Post by trish on Nov 7, 2005 16:53:19 GMT -5
Just thought you all might be interested in the lastest historical news from Israel:
Archaeologists have discovered remains of a pre-Byzantine-era Christian building on the grounds of a prison in Megiddo, Israel. Yardena Alexandre, a spokeswoman for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), called the discovery "one of the most important finds for the history of early Christianity." The find would join the early 3rd-century Christian gathering place at Dura Europus in Syria as one of the oldest of its kind. The structure contained broken pottery, a distinctive mosaic style, and inscriptions citing Jesus, but is not being referred to as a 'church' since that term was not in use in the mid-3rd or early 4th century. At that time, Christianity was an outlawed - but still practiced - religion in the Holy Land, and worship often occurred in private homes or in secret. The IAA had been excavating the prison compound for more than a year to ensure that nothing of historic value was lost during renovation. On October 30, an Israeli prisoner working on behalf of the IAA discovered the floor of the structure buried beneath rock, soil and asphalt.
Archaeologists have discovered remains of a pre-Byzantine-era Christian building on the grounds of a prison in Megiddo, Israel. Yardena Alexandre, a spokeswoman for the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), called the discovery "one of the most important finds for the history of early Christianity." The find would join the early 3rd-century Christian gathering place at Dura Europus in Syria as one of the oldest of its kind. The structure contained broken pottery, a distinctive mosaic style, and inscriptions citing Jesus, but is not being referred to as a 'church' since that term was not in use in the mid-3rd or early 4th century. At that time, Christianity was an outlawed - but still practiced - religion in the Holy Land, and worship often occurred in private homes or in secret. The IAA had been excavating the prison compound for more than a year to ensure that nothing of historic value was lost during renovation. On October 30, an Israeli prisoner working on behalf of the IAA discovered the floor of the structure buried beneath rock, soil and asphalt.
