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Friday, April 20, 2007

Muslim family holds key to sacred sepulchre

For centuries, their ancestors have opened door to church where Jesus believed buried

(03-27) 04:00 PDT Jerusalem -- Every morning at 4 a.m., Wajeeh Nuseibeh walks through the walled Old City of Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most revered shrine in Christendom. He takes an ancient 12-inch iron key, climbs a small ladder and opens the huge wooden doors to the place that most Christians believe is the site of the crucifixion, tomb and resurrection of Jesus.

Every evening at nightfall, after three raps of an iron doorknocker spaced out over half an hour, Nuseibeh closes up and places the key in safekeeping.

He inherited the job from his father and grandfather, in a chain stretching back more than 1,300 years. But surprisingly, Nuseibeh, doorkeeper of the site of the crucifixion, is, like his ancestors, a Muslim.

"It goes from father to son, from one generation to the next," said Nuseibeh, a small, dapper 55-year-old man in a suit and tie. "I was 15 when I first opened the church. I thought it was fun. As I grew up I realized it is a big responsibility."

This weekend, thousands of Christians flock to the Holy Sepulchre for Easter services, processions and the ancient ceremony of the Holy Fire, in which Nuseibeh plays a central role. The ceremony, held on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter, symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.

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Read the whole article at SFGate.com.

And the story from the doorkeeper himself here.

You can find more of this story and sources by using Google search.

2 comments:

Dhimoet said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Dhimoet said...

Alasan kenapa mereka megang itu kunci, gara2 uda dari dulu emang keluarga mereka yang megang. Tapi alasan sampe sekarang mereka masi megang itu kunci masi gw pertanyakan.
Orang2 Israel benci Muslim, tapi koq mereka percayain Muslim buat jagain church mereka ya???