Israeli archaeologists say they have discovered what may be the oldest Christian church in the Holy Land on the grounds of a prison near the biblical site of Armageddon.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority said the ruins were believed to date back to the third or fourth century and include references to Jesus and images of fish, an ancient Christian symbol.
“This is a very ancient structure, maybe the oldest in our area,” Yotam Tepper, head archaeologist on the dig, said Saturday.
The dig took place during the last 18 months at the Megiddo Prison in Israel’s Galilee region, with the most significant discoveries taking place in the last two weeks, Tepper said. Scholars say Megiddo may be the New Testament’s Armageddon, the site of a final war between good and evil.
Tepper said the discovery could reveal more about an important period of Christianity, which was banned until the fourth century. “Normally, we have from this period in our region historical evidence from literature, not archaeological evidence,” he said. “There is no structure you can compare it to. It is a very unique find.”
Channel Two television, which first reported the story, broadcast pictures of a detailed and well-preserved mosaic bearing the name of Jesus Christ in ancient Greek and images of fish.
Pietro Sambi, the Vatican’s ambassador to Israel, praised the find as a “great discovery.” He said that while “Christians are convinced of the history of Jesus Christ,” it is important to have archaeological proof of a church dedicated to him.
(From the Philadelphia Inquirer)
A Thinking Reed 
Leave a comment