Posted on 07/28/2005 7:15:48 AM PDT by nuconvert
Apostles’ successor's bones discovered in Iran’s St. Stephanus Church
TEHRAN, July 27 (MNA) -- Shahriar Adl, the director of the team documenting three Iranian churches for registration on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, said on Wednesday that they have discovered the bones of one of the successors of the Apostles of Jesus in one of the ceilings of the St. Stephanus Church, which is located near Marand in East Azarbaijan.
Some historical sources, such as the travelogue of Frenchmen Jean Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689), some photos kept at Tehran’s Golestan Palace, and the photos taken by Ali Khan Vali, the governor of northern Azarbaijan during the reign of the Qajar king Nasser ad-Din Shah and kept in the Adl family archives, indicate that the bones of Saint Stephanus (Saint Stephen), who acted as a direct successor to Saint Peter, Saint Matthew, and the Prophet Daniel, are being kept in the St. Stephanus Church.
“The East Azarbaijan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department sent a letter to the Prelacy of Iran after the team discovered the bones, asking their representative to attend the process of gathering the bones from the site last Sunday,” Adl said.
The team has also discovered several pieces of board from the boxes containing the bones, yellow and beige clothes, seeds of frankincense and some pieces of wax, and ocher beside the bones.
The bones have been examined by a team of anthropologists of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO).
“The bones have been damaged because of the bad condition of the place. Thus, we could only determine that they are the bones of a single body but the individual bones can not be distinguished,” said team member Farzad Foruzanfar.
The complete skeleton belongs to a man about 50 years old with a strong body, he added.
The bones have been transferred to the Prelacy of Azarbaijan in Tabriz because restoration work is currently underway in the church, but they will be returned after the renovation is complete.
“The bones will be returned to be kept in a specific place during a special religious ceremony,” East Azarbaijan Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department Director Ali-Akbar Taqizadeh said.
Hayk Ajimian, an Armenian scholar and historian, recorded that the church was originally built in the ninth century CE, but repeated earthquakes in Azarbaijan severely damaged the original structure. The church was renovated during the reign of the Safavid king Shah Abbas (1588-1629).
The general structure of the St. Stephanus Church mostly resembles Armenian and Georgian architecture and the inside of the building is adorned with beautiful paintings by Honatanian, a renowned Armenian artist.
The CHTO plans to submit an application to UNESCO to register the St. Stephanus Church as well as the St. Thaddeus and Zorzor churches in West Azarbajian on the World Heritage List.
pong
bong
Uhhh...yeah. OK.
Ain't we all successors to the Apostles?
The Church of Saint Stephanus Marand, Julfa East Azarbayijan
This church, located 16 kilometers to the south-east of Julfa, dates back to the 8th century A.H. (14th century A.D.) and after, and is remarkable for its pyramidal roof cover and its facade decorations.
The monument is also known under the name of the church of Darreh Sham.
ping pong
Doubting Thomas?
Thanx for the pic
pong
This underpins an early church structure which embraced retention of things such as physical relics of Saints similar to the tradition carried on by the Catholic and Eastern Rites of today indicating a lineage, I would venture to guess. V's wife.
Cool. Stephen was the very first Christian martyr, bless his heart.
git'cher holy bones here!
I guess because he spoke truth to power and was killed for it?
Although Daniel survived...
???? I, too, am confused about the Daniel reference. Why was he a successor to Peter & Matthew? Unless this is a different Stephen ie not the one who was stoned to death while Saul (Paul) watched.
I see from this that the Holy Apostle St. Peter even consecrated bishops as far east as Persia. Just think of it, successors of the Rock all over the East.
Praise God for all things!
You have a cheap camera.
"When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand." Matthew 24:15
DANIEL, whose name signifies THE JUDGMENT OF GOD, was of the royal blood of the kings of Juda: and one of those that were first of all carried away into captivity. He was so renowned for wisdom and knowledge, that it became a proverb among the Babylonians, AS WISE AS DANIEL (Ezech. 28.3). And his holiness was so great from his very childhood, that at the time when he was as yet but a young man, he is joined by the SPIRIT of GOD with NOE and JOB, as three persons most eminent for virtue and sanctity, Ezech. 14. He is not commonly numbered by the Hebrews among THE PROPHETS: because he lived at court, and in high station in the world: but if we consider his many clear predictions of things to come, we shall find that no one better deserves the name and title of A PROPHET: which also has been given him by the SON of GOD himself, Matt. 24, Mark 13., Luke 21.
Me too, since there is about 700 years between Daniel and Matthew/Peter ...
And Stephen was stoned in Jerusalem wasnt he? How did his remains get to where they claim he was found?
