Now...back to our story on the lance. Need to catch up?
July 28, 2018 emails back and forth regarding the provenance of the spear.
Excavator emails back:
Yes! It was old yellowed linen.
Michael replies:
Wowa.
He later confirms they performed this ritual, although not recalling why they were doing it.
I'm thinking more and more that this is a truly holy relic.
Looks like Saints Longinus and Giles led you to it.
Lots more digging to do, but the presence of the linen is significant, at least to me, because it would have been considered as holy as the spear after Count Raymond of Gilles carried out St. Andrew's instruction to be anointed in linen clothes from the Jordan, which his chaplain interpreted as a baptism of sorts.
Excavator writes:
Stunning. I now wish I had not thrown the cloth aside. Understand it was the heat of discovery.
There were also iron rings...rusted, and they looked like junk..hand forged clearly, like the square nails I use to find as a kid, but I was swept up by the spear and letters. They were my focus.
Michael:
The nails and the spear are often described as being venerated together.
Still much to dig up, but thought you would be blown away by this (below), if you don't already know it.
We staged all our USSR, Poland, Eastern Europe work while Nancy and I attended St. Giles Church in Lea UK.... Named after Saint-Gilles where the First Crusade leaders were from. St. Giles is a true holy person when you see read his resume. Our second staging area for Eastern Europe was.... Vienna.
The godly Saint Giles was our common protector, it seems.
I think all the many "other" spears were diversions to keep the power brokers' attention off your true spear.
At least so far that is what I am concluding anyway. This history is much more documented than I expected.
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