article_snippet.sent: Roman sent Helena (c. 246-330 CE) to find Jesus objects in the Holy Land.
article_snippet.sent: When Helena traveled to Jerusalem in 326 CE Jerusalem was still suffering the destruction caused by the last Jewish War in 132-35 CE.
article_snippet.sent: After defeating Israel, Roman Emperor Hadrian built a pagan temple over Jesus's tomb near Calvary -- a grave insult to the new religion.
article_snippet.sent: Helena ordered a pagan temple over Jesus's tomb near Calvary -- and began to dig beneath a pagan temple over Jesus's tomb near Calvary -- to find relics related to Jesus.
article_snippet.sent: Helena workers found three different crosses -- a discovery directly relating to the Gospels, which tell us that Jesus was crucified along with two criminals.
article_snippet.sent: The historian Rufinus (c. 340-410) reveals that in order to discern which cross was Jesus', Helena had a dying local woman brought to the site.
article_snippet.sent: Helena touched two of the crosses, but nothing happened.
article_snippet.sent: Then Helena touched the third -- and Helena recovered.