Spear of Destiny: Difference between revisions
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:''This article is about legends surrounding the artifact known as "the Spear of Destiny" (or "of Longinus"). The history of the relic of the [[Holy Lance]] itself is separately treated. For other uses see [[Spear of Destiny (disambiguation)]].'' |
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[[it:Lancia del Destino]] |
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[[pt:Lança do destino]] |
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According to Christian texts, the '''Spear of Destiny''' (also known as the '''Holy Lance''', '''Holy Spear''', '''Lance of Longinus''', or '''Spear of Longinus''') is the spear that is reported in the [[Gospel of John]] (19:31-37) as having pierced the side of [[Jesus]] during his crucifixion. |
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In the oldest known references to the legend, in the [[Gospel of Nicodemus]] (of uncertain date, possibly 5th or 6th century), the soldier who pierced Christ's side is identified with a centurion and called [[Longinus (Christian mythology)|Longinus]] (making the spear's "correct" Latin name '''Lancea Longini'''). |
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Later Christian tradition, harking back to the novel ''The Spear'' by Louis de Wohl (1955), further identifies him as Gaius Cassius.<ref> |
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It should be noted that there is a historical figure named [[Gaius Cassius Longinus]], one of the conspirators responsible for the death of [[Julius Caesar|Gaius Julius Caesar]] (died [[March 15]], [[44 BC]]). Another "Longinus" is credited with the authorship of the treatise ''[[On the Sublime]]''. Roman names held little variety, especially among members of the same family.</ref> |
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There are many prototypes and analogues of the spear in other legends, it can be compared to the ancient Irish weapon, the [[Spear Luin]], and is similar to the [[Bleeding Lance]] of [[Grail]] mythology, which was eventually claimed to ''be'' the Spear of Destiny{{fact}}. |
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== Locations == |
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There are several objects that are reputed to be the Spear of Destiny or Holy Lance (''Heilige Lanze''). |
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One such "Holy Lance" was allegedly unearthed by a [[Crusade]]r named [[Peter Bartholomew]] in [[Antioch]] in [[1098]] while the Crusaders were under siege from the [[Seljuk Turks]] under [[Kerbogha]]{{fact}}. Peter Bartholomew reported that he had had a vision in which [[St. Andrew]] told him that the Holy Lance was buried in St. Peter's Cathedral in Antioch. At the time some were skeptical, but others were convinced. In any case, after much digging in the cathedral, Peter Bartholomew took a hand and, in a few moments, discovered the lance. For some of the Crusaders this was a marvelous discovery. At the same time, dissension had begun in the ranks of the [[Islam|Muslim]] army besieging the city. This combination of factors resulted in the Christian army being able to rout the Muslims a few days later when they joined battle, allowing the Crusaders to decisively capture Antioch. That object is now at [[Etschmiadzin]] in [[Armenia]]. Scholars believe that it is not actually a Roman lance but the head of a Roman standard. |
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Another of the many Spears of Destiny is the one in The Vatican. The earliest reports of that Spear were circa A.D. [[570]], described as having been on display in the [[basilica]] of Mount [[Zion]] in [[Jerusalem]] adjacent to the [[Crown of Thorns]]. The point of the spearhead was alleged to have been snapped following the [[Iran|Persia]]n conquest of Jerusalem in A.D. [[615]]. The point was set into an [[icon]], and found its way to the church of [[Hagia Sophia]] in [[Constantinople]]. It was later transported to [[France]], where it remained in the [[Sainte Chapelle]] until the [[18th century]]. The icon was briefly moved to the [[Bibliotheque Nationale]] in Paris during the [[French Revolution]], but it subsequently disappeared. The lower section of the spearhead was allegedly conveyed from Jerusalem to Constantinople sometime in the [[8th century]]. It was sent by Sultan [[Beyazid II]] as a gift to [[Pope Innocent VIII]] in [[1492]]; Innocent had the relic placed in [[St. Peter's Basilica]] in [[Rome]]. It still resides there. The [[Catholic Church]] makes no claim as to its authenticity. |
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The holy spear that was used by the Holy Roman Emperors (cited from [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor]] on, the one most often referred to) as a part of their imperial insignia found its way to [[Vienna, Austria]], where it is kept in the [[Schatzkammer|Imperial Treasury]] of the [[Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna|Kunsthistorisches Museum]]. |
