Tomb

A burial place, usually a natural or artificial cave. Early tombs were often natural caves in the rocky hills. Old Testament people often were buried in vaults or caves with their ancestors. Long after Abraham buried Sarah in a cave at Machpelah, his sons and their sons buried their dead in this area.

In New Testament times, Jews were buried in caves in stone cliffs. Several bodies might be in each tomb. Each body was wrapped in grave clothes and prepared with spices. One opening was the entrance to all the ledges prepared for the bodies. Jesus, however, was buried in an empty new tomb, one bought by Joseph of Arimathea.

Tombs in Rome were called catacombs. These were large underground networks of caves and corridors. Niches in the walls served as ledges for bodies. Each niche could be sealed with bricks or a marble slab. When persecution was bad, early Christians hid in the catacombs.