The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-02-22
TOMB OF ST. PETER.
Interesting Details Relating to the
Authenticity of the Site.

interesting Details Relating to the
Authenticity of the Site.
Professor Goodyear, in a recent lee
! ture at Brooklyn on st. Peters church
| at Rome, gave some very interesting
details relating to the authenticity of
the site of st. Peters tomb and to the
probability of the tomb still containing
the body of the apostle. On this head
| the lecturer said: In 1549, under the
! pontificate of Pope Clement VIII, Gia-
como della Porta was making some eX-
cavations in the neighborhood of the
! tomb in his work of completing the
| way, and he saw through an opening a
| sarcophaguS, on which was lying a
massive golden cross.
We know from the Dapal record
called the Liber Pontificalis, that the
| Emperor Constantine, who built the
first church over the tomb, placed a
gold cross weighing $50 pounds over
the sarcophagus. The fact that this
cross was still in its place in 1894 sug-
geSts that the tomb had not been dis
turbed between the times of the EN-
peror Constantine and the date given.
AT this time Pope Clement VIII, ac-
cCmpanied by several cardinals. in
spected the cross. He was so moved by
the spectacle that he Immediately or
dered the opening to be sealed up, and
this seal has never-been broken 1t is
still visible.
Now comes the question whether
the tomb which received this gift of
the gold cross at the beginning of the
fourth century was actually ST. Peters
tomb. Here again excavations made in
the seventeenth century have the deep
est interest. In 1915 the masons who
were digging the foundations for the
so-called 'confessio, or confessional
which surrounds the tomb with a flight
of steps leading down to ii, uncovered
number of graves which were evil
IDENTIFY of a very early Christian burial.
One of the graves bore the name of
Linus. This account is specified by a
drawing still eXtant. which was pub
lished in 1885. Linus was the second
bishop Of Rome, and the successor OF
st. Peter. The Liber Pontificalis tells
us that Linus was buried near the
tomb of st. Peter. This was in ac-
cordance with the habits of early
Christian antiquity. when it was the
desire of the Christians to have their
own burials in the neighborhood of The
tOmbs of saints and martyrs.
Now comes the reason for the loca-
tion of the tomb of St. Peter. This was
on road which was lined with other
tombs. many of them pagan. This road
Gus Caligula and Nero. in which St
Peter was martyred in 81 A. D. The
obelisk now in front of the church
stood originally on the barrier when
ran down the center of this circus, and
was not far removed from the spot of
martyrdom. We know that the pagan
Roman laws protected the Sanctity Of
the tomb. both in the case of criminal
and of Christian. Persecution in pagan
Rome drew the line at the grave and
stopped there consequently the records
and Christian traditions relating to the
site of the tomb have everything in
their favor.
1T is probable. however, that dur
ing the reign of Elagabalus, third CEN
tury, the remains were removed TO the
catacombs of st. Sebastian on the APP
plan way for short time. This en-
peror wished to exhibit a race of char
lots, four abreast, drawn by elephants.
The width of the circus did not suffice,
and the tombs along the road were in
some cases destroyed by him. This is
supposed to have been the occasion
which led the Christians TO remove the
body of St. Peter to another spot for
certain time.
When all the facts are considered,
there is absolutely no doubt that the
tomb of St. Peter is today, as it was in
the early fourth century, and there is
every probability that the remains OF
the apostle are in that tomb. OF course
the great point is that the Importance
and magniflcence of the Renaissance
church are due to such a belief. We
are sometimes disposed in architectural
studies and art criticism to overlook
the most vital facts. In this case the
vital fact is the belief that the tomb
~ 81 Peter. iS where il is said To he
and this belief has everything in it's
favor when il is submitted to the light
of modern criticism. The great au-
thority on this subject is Rodolfo Lam
ciana, a man who has never been ac-
cused of the slightest prejudice in favor
OF any sect or any religion. and what
his own personal beliefs are as regards
creed are unknown TO the speaker. -
Boston Republic.