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Dr. Robert Feather, of England, a metallurgist and technical engineering writer, tested that Holy Lance in January of 2003. He was given unprecedented permission not only to examine the Spear in a laboratory environment, but was also allowed to remove the delicate bands of gold and silver that hold it together. The silver band bears the inscription "Nail of Our Lord". It was added to the Holy Lance by order of [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Henry IV]], the third German Holy Roman Emperor, in 1084. Around 1350 [[Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia]] had a golden sleeve put over the silver one, inscribed "Lance and Nail of the Lord." |
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In 1411 [[Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor|Sigismund]] was made Holy Roman Emperor. In 1424 he announced: "It is the Will of God that the Imperial Crown, Orb, Scepter, Crosses, Sword and Lance of the Holy Roman Empire must never leave the soil of the Fatherland."{{fact}} This collection of relics, known collectively as the ''Reichkleinodien'' or [[Imperial Regalia]], were moved from his capitol in [[Prague]] to his birth place, [[Nuremberg]]. |
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When the army of [[Napoleon]] approached Nuremberg in the spring of 1796, many were terrified that Napoleon would seize the Spear and rule the world with it{{fact}}. The city councilors decided to remove the Reichkleinodie to [[Vienna]] for safe keeping. The collection of relics was entrusted to one ''Baron [[von Hügel]]'', who promised to return the objects as soon as peace had been restored and the safety of the collection assured{{fact}}. |
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The [[Holy Roman Empire]] was officially dissolved in 1806. [[Baron von Hugel]] took advantage of the confusion over who was the legal owner of the Reichkleinodie and sold the entire collection, including the Spear, to the [[Habsburg]]s. Baron von Hugel's perfidy did not come to light until after Napoleon's defeat at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]]. When the city councilors of Nuremberg asked for their treasures back the Austrian authorities' response was a curt rejection. And there they stayed until the [[Anschluss]], when [[Adolf Hitler]] claimed the Spear of Destiny as his own[http://www.unmuseum.org/spear.htm]. |
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Another purported Holy Lance has been in [[Krakow]] since at least the [[1200s]], though German records indicate that the lance was a copy made from the German lance under [[Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor]], with a small sliver of the original embedded. Another copy was given to the Hungarian king at the same time. |
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== The legend of the spear == |
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<!-- Is this stuff encyclopedic? Per Wikipedia policies, we include facts only if they have been already published by reliable and reputable sources. Certainly, Smith and Piccard are neither reliable nor reputable. Are any of these authors? --> |
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Several popular [[new age]] and [[conspiracy theory]] books have popularised the legend of the spear. |
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=== Ravenscroft's ''The Spear of Destiny'' === |
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Trevor Ravenscroft’s 1973 bestseller ''The Spear of Destiny'' has fixed his version of the legend in the minds of many today. He claims that [[Adolf Hitler]] started [[World War II]] to capture the spear, hypothesizing that Hitler's interest in the relic probably originated with his interest in the [[1882]] [[opera]] ''[[Parsifal]]'' — by Hitler’s favorite [[composer]], [[Richard Wagner]] — which concerns a group of [[knights]] and their guardianship of the Holy Grail, as well as the recovery of the Spear. Though a number of historians cast doubt on Hitler's obsession with the Spear as it was reported by Trevor Ravenscroft et al, recent work by researcher and author Alec MacLellan has unearthed material from Ravenscroft's original source that seems to validate some of the stranger assertions{{fact}}. |
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Ravenscroft maintained that the spear came into the possession of the [[United States|United States of America]] on [[April 30]], [[1945]]; specifically, under the control of the [[U.S. Third Army|3rd Army]] led by General [[George Patton]]. Later that day, supposedly in fulfillment of the legend that to lose the Spear meant death, Hitler committed suicide. Patton became fascinated by the ancient weapon and had its authenticity verified. Patton did not go on to use the spear, as orders came down from General [[Dwight Eisenhower]] that the complete [[Habsburg]] regalia including the Spear of [[Longinus (hagiography)|Longinus]] were to be returned to the [[Hofburg]] Palace, where it remains today. It is interesting to note that George Patton, in his poem ''Through a Glass Darkly'', curiously posits himself as Longinus in a previous lifetime[http://www.generalpatton.com/poem.html]. |
