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Douglas Gabriel asked the excavator what else he discovered with the spear. The excavator wrote, “an old cloth that was threadbare and shredded when I pulled it from the dirt.” He indicated that he also found “a small three or four ring couplet, cloth, what looked like pieces of a necklace, etc. -all in the debris pile.”
This was an important clue to the research team. They began to research possible origins of the linen sound with the spear. This is what they found:
Researcher Michael McKibben from the AFI team found these information nuggets and emails the research team:
Conrad, Toulouse, and the Templars
Alfonso Jordan, out of respect for his father and his own courage, would have been considered a Knights Templar rock star.
Siege of Antioch https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/cde-antioch.asp#gesta3
Raymond d’Aguiliers
Siege of Jerusalem https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/cde-jlem.asp
In my opinion, the linen would further confirm that Raymond of Saint-Gilles, the leader of the First Crusade, and the custodian named by Peter Bartholomew as requested by St. Andrew, believed in the sacredness of the Holy Spear. Alfonso Jordan would have been revered in the Knights Templar as having been baptized by the leader of the first crusade in the Jordan. His life from that point on is one of speaking truth to power and being unafraid to challenge sycophants.
He would have considered the St. Andrew-ordered baptismal linen garments as sacred. And it stands to reason he would have kept them together.
Since Raymond died (d. 1105)
His son Bertrand joined him and became Count of Tripoli at Raymond’s death (d. 1112)
His other son Alfonso Jordan (1103-1148), was born in Tripoli and baptized in the Jordan 1105 (almost certainly blessed by the Holy Lance). He was only two years old when Raymond died.
Alfonso Jordan was sent home to France at age five (1106) (ASSUME THAT THE HOLY SPEAR AND LINEN WERE CARRIED WITH HIM)
When Bertrand died in 1112, Alfonso Jordan (age 11, succeeded to the county of Toulouse and marquisate of Provence (as Count).
In 1114, Duke William IX of Aquitaine conquered the county.
In 1119-1123, Alfonso Jordan regained full control as Count of Toulouse, his father’s title. Excommunicated by Pope Callixtus II for having expelled the monks of Saint-Gilles, who had aided his enemies.
The Knights Templar were organized in 1119.
By 1125 (Sep), Alfonso was master of the regions lying between the Pyrenees and the Alps, the Auvergne and the sea. His ascendancy was, according to one commentator, an unmixed good to the country, for during a period of fourteen years art and industry flourished.
In 1126 (Mar), Alfonso took the City of Leon (Spain) from opposition magnates and handed it to Alfonso VII of León.
In 1144, Alfonso Jordan again incurred the displeasure of the church by siding with the citizens of Montpellier against their lord.
In 1145, Bernard of Clairvaux addressed a letter to him full of concern about a heretic named Henry in the diocese of Toulouse. Bernard even went there to preach against the heresy, an early expression of Catharism.[6] A second time Alfonso Jordan was excommunicated;
In 1146, he took the cross (i.e., vowed to go on crusade) at a meeting in Vézelay called by Louis VII.
In August 1147, he embarked for the near east on the Second Crusade.[1] PROBABLY CARRYING THE HOLY SPEAR AND HIS BAPTISMAL LINEN FOR BLESSING. He lingered on the way in Italy and probably in Constantinople, where he may have met the Emperor Manuel I.
This timeline places Alfonso Jordan in the vicinity of Vienna (1147-11-48) where he could have deposited the Holy Spear and his Baptismal Linen for safekeeping before continuing on to Constantinople, Antioch, Tripoli and Acre.
It is certain he would have considered these holy objects with special reverence in his spiritual life, since his father believed it helped the First Crusade Siege of Antioch to defeat a 5x larger force.
The Miracle of the Holy Spear
Crusaders (15,000 tired and often poorly equipped men) compared to Kerboga’s 75,000 men) – this was indeed a miracle, as hard as rival politicians and historians inside the Crusade tried discredit and minimize it.
