Bulgaria and St. John the Baptist: The Latest --

Die Presse: Bulgarian Minister Spoils Archaeology Discovery
Archaeology | August 12, 2010, Thursday

This is hilarious - a follow-up on the battle between the Bulgarian Diaspora Minister and certain archaeologists.  The article of Die Presse argues that there is not sufficient evidence yet about the origin of the relics pointing out that Dimitrov’s claims are essentially based on an inscription that contains the name “John” and his “archaeology of the soul of the medieval person” which the historian believes is sufficient to declare that there were no fake relics placed in church buildings in the Middle Ages.

No fake relics were placed in church buildings in the Middle Ages - ha ha ha! Ohmygoddess!

From the ridiculous to the ridiculously sublime:

Bulgarian Diaspora Minister Said to Profit from Obscure Book Deals
Society
August 12, 2010, Thursday

The Bulgarian paper 168 Chasa Weekly reports in its Friday issue that in the last few years the controversial minister and famous historian got contracts with the municipalities in Southeast Bulgaria for books that he authored and that were published by a firm called Akshaena 2007, of which 1/3 is owned by his daughter Maria Dimitrova.

The weekly paper has entitled its article using a word play of Dimitrov’s name and his recent notorious statements after the discovery of the alleged relics of St. John the Baptist in Sozopol, in which he called the Bulgarians and the Bulgarian archaeologists “fucking people.” A rough translation into English of the title of the 168 Chasa article is “Fuckidar Fuckerov”.

Oh my Goddess!

But now, thanks to The Wall Street Journal, the true reason for all of the silly macho-man demonstrations (did you know that "macho" actually has it roots in the words for "stupid goat?"  True!)  Of course, darlings, it comes down to money money money - MONEY!

AUGUST 13, 2010
Bulgaria Looks to John the Baptist to Resurrect Flagging Economy
Archeological Find Promises Fame, Tourists; Questions Remain Over Relics' Authenticity
By JOE PARKINSON

SOZOPOL, Bulgaria—Archaeologists and clerics here say they have unearthed bones belonging to John the Baptist, an itinerant preacher revered by many Christians as the last of the Old Testament prophets.

Bulgaria's government is looking to the discovery for salvation—of a financial sort.

The remains, including a skull fragment and a tooth, were uncovered last month during the excavation of a fourth-century monastery on St. Ivan Island, off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast. They were in a sealed reliquary buried next to a tiny urn inscribed with St. John's name and his birth date.

Officials of this recession-scarred country think the purported relics will give a big boost to tourism, drawing believers from neighboring Orthodox Christian countries to this nearby resort town,

Tens of millions of dollars have already been earmarked to prepare for an anticipated surge in visitors. Construction crews are enlarging the port and building a big new parking lot. Tour guides are being rewritten and new signs are going up to direct people to the relics.

"I'm not religious but these relics are in the premier league," says Simeon Djankov, Bulgaria's finance minister and an avowed atheist. "The revenue potential for Bulgaria is clear."

Bulgaria's Orthodox church hierarchy has declared that the bones are authentic. "This is a holy find. It doesn't matter about the science," says Metropolitan Bishop Joanikii of Sliven, who oversees church affairs in Sozopol. "The holy relics of St. John radiate miraculous force. I cannot explain it by using words."

Kazimir Popkonstantinov, the archaeologist responsible for the finding in Sozopol and now hailed as a national hero, insists his discovery is in the same league as the Shroud of Turin. "This kind of discovery happens perhaps once every two hundred years," he says. "We have very strong proof that this is genuine. I know this is very important for the whole Christian world."

Some experts, however, are skeptical about the origin of the bones—as well as their earnings potential. Michael Hesemann, a religious historian who helps the Vatican date relics, says the bone fragments "appear to be authentic." But he thinks they lack the "box-office draw" of better-known religious attractions such as the Shroud, which believers say is Christ's burial cloth.

For its part, the Roman Catholic church says the matter requires more study. The Vatican's Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology said tests to gauge the age of the bones and other factors would have to be weighed before it could judge their provenance.

News of the find, meanwhile, is already drawing visitors. At the local church of St. George, where the presumed relics are now on temporary display in a silver chest donated by Bulgaria's prime minister, hundreds of faithful line up for a chance to view the bones, mouthing prayers and making the sign of the cross.

The church says attendance at daily mass has jumped from about 100 to more than 3,000. Church officials say they are selling more votive candles in a day now than they used to sell in a year, and have just ordered another two tons of them to meet projected demand.

Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest nation, could use an economic miracle. The country's gross domestic product shrank 5% last year and contracted another 3.6% in the first three months of this year. Manufacturing has languished, and unemployment has climbed.

To help pull Bulgaria out of its worst recession since the collapse of communism here 20 years ago, the government is looking to promote tourism. Touting the relics is part of that plan. Mr. Djankov, the finance minister, says he wants to double government spending on the development of religious tourism so "we can make this history profitable."

Religious pilgrimages are big business globally, according to the World Tourism Organization, which estimates that up to 330 million faithful visit the world's key religious sites every year. Lourdes, the French town where worshippers believe the Virgin Mary appeared in 1858, draws about 5 million visitors annually.

The bones, though, make Bulgaria a member of a not-so-exclusive club of nations that say they are home to pieces of John the Baptist, who was beheaded on the orders of King Herod. Ancient tradition has held that his severed head was entombed in Herod's Jerusalem palace.

Over time, body parts believed to be St. John's have spread across Europe, the Middle East and South Asia. A church in Calcutta, India, claims to house part of a saintly hand.

The cathedral in Aachen, Germany, says it has the cloth used to wrap St. John's head after his decapitation. The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, former seat of the Ottoman emperors, also claims to hold parts of one of St. John's arms and his head.

The presence of the relics of St. John hasn't translated into a tourist bonanza in any of these other resting places. Still, authorities in Bulgaria remain optimistic.

Orthodox Christians hold John the Baptist, who according to some accounts baptized Jesus, in especially high esteem. Services every Tuesday are dedicated to his memory in Orthodox churches.

There are some encouraging signs. Milenna Dimitrova, who has been selling fresh berries, figs and jams for 20 years from a stall here, says business has been so brisk that she doesn't have time to go to church. "The season was awful before—this is clearly a gift from God," she says.

Still, the hotel business in Sozopol continues to languish. Stanimir Stoyanov, a veteran hotelier who now runs the Hotel Duma, says occupancy is down by about a third since last year. "The government are telling us the town will become the next Jerusalem," he says. "We just hope that they're right."

Bulgarian Diaspora Minister Contracts Foot in Mouth Disease

Never say the Bulgarians don't know how to have some fun during summer holiday! This is absolutely hilarious - enjoy!

The first bru-ha-ha started with the announcement of the discovery of supposed relics of St. John the Baptist  The alleged relics are very few:  bone fragments of a human skull, hand and tooth.

Shortly after the announcement of the discovery appeared, some Bulgarian archaeologists (along with archaeologists from other countries) expressed  reservations about what they considered (1) a premature and (2) sensationalized announcement of the alleged discovery.  For instance, the bones have not been scientifically dated and there is no way to ascertain to whom they would have belonged in any event, even if it is ultimately determined that the bones are of the correct age and the reliquy is actually from the 5th century CE -- so what?  John the Baptist was killed in the first third of the 1st century CE and his alleged relics are claimed to rest in many churches.  Not mentioned at all is under what conditions the reliquy was opened, which may become critically important later on.

It was then that Bulgarian Disaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov, an allegedly "renowned historian," cut loose, lambasting those who had criticized both the manner of the announcement and the announcement itself without further study:

Diaspora Minister and renowned historian Bozhidar Dimitrov...has expressed absolute certainty in the fact that the relics found on the St. Ivan Island belonged to St. John the Baptist. He has pointed to an inscription on the marble sarcophagus holding the relics as the greatest evidence for their origin.

“The other archaeologists are shaken by wild envy of their colleague, Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov. He is a rarely lucky man. It is very seldom that one would find an inscription, and in archaeology the inscription is considered the most authentic proof,” stated Dimitrov, who is a former Director of the Bulgarian National History Museum and a native of Sozopol.

The inscription in question found on the reliquary states that “some time in the 5th century a man named Toma transferred the holy relics exactly on the birthday of St. John the Forerunner.”

More insults were hurled and comments exchanged on August 6, 2010:

Bulgarian Minister Exchanges Insults with Top Archaeologist over St. John the Baptist Relics
Archaeology | August 6, 2010, Friday

“Why, damn it, why, where is all this envy coming from?! This is what I cannot find an explanation with this fucking people, with these fucking colleagues,” the Diaspora Minister and a former Director of the Bulgarian National History Museum, said when expressing his indignation that some of the Bulgarian archaeologists had declared the triumph over the relics of St. John the Baptist premature.