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Ravenscroft repeatedly attempted to define the mysterious “powers” that the legend says the Spear serves. He found it to be a hostile and evil spirit, which he variously referred to as the [[Antichrist]] and the Spirit of the Age. Smith and Piccard similarly attempt to identify what they too perceive as a malignant spirit reaching through the Spear. In a mishmash of [[Quantum mechanics|quantum physics]], [[Christianity]], and the [[New Age]] they offer a handful of ideas, from the Spear [[Channeling (mediumistic)|channeling]] the “angry God of the Old Testament” ([[Jehovah]]) to it somehow transferring a part of The [[Crucifixion]] to the Spear, with the Spear becoming a [[Doppelgänger]] for the [[Holy Spirit]], becoming, as they put it, an Unholy Spirit. |
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===Buechner's books=== |
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Dr. Howard A. Buechner, M.D., professor of medicine at [[Tulane University|Tulane]] and then [[LSU]], added a strange chapter to the tale in his two books on the Spear. He claims he was contacted by a former [[U-boat]] submariner who in turn claimed to have helped take the Spear of Destiny to [[Antarctica]] in 1945 and to have helped to recover it in 1979. Buechner was a retired Colonel with the U.S. Army who served in World War II, and had written a book on the [[Dachau massacre]] as a witness to the event. He was presented by the pseudonymous “Capt. Wilhelm Bernhart” with the log of the 1979 Hartmann Expedition and photos of some of the objects recovered. |
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According to Buechner, the Spear currently on display in the [[Schatzkammer]] in [[Vienna]] is a fake. He claims that he had evidence that [[Heinrich Himmler]], head of the [[Occult Bureau of the SS]], had formed a circle of Knights dedicated to the Holy Lance and further, had [[Japan]]'s greatest swordsmaker create an exact duplicate of the lance. Buechner claimed that the duplicate went on display in Nuremberg while the real one was used in arcane black magic ceremonies in a specially appointed castle in [[Wewelsburg]], Germany. Even wilder, he wrote that Hitler personally had selected Col. Maximilian Hartmann{{fact}} to send several of his most prized possessions, including the Spear of Destiny, and Hitler and Eva Braun's ashes to [[Antarctica]]. According to him Col. Hartmann recovered the Spear of Destiny from the ice in 1979 and it is now in hiding somewhere in Europe, in the possession of the Knights of the Holy Lance. |
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After contacting most of the members of the alleged expedition and others involved, including senior Nazi officials and close associates of Adolf Hitler, like [[Hitler Youth]] Leader [[Artur Axmann]], Col. Buechner became convinced the claims were true and that he was either the victim of an elaborate hoax, or the Spear of Destiny really did reside for a while in Antarctica and may well be in the hands of one or more individuals who believe, as Col Hartmann may have said “the Holy Lance points ever towards our eternal Deutschland.” |
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===Smith and Piccard's version=== |
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Col. Buechner's story is examined and partially corroborated by both Alec Maclellan and the research/writing team of [[Jerry E. Smith]] and [[George Piccard]]. These writers focus on the mysterious surrenders of two U-boats to Argentine authorities months after the war’s end and how they may have been part of the “Fuehrer Convoy” taking high ranking Nazis and maybe treasure, to [[Argentina]] and/or Antarctica. |
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Spear legend meets [[urban legend]] in the writings of the two [[conspiracy theory]] authors, Smith and Piccard. Their retelling of the Spear myth stretches from its purported creation in 3061 [[Anno Domini|B.C.]] by [[Tubal-Cain]], seventh generation grandson of Adam (the Spear was forged from a [[meteorite]] at the same time that he made the sword [[Excalibur]]), to [[Richard E. Byrd|Admiral Byrd’s]] battle ([[Operation Highjump]]) in the Antarctic against Nazis in their underground fortress in [[Neuschwabenland]]. Their version is replete with Nazi [[Unidentified flying object|UFOs]] and the search for [[Atlantis]]. They connect [[Thule Society|Nazi secret societies]] to the [[Yale University|Yale]] [[Skull and Bones]] fraternity and the events of [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11, 2001]]. |
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== The Spear of Destiny in popular culture == |