In 1148, Alfonso finally arrived at Acre (Haifa Bay). Among his companions he had made enemies and he was destined to take no share in the crusade he had joined.[1]
He died at Caesarea (1948) and there were accusations of poisoning,
It is not clear yet which route Alfonso Jordan took from Toulouse to Italy to Constantinople and to Acre. But, given the mountains in this part of the world, he may have gone travelled through Vienna where he would most certainly have visited the Knights Templar office in Vienna. He could have taken a northern route and visited the Knights Templar in Vienna.
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You mentioned cheese cloth-like material.
Look at this modern-day Ethiopian Orthodox Baptismal service.
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Michael’s next email (see below) starts showing the research team the possible relevance of the linen found with the spear. The excavator responds to this information by indicating, “I thought the cloth was garbage”.
Michael responds to the excavator, “Actually, to an archeologist, all such things have potential meaning, often as yet not deciphered.”
Jun. 14, 1098: “Lay them away and keep them with the Lance of the Lord”
Jul. 1099: “Why the man of God commanded we do not know”
Could it be so that the excavator would know from the linen (of all things) that he had found the Holy Lance?
Reminder of what is going on:
1098 (Jun 14) Peter Bartholomew’s vision of St. Andrew; Holy Lance discovered at Church of St. Peter; Count Raymond Saint-Gilles (Toulouse) designated as custodian by St. Andrew; others of 12 witnesses: Bishop of Orange, chaplain and chronicler Raymond d’Aguiliers, chaplain of the Count, Pontius of Balazun, Feraldus of Thouars; all these men affirmed the genuineness of Barthomew’s vision and the find after digging all day; St. Andrew ordered a feast day to remember finding the lance (this feast day occurs to the present day);
“And St. Andrew said ‘Fear not that they will harm thee. Say also to the Count not to dip in the river Jordan when he comes there, but to cross in a boat; moreover when he has crossed, dressed in a linen shirt and breeches, let him be sprinkled from the river. And after his garments are dry, let him lay them away and keep them with the Lance of the Lord.’ And this my lord, William Peter, heard, though he did not see, the apostle.”
Boosted Crusader morale to victory against 5 to 1 odds (75,000 Seljuk Turks against 15,000 Crusaders)
1099 (Apr 20) Peter Bartholomew attacked as a fraud by political allies of Raymond of Saint-Gilles’ rival general, Prince Bohemond I of Taranto (became Prince of Antioch 1099-1111 after Antioch fell) and rival bishop Adhemar of Le Puy; smeared Bartholomew with nonsensical fanaticism to discredit him and his visions; Bohemond’s nobleman allies taunted peasant Bartholomew to prove his veracity with ordeal by fire, which he did on Apr 8, 1099 and died 12 days later from his burns; before Peter ever told Raymond of Saint-Gilles about his vision, he related to chronicler chaplain Raymond d’Aguiliers of this vision of Christ: “And I answered ‘Lord, have I not prayed thee to send another in my place who would be wiser and to whom they would listen?”
1099 (Jul) To fulfill Peter Bartholomew’s vision of St. Andrew’s commandment, Raymond of St. Gilles (Toulouse), along with his two year old son Alfonso, and with his chaplain and chronicler Raymond ‘Aguiliers:
Accordingly, we set out from Jerusalem to Jericho, took palms and went to the Jordan. There, as Peter Bartholomew had commanded, a raft was constructed from twigs, and with the Count on it we pulled it across the river; since, forsooth, we had no ship, this plan seemed better to us. When after this the multitude had been called together, we commanded that they pray God for the life of the Count and the other princes. Therefore we proceeded to dress only in a shirt and new breeches, as we had been commanded about baptism; but why the man of God so commanded, we still do not know. When these matters had been accomplished, we returned to Jerusalem.
Medieval Sourcebook: The Siege and Capture of Jerusalem: Collected Accounts
Medieval Sourcebook: The Siege and Capture of Antioch: Collected Accounts