THE HISTORY OF RELICS
Relics put us spiritually in touch with a person, place, or thing. They help us remember, create a certain intimacy, and establish links to the past.
Relic collecting became a flourishing businesses during the time of the Crusades and in the 16th century, during Reformation, three classes of relics were determined. First-class relics are body parts of saints, like bones, the second-class relics are items that were used by the saint. A third-class relic is something that has touched a first or second class relic, like a piece of cloth. Pieces of the Cross and the thorn crown of Jesus are said to have survived, thus causing the Church to begin regulating relics by requiring documents of authentication.
It is important to acknowledge that saving and honoring remnants of things is a primitive instinct that predates the Churches rulings. Earlier traditions worshipped the various phenomena of nature, as found in ancient monoliths and temples supposedly dedicated to planetary movements and the sun. Ceremony of ancient people world over process customs of unique headdress and special costume that reflect the power found in the plant and animal world. Many relics of Buddha (such as teeth) are venerated in gold-leafed stupas and the bones, hair, and clothes of Confucius are blessed throughout Asia, while relics of Mohammed remain all over the Muslim world. Other items revered are more secular in theme, such as the sandals worn by Kabbir enshrined in Benares and Rumi’s robe that rests in a glass coffin in Turkey.
An ancient proverb notes that "it doesn’t really matter what you worship; what matters is the intensity of your devotion."