Entombment of the dead has a long tradition among Christian people. The burial of the Lord Jesus himself was above-ground when Joseph of Arimathea provided a burial place for his body in a cave tomb near Calvary, the place of his crucifixion (see Matthew 27:57-61, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-53 and John 19:38-42).
Early Christians created over 300 miles of tunnels beneath Imperial Rome. Here they worshipped in safety and entombed their dead in catacombs, further establishing this practice. Crypts for civic and church leaders in public buildings or churches demonstrate the honorable purpose of entombment.