wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Israeli dig uncovers earliest Christian church in Holy

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Note #9011 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

05599
Nov. 7, 2005

Israeli dig uncovers oldest 
Christian church in Holy Land
      
by Michele Green
Ecumenical News International  
      
JERUSALEM - Israeli archaeologists digging near a prison have discovered the
remains of what they believe could be the oldest church ever found in the
Holy Land.

	Experts say the discovery may shed new light on early Christianity.  
       
	The structure was found in Megiddo, lower Galilee, near a site
traditionally believed to be the "Armageddon" described in the New Testament
Book of Revelation, the site of the prophesied final battle between good and
evil.  
       
	The church, which dates approximately to the third century, was
discovered during a dig on the grounds of the Megiddo Prison, where Israel
keeps hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners and ordinary convicts. It
was discovered by inmates detailed to work in the excavation.  
       
	The small, rectangular building lacks the characteristics of later
churches, but contains mosaics said to be breathtaking, including one of a
fish design. It also contains a Greek inscription mentioning a woman called
Ekeptos who "donated this table to the God Jesus Christ in commemoration."  
       
	"It's a historic discovery that serves as confirmation to Christians
all over the world," Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican's envoy to the Holy
Land, told Israeli television.	
       
	It appears that a table rather than an altar stood at the center of
the church where a sacred meal was served to commemorate the Last Supper of
Jesus. Researchers said the apparent use of a table sheds new light on early
Christian rituals. "This is a unique and important structure that expands our
understanding of the early period of Christianity as a recognized and
official religion," said Jotham Tefer, who supervised the excavation.  
       
	Other Greek inscriptions include a dedication to a Roman officer who
paid for the floor of the structure and a dedication to four women.  
       
      The building is believed to be one of the oldest Christian holy sites
in the region. Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, on the traditional
site of the crucifixion, dates to about AD 330, but contains only scant
remains of the original structure.  
       
	"Christian religious structures from this period are a rare
archaeological find in Israel," Tefer said.

	The mosaics are so rare that archaeologists said they will have to
compare them to discoveries in Antioch or Rome, rather than Christian mosaics
found locally, which are from slightly later periods.  
       
      Christian scholars say the building could provide a wealth of
information on Christianity in the Holy Land in the first two centuries after
the crucifixion.  
       
      "Of course, all Christians are convinced of the history of Jesus
Christ," Sambi said. "But is it extremely important to have archaeological
proof of a church dedicated to him? Certainly."

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