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OLDEST CHRISTIAN CHAPEL IN HOLY LAND MAY CAUSE PRISON RELOCATION
By Etgar Lefkovits
Jerusalem Post
January 25, 2006
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1137605908173&pagename=JPost%2FJP
Article%2FShowFull
In an unprecedented move, Israel's top archaeological body is
recommending
that the Megiddo Prison be relocated due to the recent discovery
of the most
ancient Christian place of worship ever found in Israel on the
grounds of
the prison.
The ruins of the Christian prayer hall, which was located inside
a Roman
villa, date back to the first half of the third century CE,
making the
chapel the earliest place of Christian worship ever unearthed in
the Holy
Land, excavation director and Israel Antiquities Authority
archaeologist
Yotam Tepper said Tuesday.
The site in question, which is located between an ancient Jewish
village
dating back to the Roman period and what used to be a Roman Army
camp, was
uncovered last year after authorities sought to expand the
prison grounds
and prisoners stumbled upon the ruins during routine
excavations.
The building, which is thought to have belonged to a Roman
officer, has a
rectangular hall with a mosaic floor bearing geometric patterns,
a medallion
decorated with drawings of fish -- a symbol widely used in early
Christianity -- and three Greek inscriptions.
One inscription names an army officer who contributed toward the
paving of
the floor, the second is dedicated in memory of four women, and
the third
mentions a woman who contributed a table or altar to the God
Jesus Christos.
Pottery shards and coins found in the excavation date the mosaic
to the
first half of the third century, Tepper said during a visit by
President
Moshe Katsav and senior Christian religious leaders in the Holy
Land.
He noted that the Jesus inscription found on the mosaic was one
of the first
such epigraphic references ever unearthed.
The prayer site, which unequivocally associates the Roman
military officer
with Christianity, is viewed as especially rare in that it
precedes the
recognition of Christianity as an official religion.
Tepper said Tuesday that the "unique" discovery could shed new
light on
Early Christianity, which was banned by the Romans until the
fourth century.
The established view is that Christian churches did not begin to
appear in
the region until the fourth century following Emperor
Constantine's edict in
313 that Christians could worship freely in the Roman Empire.
The Antiquities Authority said that the structure found at the
site does not
fit the accepted architectural definitions of a church, and so
they deem it
to be a Christian prayer hall, or chapel.
The building was never used again after the third century, and
was covered
with dirt until the mosaic was discovered as the prison sought
to expand,
and the excavations were carried out, Tepper said.
"We are talking about a unique and unprecedented find which is
exciting the
entire Christian world," said Antiquities Authority director
Shuka Dorfman.
"Any move which would disconnect the mosaic from its site would
injure the
cultural values this site represents," he added.
President Moshe Katsav said that in light of the historical
dimensions of
the find he fully supports the recommendation of the Antiquities
Authority
to relocate the prison, noting that during his recent visit to
the Vatican
the Pope inquired if he may visit the site on his future visit
to Israel.
The prison, which is likely to be moved as a result of the find,
currently
holds about 1,200 prisoners, prison authority spokeswoman Orit
Messer-Harel
said Tuesday.
Megiddo, also known as Armageddon, is the place where the New
Testament says
the ultimate battle of good and evil will be waged.
Today the prison is located along a major thoroughfare in
northern Israel
and is surrounded primarily by fields.
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NHNE News List:
Published by David Sunfellow
NewHeavenNewEarth (NHNE)
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