“Please don’t interpret literally the words of a 65-year-old nationalist who has proven himself to the Bulgarian people. I did not say “fucking people, fucking colleagues”. The second part of this sentence makes it clear that I had in mind a group of people calling themselves archaeologists. You can see from the context of the conversation that this does not refer to the entire Bulgarian people and its qualities. I am condemning several archaeologists, who had made anonymous statements in the press, and who did not express doubt but, rather, envy and hate for their colleague. I was just defending out colleague Popkonstantinov,” Minister Dimitrov told Darik Radio Friday.

He further identified Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov as the main critic from among those “anonymous archaeologists”. This has resulted from a comment by Ovcharov published Friday in the 24 Chasa Daily.

“I am starting a discussion. Today Ovcharov came out with his name, and started quarreling with me. The “fuckers” are no longer anonymous. We are now going to be fighting personally, with our names,” Dimitrov said.

Then came:

Outraged Bulgarian Archaeologists Strike Back at Minister
Archaeology | August 9, 2010, Monday

The Bulgarian Archaeologists’ Association has expressed its deep distress and resentment over the recent “offensive” and “cynical” statements made by Diaspora Minister Bozhidar Dimitrov after the finding of alleged relics of St. John the Baptist.

This has been made clear in an open letter sent by the Archaeologists’ Association to Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in which they scold Minister Dimitrov for describing the Bulgarians and the archaeologists as “fucking people”.

Minister Dimitrov evidently believes in the honored age-old game known as tit-for-tat, except in the Bulgarian some players use the "f" word a lot on the record:

Bulgarian Archaeology Scandal Grows as Minister Declines to Apologize
Archaeology | August 9, 2010, Monday

“I have no intention of apologizing to anyone,” the Diaspora Minister told bTV on Monday explaining once again that the Bulgarian word for “fucking” or “damned” that he used did not actually have a pejorative connotation. [Really? LOL!]

“I cannot issue an apology to anonymous people. The apologies must be personal. Do you understand. I need to be able to apologize to that man, and that man, and that man. None of them has shown up with specific arguments, and they aren’t able to do that. They are just repeating that we must carry out tests of the relics of St. John the Baptist. What kinds of tests exactly – they never explain!,” he declared attributing once again the criticism by archaeologists through media publications of the discovery of the relics in the town of Sozopol to the envious nature of certain individuals.

“I will cite here a 10th century Arab chronicle which says about the Bulgarians that whenever somebody among them rose above the others, they would come to him, and would say, “You surpassed us, we are not good enough for you, you are good enough only for God.” And they would then hang him,” says Dimitrov who is known as a renown historian.

Dimitrov has pointed out that with the discovery of the holy relics the Bulgarian Black Sea coast should be able to develop as a destination for pilgrims throughout the entire year, not just with the finds in Sozopol but also with the nearby town of Nessebar, which has remains of 44 churches.

Not one to know when to stop inserting his big foot into his even bigger mouth, the Minister had some choice things to say about Bulgarian women who were coming to view the alleged relics:

Minister: Nude Bulgarian Women Come to Venerate St. John Relics
Society | August 9, 2010, Monday

“The Bulgarian women go to church in very revealing clothes, with only their nipples covered; compare them with the Russian women, of whom even the lowliest whore would put a headscarf on, and then enter a church,” Dimitrov commented at the end of last week. On Monday he elaborated his point:

Bulgarian Diaspora Minister Dimitrov.  Hubba hubba!  
I love everyone, especially naked Bulgarian women!

“The clergymen who are listening to me now will confirm this: going to church requires some kind of a religious and human culture. There is no other place in the world where women are allowed in churches with clothes that leave their shoulders, legs, or bellies exposed. These days there are huge lines of people waiting to venerate the relics of St. John the Baptist laying in state in the St. George Church in Sozopol. You can identify the Russian women immediately – they all have headscarfs on and all wear dresses and clothes covering their entire bodies. I don’t say that all Bulgarian women enter a church the way I am about to describe but there have Bulgarian women in Sozopol who had come to see the relics straight from the beach – in revealing swimsuits, with only a towel tied around their waists. So this is how they come to see the holy relics. This is no good, damn it,” explained Dimitrov his indignation.

“Some people are now angry with me, and they want me to apologize to them. I am not going to apologize. When they put clothes on, then I will apologize. Nobody can say about me that I don’t love the Bulgarian women. I have shown that in past 60 years or so. I am always loved the Bulgarian women, and they have always loved me. But one must know when to take their clothes off and when to put clothes on,” the Diaspora Minister concluded.

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No, I do not have any photos of the naked women at church but no doubt some enterprising Bulgarians have already come up with thousands of them!