The Spear of Destiny
History and Legend of The Holy Lance
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Origin of the Spear of Destiny LegendThe Spear of Longinus, also known as The Spear of Destiny and Holy Lance was allegedly used by a Roman soldier Gaius Cassius, later called Longinus, to pierce the side of Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross.
John 19:31 -37
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
The Spear of Destiny, bathed in the blood of the Jesus Christ played a significant role in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, and is believed to have acquired tremendous mystical power. The first sign of the Holy Lances power was the purported healing of Gaius Cassius’s , failing eyesight by blood from the wound. This is the same Gaius Cassius {Longinus} who supposedly cried at Jesus' death, "Surely this is the Son of God!" {as per Mathew 27:54 and Mark 15:39} Or "Truly this was an upright man." {as per Luke 23:47}
And in the Apocryphal book of Nicodemus "Then Longinus, a certain soldier, taking a spear, pierced his side, and presently there came forth blood and water "(Nicodemus 7:8). this version of the crucifixion story has Longinus spear Christ prior to His death and makes no mention of "fulfilling prophecy" . Gaius Cassius , a career soldier from a family of career soldiers. As per the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus.
History of the Spear of Destiny
Gaius Cassius Longinus received the Spear of Destiny as a gift from his Grandfather, whom had received it from Julius Cesar as a gift for his outstanding military service in the conquest of Gaul. The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Longinus, upon whom they have endowed Sainthood on the Ides of March -March 15 .
The Vienna lance in the Hapsburg museum, which is the primary claimant to the title of the Holy Spear which pierced the side of Jesus, can be traced back to the time of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I (912-973). In 1273 it was used in a coronation ceremony. Circa 1350 Charles IV had a golden sleeve put over the silver one, inscribed "Lancea et clavus Domini" (Lance and nail of the Lord). In 1424 Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund had a collection of relics which included the lance, moved from his capital in Prague to his birthplace in Nuremberg, and decreed that they to be kept there for eternity. This collection was called the Reichskleinodien or The Imperial Regalia.
When Napoleons army approached Nuremberg in 1796 the city councilors moved the Spear of Destiny and other relics to Vienna for safe keeping. The collection was entrusted to a "Baron von Hügel", who promised to return the objects as soon as the safety of the collection was assured. However, the Holy Roman Empire was disbanded and the Spear of Destiny remained in the keeping of the Habsburgs, who lost it only briefly to Hitler in WWII.
The Spear of Destiny subsequently passed through a multitude of hands, coming into the possession of many of Europe’s most important political and military leaders.
Lance of St. Maurice
The Holy Lance first appears in Europe in the possession of St Maurice . Much of the Story of Maurice is steeped in Early Christian Dogma , so hence some its historical value has been tainted. As per legend , Maurice and his Theban Legion were a completely Christianized Imperial Roman Garrison from Thebes in Upper Egypt. In 287 AD his legion was called from Africa to assist in putting down a revolt in Gaul. The soldiers were ordered to sacrifice to the Pagan Gods in thanksgiving, they refused. in retaliation Every tenth soldier was killed. Another order to sacrifice was issued and again they refused which caused a second decimation. Eventually the entire legion was executed.
Another version has the legion refusing Maximian's orders only after discovering a town they had just destroyed had been inhabited by innocent Christians.
Constantine and the Holy Lance
Maximian's successor , Constantine used the Spear of Destiny at the battle of Milvan Bridge in 312 AD, as per legend he believed the Spear of Destiny led him to victory. Constantine became the sole Roman emperor and legalized / Christianity as well as the other "pagan" religions of the era. Christianity becoming the official religion of the Holy Roman Empire was an event that has had monumental consequences on the last several thousand years of Human history. In 325 AD Constantine called the Council of Nicea during which he consolidated the Churches of the Mediterranean and Europe . During the Council , while debates raged the Emperor Constantine sat regally , quietly clutching the Spear of Destiny.
After Constantine's demise the Spear of Destiny passed to his heirs eventually ending with his Grandson Julian. Julian belittled tales of the Holy Lances power and attempted to restore religion in the Roman Empire to the point it was at before his Grandfather Constantine the Great consolidated all major religion under the banner of the Vatican. Julian was unsuccessful
King Athelstan and the Holy Lance
Exactly how the Holy lance came into the possession of an English King is not 100% Certain, But According to William of Malmesbury, relics such as the Sword of Constantine and the Lance of Charlemagne came to Athelstan, suggesting some sort of association or lineage. Secrets of the Holy Lance: The Spear of Destiny in History & Legend
has the spear coming to Athelstan from Heinrich I also known as Henry the Fowler , the first king of Germany.
