The Tombs of St Peter & St Paul

From the introduction: "...the results of the excavations have been divided into two parts: first a description of the excavations themselves, and then an account of the historical development they have helped us to understand. The description of the excavations is necessarily chronological and retrospective and the different sections have to be dealt with separately. The interpretative account, on the other hand, is built up chronologically and in a synthetic form. Both parts treat of the same material and there are inevitably some repetitions. But we thought this the best way of providing our readers with a true picture of the whole pattern and of helping them to form their own personal judgment. For a similar reason we have assembled and discussed the major points of criticism in a special chapter, a critique of the critics, during the course of the general description. In all the debates about Peter's grave the question of actual relics of the apostle frequently recurs. In this matter the official report adopts an extremely circumspect attitude. The archaeologist is concerned with monuments, not with bones. Bones are not his special competence. The fact is, however, that bones have been discovered and the question whether they are to be regarded as those of St Peter is therefore justified. Accordingly, a chapter has been devoted to the history of the bones of the two apostles. In the main, the bones of both apostles are mentioned together. It seemed only logical to preface this history of remains with a study of St Paul's grave as a prerequisite and basis. And although without new excava- tions very little can be stated about Paul's grave in comparison with that of St Peter, nevertheless the excavations beneath St Peter's suggest parallels for St Paul's on the Via Ostiense which encourage us to adopt a provisional point of view." Rome. May, 1959 E.K.