Sacred Relics
Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The seat of God's presence. Carried before the people, it parted the Jordan and brought down the walls of Jericho.
VesselFirst recorded c. 600 BCE
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Photograph: A falchion from Venice, about 1490. A hooked hand guard and round pommel sit above a broad single-edged blade.
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1,913 × 3,000 PX1913×3000
ArchiveSacred Relics · Weapon
Sword of Saint Peter
Sword of Saint Peter
Swung to defend his master, and rebuked with “Put your sword into its sheath.”
- Owner
- The apostle Peter
- Maker
- Unknown
- First record
- Gospel of John 18:1095
- Gallery
- Sacred Relics
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
On the night Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, his disciple Peter drew a sword and cut off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant. The Gospel of John names both the man who struck and the man who was struck.
Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, "Put your sword into its sheath." The Gospel of Luke adds that Jesus touched the servant's ear and healed him.
The cathedral museum in Poznań, Poland, keeps a sword said to be Peter's. In medieval art Peter is shown with the keys of heaven and sometimes also with this sword.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows Falchion(Italian, Venice, ca. 1490), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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Noah's Ark (תֵּבַת נֹחַ)
Kept people and animals safe from the flood that covered the world.
MountFirst recorded c. 500 BCE
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Holy Lance (Lancea Longini)
Legend grew that whoever holds this spear holds the fate of the world.
WeaponFirst recorded 95
Sacred RelicsSeal of Solomon
Seal of Solomon
Its seal commands demons and lets the wearer understand beasts and birds.
JewelFirst recorded 300