The English Nation would have vanished from History in the Tenth Century, but for one crucial Battle. The Battle of Brunanburh
fought by King Athelstan. A combined Army of Scottish, Welsh and Norse/Vikings vastly outnumbered the Anglo forces of Athelstan. They were miraculously/easily defeated , a victory that Athelstan accredited to the Spear of Destiny that he possessed and carried into battle.
Shortly before his death the Spear of Destiny passed to Otto the Great of the Holy Roman Empire as part of a dowry for Otto marrying his half sister. Pope John XII used it to christen Otto the Great as Holy Roman Emperor; who carried it into victory over the Mongolian Hordes .
Attila the Hun and the Holy Lance
Alaric, King of the Visigoths {Goths}, conquered and plundered Rome and captured the Spear of Destiny, but it is believed he left it behind when he went on to conquer Sicily, he failed and died several months later. { The Treasure Of Alaric }
Another Barbarian King Aetius allied to Rome defeated Atilla the Hun, and the Spear of Destiny is credited as being his talisman. Aetius was later murdered by Emperor Valentinian III .
Atilla the Hun briefly possessed the Spear of Destiny , he had ransacked much of Italy and was at the Gates of Rome, but was bought off by Pope Leo I with a vast treasure trove. As he turned to leave Rome heading Northwards, he hesitated and drew a slender weapon from his saddle. Angrily tossing it towards a group of nervous Roman officers nearby, he shouted.
" Take back your Holy Lance, it is of no use to me since I know not him that made it Holy !"
The Holy Lance next appears in the possession of Emperor Justinian {482-565}, and thereafter it disappeared for about two Centuries.
Charlemagne lived and slept at all times within reach of the Spear of Destiny, and attributed 47 battle victories to its powers. Some believe that the Spear of Destiny Charlemagne possessed may not have been the same Holy Lance of Longinus and Saint Maurice and that he had created it, naturally this can not be proven. As per Eginhard in the The Life of Charlemagne
, he was returning from Saxony when a comet flashed across the sky , startling the Emperors Horse and throwing him from his mount, the Spear of Destiny was lost from his grip , Charlemagne died this day.
Napoleon Bonaparte had designs on the Spear of Destiny, but To save it from capture the Spear of Destiny was smuggled from Nuremberg to Vienna. At the culmination of World War II , The Spear of Destiny would again make the trip from Nuremburg to Vienna.
Frederick of Barbarossa and the Spear of Destiny
The Spear of Destiny passed through a number of Charlemagne's heirs and eventually came into the possession of Frederick of Barbarossa . Frederick of Barbarossa was a duke of Swabia, a German King, and Holy Roman Emperor. was able to unite the various Germanic factions and create peace. He was granted the title of the Holy Roman Emperor and attributed much of his success to The Spear of Destiny.
Hitler and the Spear of Destiny
Adolph Hitler idolized Frederick of Barbarossa , when Hitler invaded Russia the operation was code named "Barbarossa" .
As a young man Hitler was fascinated by The Spear of Destiny , which he first saw displayed in the Hofsburg museum in Vienna, Austria in 1909. Hitler was very familiar with the legend of The Spear of Destiny. His interest in the relic was further amplified by its role in the 1882 opera Parsifal — by Hitler’s favorite composer, Richard Wagner — which concerned a group of ninth-century knights and their quest for the Holy Grail.
Hitler's own words describing the Spear of Destiny.
..."I knew with immediacy that this was an important moment in my life....I stood there quietly gazing upon it for several minutes quite oblivious to the scene around me. It seemed to carry some hidden inner meaning which evaded me, a meaning which I felt I inwarldly knew yet could not bring to consciousness.... I felt as though I myself had held it in my hands before in some earlier century of history -- that I myself had once claimed it as my talisman of power and held the destiny of the world in my hands. What sort of madness was this that was invading my mind and creating such turmoil in my breast?". He later stated that he moved "like a sleep-walker where Providence dictates." when in the presence of the Spear of Destiny.
