Posted on 03/17/2016 12:25:44 PM PDT by Red Badger
A cross discovered by an amateur Danish archaeologist may "change history" according to an expert, who believes the cross may date from before Christianity is thought to have reached Denmark.
An amateur archaeologist on the island of Funen made a startling discovery last week – a necklace resembling Jesus on the cross. But after posting a picture of the discovery on Facebook, Dennis Fabricius Holm quickly found that the item may have a lot more significance than he had initially thought.
“I finished work early last Friday, so I decided to spend a couple of hours searching with my metal detector,” Holm told national broadcaster DR.
“Suddenly I hit upon something,” continued Holm. “Ever since I turned over the clump of earth and saw the cross, I’ve been unable to think of anything else.”
Malene Refshauge Beck, archaeologist with East Funen Museums (Østfyns Museer) told DR that she agreed that the necklace is likely to prove a memorable discovery.
“This is a sensational find that dates from the first half of the 10th century BCE,” Beck told DR. “There is a near identical figure, found in Sweden, which has been dated to this period.”
The discovery of Christian artefacts from this period in Denmark is particularly remarkable as it predates the Jelling Stone, the giant carved rune stone from the year 965 that is considered to be the earliest Danish representation of Jesus on the cross.
“This figure may therefore result in us reconsidering the date Danes are believed to have become Christian,” said Beck. “The person who wore it would undoubtedly have adhered to the Christian faith.”
While pieces from the period depicting crosses as well as fragments of a piece of jewellery that appeared to depict Jesus have been discovered in the past, the new find is by far the most well-preserved and clear, according to Beck.
The figure will now be further examined at the museum and will go on display at the Ladby Viking Museum this summer.
The Aunslev Cross may be about to change Danish history. Photo: Østfyns Museer
Um, no. That makes no sense to me. Care to explain?
Don’t forget that one major branch of the Norse was already converted to Christianity and living in Normandy for a century before the date of this crucifix if it is, indeed, a crucifix.
Most likely Dane Geld..........................
FWIW, the artifacts from King Tut's tomb include many superb examples of "Granulation" -- which, I understand, depends on the fact that tiny spheres and wires of gold can be bonded (welded) together using only heat and pressure (no solder required).
FYI, the same ("thermocompression bonding") principle was, for many years, the sole means of bonding gold wires between integrated circuits and the packages that connected them to "the outside world"...
The "Gold Thermocompression Ball Bonding" method of construction was discovered and highly refined by the time of the great Egyptian dynasties...
or even the 6th-century BCE Phoenicians:
...and -- in the 20th-21st centuries Anno Domini:
Mithras has ALWAYS been one of the things that stood in the way of stronger faith!!
atheists say it was copied in Christianity.
your answer makes a lot of sense. Very well stated.
I was afraid it might sound sacrilegious but I didn’t mean it that way.
just looked like one to me :)
MUCH better than the ones we made in school!
The article says that the artifact may have originated before Christ, meaning that the notion of a crucifix being a holy relic commemorating Christ’s execution is invalid, that cross-shaped relics existed before Him and that their symbolism is not dependent on His existence.
Reading the article more carefully, it states that the artifact may predate the time Christianity was thought to have been practiced IN DENMARK.
I guess I'm so used to revisionist historians undermining Christianity that I let my paranoia get the better of me.
My apologies.
Thanks Red Badger. They had it goin' on up there in Scandinavia.
The discovery of Christian artefacts from this period in Denmark is particularly remarkable as it predates the Jelling Stone, the giant carved rune stone from the year 965 that is considered to be the earliest Danish representation of Jesus on the cross.
It always make me laugh, because they’re still dating from Christ, no matter what they call it...
-JT
Facinating.
“Do you know of any hard evidence that Leif Ericsson was Christian, or is it mostly anecdotal?”
I do not. Only read it a few times.
On another note, I watched a three episode program from the UK, about the Celts. It follows a premise that they made up a greater contribution to culture, language, even Christianity, than the lack of written record suggests.
They cited the Catholic church. They said when visitors came in the 500-700 period, they were amazed how advanced the church was.
There is a book titled “How the Irish Saved Civilization,” along a similar line.
I have a reproduction of an ancient Celtic cross that’s styled very much like it - except for the flat area behind the hands and feet, indicating the wood of the cross, it doesn’t look like later ones, and has little to indicate that the figure is affixed to a cross. Look beneath the hands and feet - the figure is obviously lying on a flat surface.
-JT
That’s interesting. Thanks.
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