despite his
| persecution.
All this may be true, but it is diff
! cult to determine just which God Alex
amenes worshipped. Gods were as
thick among the ancient Romans as
among the Greeks, where, as was
found by Paul, an altar had been cree
ted to ''the unknown God" after they
had exhausted the vocabulary of their
heather Gods.
Also it MAY be ;rs$ed -tha. S'.sscrlss-.4as
| fixi0n' was common at that period,
| especially as a military punishment.
! Thousands of soldiers, captives OF war,
| were executed in this manner.
! 1t is indeed far-fetched to connect the
rude drawings of these heather SOL
diers of Tiberius with the CrucifiXion
on Calvary.
Shall we believe that the first car
toon here described, represents the
| Saviour on the cross-this horrible
| SCrdWI-QTdWn ny d uCdtA1Sh DSA'ANi -
sacrilegious derision!
And now Professor Marucchi has dis
| covered on these walls the whole scene
OF the Crucifxion on Calvary, as he
claims, drawn by the heather soldiers
of Tiberius, and which was published
in the New York Sunday Journal
So far as we have observed none OF
! the eminent ministers who have COM
mented on the supposed discovery OF
Prof Marucchi have regarded II with
any degree of faith, yet all OF them
have been greatly interested IN the
matter.
The mere study OF history would nat
urally conclude from all historic rec
ords. that the soldiers of Tiberius "a
Rome knew nothing Of the CrucihXlln
on Calvary, and even if they Wa
known. they would not have consiodr
I ed it a matter of any Importance
We must regard the whole matter as
very far-fetched and imaginary. WITH
| out .any substantial basis OF bellef.
JOHN G. Cuttings.