SVA Masters Workshop in Venice and Rome faculty member and Rome scholar Darias Arya hosts "When Rome Ruled: Legend of the Holy Spear" SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12 8PM on National Geographic Channel.

When Christ was crucified 2,000 years ago a Roman guard thrust a spear in his side to see if he was still alive. In that moment a central tenet of Christian faith was realized: Jesus was dead, he was thus able to be resurrected. In that moment the spear that pierced him became a powerful holy relic. What happened to the Spear thereafter is a heady mix of myth, half truth and fact. To confuse matters further, today there are three Spears claiming to be the Holy Spear. Legend of the Holy Spear follows two investigators attempting to discover if any of them could have been present at the crucifixion. Scrutinizing each spear and closely analyzing the stories and legends behind them, the film reveals astonishing clues as to their provenance.

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