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:''Main article: [[Spear of Destiny in popular culture]]''. |
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The broad-based recognition factor enjoyed by the Spear of Destiny has helped to make it a prominent feature in contemporary culture, from movies and TV to video games. A long list of such appearances may be found at [[Spear of Destiny in popular culture]]. |
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==Non-fictional References== |
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===Television=== |
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*''Spear Of Christ'', TV special for [[BBC]]/[[Discovery Channel]], narrated by Cherie Lunghi, written and directed by Shaun Trevisick. Atlantic Productions, aired 31 March 2002. Their [http://www.atlanticproductions.tv/recentbroadcast.html website] says about it: "In the [[Hofburg]] Museum in [[Vienna]], [[Austria]], lies a metal spearhead said to have been used to pierce the side of Christ during his crucifixion. For the first time, scientific testing will establish if this ancient relic really is the [[Spear of Christ]]." The scientific points made in this article about the work of Dr. Robert Feather are also made in this documentary. |
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*The Japanese Anime series and movies of [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] makes mention of and gives the name "Lance of Longinus" to a fork-like weapon that was imbeded in the [[Angel]] figure of what was believed to be [[Adam]] from the [[Second Impact]]. It turns out that the suspected [[Adam]] was really [[Lilith]]. This "Lance of Longinus" was weilded and used by the series' character [[Rei Ayanami]] to destroy the the fifteenth Angel, [[Arael]], that was orbiting Earth and causing serious psycological damage to the character [[Asuka Langley Soryu]]. The original Lance was believed to be lost in orbit from that moment on, however, it makes an appearance in the [[Evangellion]] movies as trans-mutational weapons weilded by the new Mass Production Evangellions called the "Eva Series". Also in [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]] the Lance of Longinus is able to destroy any entity, humans, [[Evangelions]], Angels and even AT Fields (Absolute Terror Fields). |
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*In the comics and film [[Constantine]] Many religious references and relics are used as weapons for the character [[John Constantine]] against the demons of Hell who wish to invade the world of man. In the Movie, the "Spear of Destiny" was the tool that both [[Gabriel]] and [[Mammon]] were to use to assist in bringing the Son of Satan to Earth so that create his own Hell and begin Armageddon. |
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===Books in English=== |
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* Brown, Arthur Charles Lewis. ''Bleeding Lance''. Modern Language Association of America, 1910 |
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* Buechner, Howard A. Col. and Bernhart, Wilhelm Capt. ''Adolf Hitler And The Secrets Of The Holy Lance''. Thunderbird Press, 1988. |
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* Buechner, Howard A. Col. and Bernhart, Wilhelm Capt. ''Hitler's Ashes - Seeds Of A New Reich''. Thunderbird Press, 1989. |
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* Childress, David Hatcher. ''Pirates and the Lost Templar Fleet: The Secret Naval War Between the Knights Templar and the Vatican''. Adventures Unlimited Press, 2003. |
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* Crowley, Cornelius Joseph. ''The Legend Of The Wanderings Of The Spear Of Longinus''. Heartland Book, 1972. |
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* Hone, William. ''The Lost Books of the Bible''. Bell Publishing Co., 1979. |
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* Macllellan, Alec. ''The Secret of the Spear: The Mystery of The Spear of Longinus''. Souvenir Press, 2004 |
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* Prioli, Carmine A. ''The Poems of General [[George S. Patton]], Jr.: Lines of Fire, by George S. Patton, Jr.'' Edwin Mellen Press, 1991. |
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* Ravenscroft, Trevor. ''The Spear of Destiny, the Occult Power Behind the Spear Which Pierced the Side of Christ''. Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1973 |
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* Ravenscroft, Trevor and Wallace-Murphy, Tim. ''The Mark of the Beast: The Continuing Story of the Spear of Destiny''. Weiser Books; Reprint edition, 1997. |
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* Rutman, Leo. ''Spear Of Destiny A Novel''. Pinnacle Books, 1989. |
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* Sheffy, Lester Fields. ''Use Of The Holy Lance In The First Crusade''. L.F. Sheffy, 1915. |
