The Associated Press reported:
MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel - Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land’s oldest church.
The discovery of the church in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, was hailed by experts as an important discovery that could reveal details about the development of the early church in the region. Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century, decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire.
[...]
Two mosaics inside the church — one covered with fish, an ancient Christian symbol that predated the widespread use of the cross symbol — tell the story of a Roman officer and a woman named Aketous who donated money to build the church in the memory “of the god, Jesus Christ.”
Pottery remnants from the third century, the style of Greek writing used in the inscriptions, ancient geometric patterns in the mosaics and the depiction of fish rather than the cross indicate that the church was no longer used by the fourth century, Tepper said.
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This must be an interesting discovery to historians and other folks.
5 comments:
Hi Fay,
The Fish Symbol is very interesting. I always thought it was associated with Jesus as a Fisher of Souls (or fisher of men), which it is, but apparently it goes back further in its derivative to the Greeks et al.,
who represented the same fish symbol with the letters: IXOYE
inside it, and which represents enlightenment. It was apparently a Mystical Symbol.
According to http://www.aveyinc.com/fish.htm,
the early Christians were known as Pisciculi, derivative of a Latin word for fish.
Fay,
Before I got sidetracked by the Fish, I wanted to tell you about Pope Joan. According to the book
The Chalice Of Magdalene: The Search for the Cup That Held The Blood of Christ by Graham Phillips - ISBN: 1-59143-0380-0
There may have been a Woman Pope Her name was Joan, but she disguised herself as a man and was known as Pope John VII (872 - 882 AD). This Pope died under "mysterious circumstances, murdered by a group of Italian nobles, seemingly under orders from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles III." As the book notes: "Indeed, something very unusual seems to have been discovered about John VIII, as the entire papl electoral procedure was immediately changed after his death."
Any ways Fay, the Cathars or Albingenses worshipped this Pope Joan, one of the reasons they were persecuted by the Cathlic Church as a heretical sect.
And she may be represented in the deck of the Tarot Fay, as the Female Pope.
Hey, that was a great link about the Fish symbol. Most of the information is new to me.
A woman Pope!!! You know, I wouldn't be surprised if that's true. There was a lot going on during those times. I gote to have a look at this book. It sounds very interesting.
And did you there were married Popes with children? A lot has changed since the Middle Ages.
Hi Fay,
Yes I had heard about the married Popes. Also there were Popes with Mistresses; Popes having their rivals executed - it was a Big political and religious squabble for the the leadership of the Church.
And, the French Cardinals really controlled politics when France was a monarchy. Not to mention they once decided to have their own Pope. They're fun.
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