Among religious artifacts the most famous in Christianity is undoubtedly the Spear of Destiny, the Holy Lance that allegedly pierced Jesus' side as he was dying on the cross, believed to have his blood. But what happened to it? The tale of the Holy Lance involves secret societies, Christian history, the Nazis, and the occult.
Also known as the Lance of Longinus - the name given to the unnamed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a lance - by the third century it belonged to Saint Mauritius, initially an Egyptian military leader who commanded the legendary Theban Legion of Rome. His soldiers were Christians and when they refused to honor Roman deities, Roman Emperor Maximianus Heculius had them all executed at some point. When Maximianus Herculius’ daughter married Flavius Aurelius, who would later be known as Constantine I and the first Christian Emperor, Maximianus gifted the Holy Lance, taken from Saint Mauritius, to Constantine.
Dr Ken Jeremiah traces its ownership as it exchanged hands from Emperor Theodosius to Alaric the Visigoth, from Atilla the Hun to Roman Emperor Justinian; Charlemagne had it and dropped it – as did other owners, who then dropped dead, such as Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. It passed through the hands of 45 emperors until the Empire collapsed in 1806. To keep it away from Napoleon, who desperately wanted it, the Holy Roman Empire treasures, including the Spear, were moved from Germany to Austria, and kept in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where they remained until another dictator allegedly set his sights upon it. Hitler believed if he had it, he could rule the world but eventually it was Himmler who sealed off the Schatzkammer at the Hofburg Museum…Did he swap it with a copy? How did the Spear of Destiny find its way to America and where is it now?
DR. KEN JEREMIAH has written several books about religions, mummification, and spirituality, including Living Buddhas; Christian Mummification; Eternal Remains; Making Millions: A 500-Year-Old Kabbalist's Guide to Conquering Chance; Creatures Real and Imaginary in Chinese and Japanese Art: An Identification Guide; Remnants from a Distant Past, and Zen Art, Zen Writing Daily Meditations for Improving your Craft and Finding Joy in Life