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* [[Jerry E. Smith|Smith, Jerry E.]], and [[George Piccard|Piccard, George]]. ''Secrets Of The Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend''. Adventures Unlimited Press, 2005. |
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==Notes== |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.geocities.com/nephilimnot/spear.html History of The Spear of Destiny] A page from a site "Hitler the occult Messiah" |
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* [http://web.org.uk/picasso/spear.html Hitler and The Spear of Destiny] is a page from a site devoted to the authentication of a previously unknown work by Picasso. This page has an article by Mark Harris on Dr. Stein's revelations about Hitler and the Spear. |
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* [http://www.time.com/time/europe/html/030616/science.html Piercing An Ancient Tale] Solving the mystery of a Christian relic by Maryann Bird is an article in the European Edition of TIME Magazine on British metallurgist Robert Feather’s scientific examination of the Spear in Vienna. |
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* [http://www.unmuseum.org/spear.htm The Holy Lance] has a detailed history of the Spear's legend taken from Ravenscroft. Begins with a quote from ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' and includes the statement made by Hitler to newspaper reporters of his first viewing of the Holy Lance and how he felt he'd possessed it before in a previous life. Good image of Hitler before the Eiffel Tower and a painting of the Crucifixion showing a centurion and the spear in the foreground. |
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* [http://www.secretsoftheholylance.com/book/index.php Secrets of the Holy Lance] is a website devoted to the book ''Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear Of Destiny In History & Legend'' by Jerry E. Smith and George Piccard. Includes extensive excerpts from the book and a gallery of Spear related images. |
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* [http://www.prophecyinthenews.com/articledetail.asp?Article_ID=74 The Spear that Pierced the Side of Christ] by J. R. Church. Very detailed history of the Spear, with interesting material on Mauritius (St. Maurice), the Merovingians, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, Archduke Ferdinand, and Hitler. |
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* [http://sxws.com/charis/relics8.htm The Spear Of Longinus] has a good article on the several different Spears and the many differing legends around Longinus. |
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* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08773a.htm The Holy Lance] is a page from the online Catholic Encyclopedia and was the basis for the other Wikipedia page on this subject. |
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* [http://www.bibleprobe.com/holy_lance.htm Search for the real Holy Lance] has a long and scholarly treatise on all the reputed Spears of Destiny and their various legends, with several good illustrations including: the Crucifixion, the Holy Lance on display at St Peters in Antioch, and El Greco's painting ''The Martyrdom of Maurice and the Theban Legion''. |
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* [http://www.randomreel.com/spear.htm The Spear of Destiny a.k.a. The Holy Lance] a short but concise article by Randy Van Dyke stating the main elements of Ravencroft's version of the legend. |
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[[Category:Christian legend and folklore]] |
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[[Category:Christian mythology]] |
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[[Category:History of Austria]] |
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[[Category:History of Germany]] |
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[[Category:Holy Roman Empire]] |
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[[Category:Medieval legends]] |
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[[Category:Mythic weapons]] |
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[[Category:Mythical objects]] |
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[[Category:Relics attributed to Jesus]] |
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[[de:Heilige Lanze]] |
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[[es:Lanza Sagrada|Lanza del Destino]] |
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[[fr:Sainte Lance]] |
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[[nl:Heilige Lans (Wenen)]] |
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[[ja:聖槍]] |
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[[pl:Włócznia Przeznaczenia]] |
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[[pt:Lança do Destino]] |
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Latest revision as of 03:04, 1 January 2007
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