The belief in relics as an outgrowth of fetish cult is rationalizing the ancient practice of revering bones and objects associated with great figures, transforming it into a dignified aspect of modern religions. [1] Belief in charms and relics as means of influencing the spiritual world is impotent and rooted in gross superstition. [2]
The apostles doubted the resurrection until Joseph and David inspected the tomb, finding it just as the women had described, before the Sanhedrin guards threw Jesus' burial linen over a cliff. [3]
The Roman soldiers taking Jesus' clothes prevented his followers from resorting to relic worship, in line with his desire to leave behind only the memory of his spiritual ideals. [4]