Need to review that section in Acts again ...
Story still doesn't make any connections between Daniel and Stephen.
Apparently the Daniel, the Prophet, is a Saint in the Orthodox church:
http://www.comeandseeicons.com/phm06.htm
"When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand." Matthew 24:15
What part of that question and response don't you comprehend?
"Apparently the Daniel, the Prophet, is a Saint in the Orthodox church"
As are all of the holy prophets of the Old Testament, the seven Maccabbee martyrs, the parents of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner, the parents of the Holy Theotokos, and the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.
This is surprising?
As are all of the holy prophets of the Old Testament, the seven Maccabbee martyrs, the parents of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner, the parents of the Holy Theotokos, and the last and greatest of the Old Testament prophets.
This is surprising?
Only in that I didn't think ANY Old Testament personalities were considered to be Saints in the church. The Roman Catholic church doesn't have any Old Testament saints, does it?
That whole sentence doesn't make sense. I know Daniel was a prophet, but neither Peter or Matthew were. Peter & Matthew were Apostles, but Daniel was not. I don't see how an Old Testament person is connected to the three New Testament people.
Ask an RC
The Roman Catholic church doesn't have any Old Testament saints, does it?
We do, but just don't usually title them "St."
"At Babylon, the prophet Ezechiel, who was put to death by a judge of the people of Israel because he reproved him for worshipping idols." (Roman Martyrology, April 10)
"On Mount Carmel, the holy prophet Elijah." (Roman Martyrology, July 20)
"At Antioch, the martyrdom of the seven brothers, the holy Machabees, martyrs, and their mother, who suffered under King Antiochus Epiphanes." (Roman Martyrology, August 1)
"On the same day, the commemoration of the holy patriarch Abraham, father of all believers." (Roman Martyrology, October 9)
Etc.
It would be a different St Stephen.
According to one of my Bibles, St Matthew traveled to Armenia and to Arabia as well as Ethopia. I am not sure where he died. In Persia, Simon the Zealot traveled there but he also traveled to North Africa/Egypt (he might have died in Persia) as well as Mesopotamia. Bartholomew traveled to India, Armenia, Arabia as well as Ethopia.
The Apostle Thomas is the most famous traveler, as he supposedly traveled to China and Northern India, as well as establishing 7 churches (still in existence today) in Southwest India. His body, after he was martyred was returned to Europe/Middle East after his death.
Much of the history of the early church relies on tradition and faith that this tradition is accurate.
However, in the year 2000, the Jesuits tested whether the body in the Basilica in Padua, Italy was that of St. Luke of the Gospels. He had a disease of the curvature of the back that was written about him, and the person in the Basilica fit that description (plus being able to date the skeleton to about 2000 years of age). So maybe St. Anthony of Padua got some of his preaching of the Gospel from the closeness of to the body of St. Luke...
I did some digging on St. Stephanus at the OCA website and found nothing, many saints named Stephan but none matching this particular one. One might try searching the martyrologies of the Patriarchate of Tblisi (Georgian Orthodox Church), the Armenian Apostolic Church, or of the Assyrian Church of the East for a reference. I am sure the tradition that there was a Bishop Stephanus consecrated by St. Peter the Holy Apostle for this locale cannot be built on mere fiction. Moreoever, if he is venerated as a saint, he was most likely a martyr.
True enough - on the other hand, you don't usually see them referred to by Catholics as "holy Elijah", "holy Abraham", etc. either, but just by their names. That was what I was referring to, and presumably why non-Catholics may think that we don't consider them to be Saints.
Further digging confirms that St. Stephanus Church is Armenian Apostolic and so not presently recognized by the Orthodox Church. Further information about this saint(?) will most likely be found by looking into Armenian sources of information.
Maybe Matthew consecrated him. I don't think St. Peter made it to this area, but other Apostles with Matthew may have visited the Bishop (St. Stephanus). The Bishop could have also visited St. Peter in the Holy Land.
At the time of Christ, there was a general peace throughout the world (Pax Romana) that really has not existed until I don't know when.
But the early Church fathers have relics all over the place. The skull of St. Ignatius of Antioch is in North America, for example, and I have seen it up close.
"At the time of Christ, there was a general peace throughout the world (Pax Romana) that really has not existed until I don't know when."
Your points are all good ones. There's probably a gold mine of information to be mined at the Armenian libraries in NYC and in Watertown, MA.
I was simply going on what the story said as to "St." Stephanus "acted as St. Peter's successor" or something like that. That to me implies that Armenian tradition has him a bishop consecrated by St. Peter.
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