The Longinus of the spear is Gaius Cassius Longinus, a Roman centurion. He allegedly pierced Jesus' side to prove he was dead. If he was still alive, the Romans were prepared to break his feet. The rationale behind that is that it would hasten death, not allowing the prisoner to push up on his feet to breathe. According to traditional Christian belief, water and blood gushed out of Christ's side when it was pierced and came into contact with Longinus' eyes. Although the Roman soldier had failing eyesight, his vision was restored. Longinus left the army and joined the Apostles, becoming one of the earliest clerics in the First Church.
The Lance of Longitus (along with the Ark of the Covenant, the Original Cross, and the Holy Grail) is one of the greatest talismans of early Christianity. It is also known as The Spear of Longinus, The Holy Spear, The Holy Lance, The Spear of Christ, The Heilige Lance, and The Spear of Destiny.
Jewish merchants immigrated to Constantinople in the 4th and 5th Centuries; the first temple was built in 318. These Byzantine Jews were joined by Genoese and Venetian Jews in the 14th Century. When Constantinople fell to Sultan Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Turks, in 1453, the Jewish quarter was burned to the ground. The city had held out against the superior numbers of the Muslim armies for centuries, but the introduction of large and powerful cannon into warfare ultimately breached the city's defenses.