See
The Psychopathic God: Adolf Hitler
The occult and the Third Reich;: The mystical origins of Nazism and the search for the Holy Grail
On October 12, 1938, not long after the German annexation of Austria, Hitler ordered the S.S. to seize The Spear of Destiny and other artifacts from Vienna. They were taken by train to Nuremberg, where they were stored in St. Katherine’s Church. The Spear of Destiny remained in St. Katherine’s until 1944, when it was moved to a specially constructed vault beneath the church, built in secret and at great expense, intended to protect it and the other stolen relics from Allied bombs. Nuremberg was captured by Allied troops in April of the following year. The vault was subsequently discovered by American Army officers.The Spear of Destiny was confiscated by American forces on the afternoon of April 30, 1945. less than two hours after the The Spear of Destiny was captured by Allied Forces Hitler committed Suicide in his underground bunker in Berlin {Allegedly}.
In 1946 The Spear of Destiny and the rest of the Imperial Regalia were returned to Austria. Today they are once again on public display at the Hofsburg museum.
American General George Patton
General Patton had much of the Spear of Destiny's history traced and authenticity confirmed. { The Patton Papers 1940-45
Or so the official record claims, there are conspiracy theories pertaining to the possibility that the US and/or Patton had a counterfeit copy returned to the Hapsburgs, and that the US or Patton's successors still secretly possess the Spear of Destiny.
Authenticity of the Hapsburg Spear of Destiny
The Spear of Destiny in the Hofsburg museum in Vienna is largely regarded by experts as a fake. The earliest verifiable account of this Spear was its use in a Holy Roman Emperor coronation ceremony of Rudolf I {the first Hapsburg German king} in 1273.
Robert Feather
Other Claimants to be the Holy Lance
Boleslaw the Brave, First King of Poland, held the legendary Spear of Destiny which legend states was presented to him by the Holy Roman Emperor Otto in the year 1000, signifying the sovereignty of the Polish nation. The Treasury of the Metropolitan Basilica in Krakow houses this claimant to being the spear of Destiny. Prussian / German records indicate that the Polish spear of destiny was a copy made of the Vienna lance containing a small sliver of the original lance. A second copy was given to the Hungarian king at the same time.
Another Spear of Destiny went to Pope Innocent VIII from the Ottoman Sultan Bajazet II in 1492. That Spear of Destiny is now encased in a pillar supporting the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
The Armenian claimant was allegedly unearthed by a Crusader in Antioch in 1098. This Holy Lance is now at Etschmiadzin in Armenia. Some scholars actually believe it is not even a Roman lance but rather the head of a standard.
The Armenian Spear of Destiny/Holy Lance was stored in a cave/ monastery . The monastery complex, founded in the 4th century at the site of a spring inside a cave, believed to have been a sacred place since antiquity.
Originally named “Ayrivank”, meaning "the Monastery of the Cave". In the 13th century the name was changed to “Geghardavank”, meaning “Monastery of the Spear". eventually the Armenian Spear of Destiny was moved to the Cathedral of Echmiadzin, where it is still on display..
The Holy Lance currently preserved under the dome of Saint Peters Basilica was received in Rome in 1492, described in Pastor's "History of the Popes
An additional legend surrounding the/a spear is that it was forged by the Ancient Hebrew Prophet, Phineas. Although by some accounts Phineas spear and the spear of destiny are one and the same
The biblical Phinehas, used a spear which it is believed he forged to slay an Israelite and a Midianite who had lain together. Paul, the apostle, alludes to this story of violence and hatred when, before his conversion, on the road to Damascus he is speaking of his hatred of Jesus and the vehemence of his persecution of the early church. As far as Paul had been concerned, the Jews who followed Jesus were abandoning the religion of their fathers.
Syrian poet Ephrem may have given rise to the Phineas spear legend in his "Nisibinian Hymns
Interestingly , some contemporary White supremacist organizations have seized upon the spear saga in their ideology as did their ideological predecessors the Nazi/Thule religion. Aryan Nations is a so called "Christian Identity group" a racist and anti-Semitic religious sect which believes that white people are the descendants of Israels Lost Tribes , that Jews are descendants of Satan, and that blacks are soulless "mud people." Richard Kelly Hoskins invented the notion of the "Phineas Priest," built around the the biblical Phinehas. Phinehas used a spear to slay an Israelite and a Midianite who had fornicated together. Phineas Priests believe they have a mission to strike out ruthlessly against race mixers, abortionists, gays, Jews, and other perceived enemies.
The Ninth Century and the Holy Grail
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