History, Science Documentary hosted by Jamie Effros, published by National Geographic broadcasted as part of NG Explorer series in 2012 - English narration
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Over the centuries, the head of John the Baptist has ranked high on the list of the most sought-after relics in Christianity. The Jewish preacher and prophet, celebrated as one of the earliest Christian saints, is believed to have paved the way for his distant cousin, Jesus, whom John famously baptized in the Jordan River.
In 2010, Bulgarian archaeologists announced that they had found a reliquary containing a number of bones in the ruins of a medieval monastery on Sveti Ivan (or "St. John," in Bulgarian), a Black Sea island off Bulgaria's southern coast. It is potentially one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the history of Christianity, the ruins of one of the oldest monasteries in Europe. Here, under the location where the altar once stood, scientists have dug up an exquisite marble box holding what they believe to be the bones of John the Baptist, the man who baptized Jesus.
Because a later monastery on the island was dedicated to John the Baptist, the researchers suggested these were likely the saint's remains, pointing to a tiny sandstone box found alongside the reliquary, inscribed in Greek: "God, save your servant Thomas. To St John. June 24." A team of scientists headed by Oxford University's Thomas Higham tries to ascertain the origins of the contents of a fifth-century urn engraved with John the Baptist's birthdate.
If the date of the bones lines up with the Bible's profile of John, could it finally solve the mystery of what happened to his remains after his beheading, 2,000 years ago?
Produced, Written and Directed by Noel Dockstader ; Produced by Far West Films Company for National Geographic Channels
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