Donkey Bridle Found with the Spear

Among the new ‘finds’ at the re-visited excavation site were rings, coins, and a bridle. But the team had many questions about these extra “finds” that the excavators were sending us. They seem to be circumspect. The excavator couldn’t answer many questions we had about his visit back to the dig site. How did he get these items? How were they found in the ground? Why were most of the items Templar related? Why would a donkey bridle be among the “stash”?

Couldn’t we go to any antiquities dealer and find Templar coins and rings…even very old donkey bridles?

The bridle grabbed our attention because it immediately reminded us of the legends of Constantine taking two nails from the Holy Cross and twisting them into the bite of his horse bridle to protect his horse in battle. We noticed that this bridle seemed to be two “nails” twisted together to make the bite, that appear to be quite different metal that was used with the rest of the bridle.

It quickly became evident that this bridle would be too small to fit a war horse like Constantine used. We were puzzled and confused until we recalled the “colt” that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on “Palm Sunday.”

The researchers got to work and found that the bridle seemed to be the size and type used with the most humble donkey colts that were used by the poor at the time of Jesus of Nazareth. That hypothesis started to make sense to us as we continued with further research and tests on the bridle.

Did we find the bridle of Jesus’ colt that he rode victoriously into Jerusalem? Had we found another relic that had touched the life and person of Jesus?

Or had we found one of the many copies of fake relics that dealers and shopkeepers push on to naive customers?

We think the later, but for now will take a moment to recall why this donkey is relevant to the story of Christ.

Why did Jesus ride a donkey into Jerusalem for his Triumphal Entry?

Michael asked for the measurements of the bridle. He had a hunch that the size was too small to be a bridle for a horse…and wondered….

Could it be a bridle for a donkey? And, if so, why would a donkey bridle be near the spear and other findings?

How was it preserved in the clay pack?

There were too many unanswered questions and no clear provenance of where the bridle and Templar relics came from, leading the researchers to conclude that they are irrelevant items in authenticating the path of the Holy Lance of Love.

Click to access art30.pdf