News, Pope: Basilica bones belong to apostle St. Paul. (coffin, church, Bible)

[John1960]

ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Scientific tests prove bones housed in the Basilica of St. Paul in Rome are those of the apostle St. Paul himself, according to Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope: Basilica bones belong to apostle St. Paul - CNN.com

[Okiegirlfriend]

I thought everyone already knew that!

[BudinAk]

I can understand the excitement over this...but...what "scientific" tests?

I cannot imagine ANY test that would prove the bones were the Apostle Paul's. (or anyone else's from that era, for that matter) Even if they were able to get a DNA sample, with whom are they going to compare it to? About all we could find out is whether they happen to date from the same time period as Paul, using the carbon 14 dating method.

That said, could they actually be Paul's bones? Yes, they could. But we cannot assume that it would therefore mean he would be "endorsing" the Catholic church...all it would mean is they would happen to be the church today having possession of his remains...


Bud

[juj]

Originally Posted by BudinAk

I can understand the excitement over this...but...what "scientific" tests?

I cannot imagine ANY test that would prove the bones were the Apostle Paul's. (or anyone else's from that era, for that matter) Even if they were able to get a DNA sample, with whom are they going to compare it to? About all we could find out is whether they happen to date from the same time period as Paul, using the carbon 14 dating method.

That said, could they actually be Paul's bones? Yes, they could. But we cannot assume that it would therefore mean he would be "endorsing" the Catholic church...all it would mean is they would happen to be the church today having possession of his remains...


Bud

Whatever keeps you in your happy place.

[juj]

Here's a few good comments from an article I read:

Excerpts from: Stand Firm | Pope: Scientific analysis done on St. Paul’s bones

• "I wasn’t aware that St. Paul was a Roman Catholic."

• "That the dating of the bones are consistent with that of St. Paul should not surprise anyone. There is every reason to think that the local Church of Rome would have treasured the mortal remains of the great apostle from the time of his death forward, and no reason to think that they would not have. The purple threads are also strong clues that the bones are very likely to be that of St. Paul. The skepticism over more dubious relics like that of Magi who are supposedly in Cologne Cathedral really has little place here. "

• "Perhaps the only surprise here is that it’s taken so long for the carbon dating tests to be done. Certainly, I would LIKE to think that the bones are those of St. Paul himself, although the division of the relics between the magnificent Lateran Czthedral and big St. Paul’s Outside the Walls inevitably raises questions as to how they got dispersed.

Of course, we need not approve of all the abuses and superstition involved in the ancient cult of relics to find the putative bones of the great Apostle to the Gentiles a very moving thing.

One of Rome’s great claims to fame has always been that it was the place where both of the greatest apostles of the first generation bore faithful witness and died the death of martyrs for the sake of the Lord they loved more than life itself. The conjoining of the celebration of BOTH great saints on a single day is profoundly significant and apt. Already, before the end of the first century, Rome was rightly celebrating the essential unity between the two greatest apostles (see 1 Clement 5:7)."

"Hmmm. Since most SF readers may not have ready access to the writings of the Apostolic Fathers, let me clarify here my above citation of 1 Clement. Clement, who is regarded as the 3rd pope (only one man coming between him and Peter himself), writing to the ever troubled Corinthian congregation around AD 95, calls Peter and Paul “the greatest and most righteous pillars” of the Church (1 Clement 5:2) and “heroes” of the faith (literally “champions,” with an athletic contest in miind). The whole fifth chapter of 1 Clement is devoted to the two greatest apostles, drawing a parallel between their equally brave and noble witness.
Another very early writer, St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing about AD 107 or so, also highlights the two men with the implicit recognition that they were the greatest apostles (Ignatius, Letter to the Romans 4:3). And, of course, Luke implies much the same thing by giving primary attention in Acts to the acts of Peter and Paul.
But of course, whether the bones buried under the high altar of the splendid church named for him are really those of St. Paul or not, the real relics (if you will) that matter are Paul’s letters. They are incomparably more important than any old bone fragments."

[limapie]

The coffin had identification written in Latin. There were priestly items with the
body skeleton.
Carbon dating and archeology work are expensive.
There was a portrait of St. Paul dating about 390 AD nearby. The earliest picture
to date of the great missionary. timeonline of UK has a photo of it.