Longinus is the name given in Christian mythology to the Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus on the cross. Christian mythology is a body of stories that explains or symbolizes Christian beliefs. ... The Roman Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Ancient Roman polity in the centuries following its reorganization under the leadership of Octavian (better known as Caesar Augustus), until its radical reformation in what was later to be known as the Byzantine Empire. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and an important prophet in Islam. ...

Origins of the legend

No name for this soldier is given in the Gospels; the name Longinus comes from a version of the apocryphal Acts of Pilate. The spear used is known as the Spear of Destiny, or Lance of Longinus, and figures in the Holy Grail mythos. In some medieval folklore, e.g. the Golden Legend, the touch of Jesus's blood cures his blindness. Longinus is revered as a martyr in the Eastern Orthodoxy, with anecdotal details introduced to reinforce the duplicity of the Jews in the lore that accumulated around these supposed witnesses to the crucifixion. Longinus does not have an entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia. For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... In Judeo-Christian theologies, apocrypha refers to religious Sacred text that have questionable authenticity or are otherwise disputed. ... The Acts of Pilate, also known as the Gospel of Nicodemus, is a book of the New Testament apocrypha. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Grail redirects here. ... The Golden Legend by Jacobus de Voragine is a collection of fanciful hagiographies, lives of the saints, that became a late mediæval best seller. ... See also Blindness (novel) Blindness can be defined physiologically as the condition of lacking visual perception. ... ...

A statue of a Saint Longinus is in the Basilica di San Pietro, in the Vatican. It was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Interior view, with the Nave of the Cattedra in the back St. ... A self portrait: Bernini is said to have used his own features in the David (below, left) Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini) (December 7, 1598, Naples – November 28, 1680, Rome) was a towering baroque artist in 17th century Baroque Rome, where he is known mainly for his often...

The Longinus legend in popular culture

• The Seventh Sign is a 1988 film that incorporates elements of the Longinus legend and the Wandering Jew legend
• Barry Sadler's Casca: Eternal Mercenary series of novels features Casca Rufio Longinius, cursed by Jesus for spearing him to soldier until they meet again.
• The Lance of Longinus appears as a collossal artefact of great power in the highly controversial anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. There it is the only projectile that can pierce an AT-Field, however, only the giant biomechanical mechas called Evangelion are capable of wielding it due to its size. Rei Ayanami, the First Child, uses the Lance of Longinus while piloting Eva Unit 00.
• In the original Japanese version of the video game Final Fantasy X, each character could attain an ultimate weapon known as a "Celestial Weapon." The character Kimahri Ronso used pole arms such as spears and lances, and his ultimate weapon was named Longinus. In the English translation of the game released in North America and Europe, the name was changed to Spirit Lance.
• In the short-lived television series Roar starring a young Heath Ledger, a Roman soldier who is also a wizard is revealed to be the Roman who pierced the side of Jesus, and thus cursed to walk the earth, not being able to die by any means until he finds the Spear of Destiny.
• In the 2004 movie Hellboy, it is said that Adolf Hitler acquired the Spear of Longinus in 1938, increasing his power tenfold and making him invincible. Apparently captured from the Nazis, the Spear was on display at the underground headquarters of the B.P.R.D.

The Seventh Sign is a film from 1988 directed by Carl Schultz. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Wandering Jew by Gustave Doré The Wandering Jew is a figure from Christian folklore. ... SSgt. ... An artifact (also artefact) is a term coined by Sir Julian Huxley meaning any object or process resulting from human activity. ... A scene from Cowboy Bebop (1998) Anime (アニメ) is Japanese animation, sometimes billed in the west under the portmanteau Japanimation. ... Neon Genesis Evangelion ) is an anime television series, begun in 1995, directed and written by Hideaki Anno, and produced by Gainax. ... MEChA is an acronym for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán), an organization that seeks to promote an awareness of Chicano history by education and political action. ... Unit 01 runs through Tokyo-3; the buildings in the background give a frame of reference for the size of the Eva In the anime/manga series Neon Genesis Evangelion, Evangelions, or simply Evas, are the mechas piloted by Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Langley Soryu, and the other children. ... Final Fantasy X is the first installment of the Final Fantasy role-playing game series released on the PlayStation 2 and marks the transition to fully three-dimensional graphics instead of pre-rendered backdrops with the Sony PS2’s robust graphical capabilities. ... Kimahri Ronso is a fictional character from Final Fantasy X of the Final Fantasy video games. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is the worlds second-smallest continent in terms of area, with an area of 10,600,000 km² (4,140,625 square miles), making it larger than Australia only. ... Look up roar on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Heath Ledger Heath Andrew Ledger, born April 4, 1979, is an Australian actor. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hellboy is a comic book character, the Worlds Greatest Paranormal Investigator. He is a large red-skinned demon with a tail, horns broken off to stumps and a big stone right hand (the Right Hand of Doom). ... â–¶(?) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor) of Germany from 1934 to his death. ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense or the BPRD is an organization in the Dark Horse Comics universe charged with protecting America and the world from the occult, paranormal and supernatural. ...

See also

• List of names for the Biblical nameless