Signs of 3rd Century Church in Israeli Jail
Greg Myre
The New York Times
International Herald Tribune
______________________
Megiddo (Israel):
When the Israeli authorities wanted to expand the Megiddo Prison, they simply tapped their captive labor pool and put dozens of inmates to work digging inside the compound ringed with coiled razor wire and guard towers. As is common practice in Israel, the would-be construction site underwent a check for possible archaeological ruins.
But last week, the inmates unearthed something truly uncommon: an early Christian religious site that may date to the 3rd century A.D. and could be the earliest Christian church ever found in the Holy Land, according to claims by Israel's Antiquities Authority. Dozens of journalists were invited into the prison Sunday to view two well-preserved tile mosaics, which include detailed inscriptions in Greek and served as the floor of the church, according to the Antiquities Authority.
However, the announcement was met with deep skepticism from some scholars of early Christianity. The traditional view is that Christian churches did not begin to appear in the region until the 4th century A.D., the result of Roman Emperor Constantine's edict in 313 A.D. that declared Christians could worship freely in the Roman Empire.
Joe Zias, an anthropologist and a former curator with the Antiquities Authority, who has not seen the site, said, "My gut feeling is that we are looking at a Roman building that may have been converted to a church at a later date."
Pottery shards from cooking pots and wine jugs resting on the mosaic have been dated to the late 3rd century A.D., suggesting the mosaic - and presumably the church - was already in place at that time, according to Tepper.
Nov 06, 2005
Greg Myre
The New York Times
International Herald Tribune
______________________
Megiddo (Israel):
When the Israeli authorities wanted to expand the Megiddo Prison, they simply tapped their captive labor pool and put dozens of inmates to work digging inside the compound ringed with coiled razor wire and guard towers. As is common practice in Israel, the would-be construction site underwent a check for possible archaeological ruins.
But last week, the inmates unearthed something truly uncommon: an early Christian religious site that may date to the 3rd century A.D. and could be the earliest Christian church ever found in the Holy Land, according to claims by Israel's Antiquities Authority. Dozens of journalists were invited into the prison Sunday to view two well-preserved tile mosaics, which include detailed inscriptions in Greek and served as the floor of the church, according to the Antiquities Authority.
However, the announcement was met with deep skepticism from some scholars of early Christianity. The traditional view is that Christian churches did not begin to appear in the region until the 4th century A.D., the result of Roman Emperor Constantine's edict in 313 A.D. that declared Christians could worship freely in the Roman Empire.
Joe Zias, an anthropologist and a former curator with the Antiquities Authority, who has not seen the site, said, "My gut feeling is that we are looking at a Roman building that may have been converted to a church at a later date."
Pottery shards from cooking pots and wine jugs resting on the mosaic have been dated to the late 3rd century A.D., suggesting the mosaic - and presumably the church - was already in place at that time, according to Tepper.
Nov 06, 2005
