Megiddo church (Israel)
| Megiddo church | |
|---|---|
 Megiddo prison from the top of Tel Megiddo. The church is located on the prison grounds. | |
  Megiddo church | |
| Location | Tel Megiddo |
| Country |  Israel |
| Denomination | Early Christianity |
| History | |
| Status | Inactive |
| Founded | 230 |
| Relics held | Mosaics |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Ruins |
| Style | House church |
| Completed | ~3rd century |
| Demolished | unknown |
Megiddo church is an archaeological site near Tel Megiddo, Israel that preserves the foundations of one of the oldest Christian church buildings ever discovered by archaeologists.[1] The ruins contain one of the oldest inscriptions referring to the divinity of Jesus.[2][3][4]
The church was dated to circa 230 AD on the basis of pottery, coins, and the inscriptional style.[5][6][7] The site’s abandonment, circa 305 AD, is evident in the purposeful covering of the mosaic, which may correlate to the Diocletianic Persecution.[8]
Location
[edit]The remains were found near Megiddo Prison, which is located a few hundred meters south of the tell and adjacent to Megiddo Junction in northern Israel. The area belonged to the ancient Roman town of Legio, known previously by its Hebrew name, Kefar ‘Otnay.[9]
Discovery and description
[edit]
In 2005, Israeli archaeologist Yotam Tepper of Tel-Aviv University discovered the remains of a church, believed to be from the third century, a time when Christians were still persecuted by the Roman Empire.
Among the finds is an approx. 54-square-metre (580 sq ft) large mosaic with a Greek inscription stating that "The God-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial."[2][3][4] The mosaic is very well preserved and features geometrical figures and images of fish, an early Christian symbol.[10]
An inscription in the Megiddo church mentions a Roman officer, "Gaianus," who donated "his own money" to have a mosaic made.[citation needed]
Dating
[edit]The church was dated to circa 230 AD on the basis of pottery, coins, and the inscriptional style.[5][6][7] The site’s abandonment, circa 305 AD, is evident in the purposeful covering of the mosaic, and relates well to the crisis of 303 AD, when the Christian communities of Judea[11] experienced the Diocletianic Persecution.[8]
The anthropologist Joe Zias, former curator for the Israel Antiquities Authority, 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."[12] The archaeological evidence may point to a later date, placing the church in the last quarter of the 3rd or first quarter of the 4th century.[13]
Special Exhibition
[edit]In September 2024, the Washington D.C based Museum of the Bible, in partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), opened the special exhibition, The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faith. The exhibition features the 3rd century A.D. mosaic floor.[14][15][16]
See also
[edit]- Legio, the Roman name of the town
- Lajjun, the Arabic name of the later village
- Oldest churches in the world
References
[edit]- ^ E. Adams, The Ancient Church at Megiddo: The Discovery and an Assessment of its Significance, in The Expository Times, 2008. Quote: "... chronologically distinct. The structure at Megiddo is obviously not a basilica. According to Tepper, the Megiddo church is a unique ecclesiastical form. It could not have resembled the church buildings of the late third century."
- ^ a b Yotam Tepper, Leah Di Segni, A Christian Prayer Hall of the Third Century CE at Kefar 'Othnay (Legio): Excavations at the Megiddo Prison 2005. Israel Antiquities Authority, 2006, Jerusalem, Israel. Quote: "The Akeptous lnscription. The inscription is set within a rectangle (67 x 80 cm) in the western side of the southern mosaic panel. Its frame and letters are traced in black tesserae; the characters are 7.5-9.0 cm high."
- ^ a b Andrew Lawler, First Churches of the Jesus Cult. Archaeology, 2007. Quote: "... Others are more intrigued. "I'm open to Megiddo as a third-century site," says Taylor. "It's idiosyncratic," she adds, since it does not fit the model of Christian churches during and after the time of Constantine. Those structures are easily recognizable by their basilica shape...."" Abstract of the article
- ^ a b Andrew Lawler Full article Archived 2018-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Tepper, Yotam and Di Segni, Leah. 2006. A Christian Prayer Hall of the Third Century CE at Kefar ‘Othnay. Legio: Excavations at the Megiddo Prison 2005. Jerusalem: Israel Antiquities Authority.
- ^ a b Adams, Edward. 2008. ‘The Ancient Church at Megiddo: The Discovery and an Assessment of its Significance’. The Expository Times 120: 62–9.
- ^ a b Adams, Edward. 2013. The Earliest Christian Meeting Places: Almost Exclusively Houses? London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark. pp. 96–9.
- ^ a b Joan E. Taylor and Ilaria L. E. Ramelli. (2021). Patterns of Women's Leadership in Early Christianity. Oxford Scholarship Online. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198867067.001.0001. pp. 295-6.
- ^ Yotam Tepper, Legio, Kefar ‘Otnay, in Hadashot Arkheologiyot: Excavations and Surveys in Israel, vol. 118, 2006 [1]
- ^ Archaeologists unveil ancient church in Israel NBCnews.com
- ^ http://penelope.uchicago.edu/josephus/ant-18.html
- ^ Israeli Prisoners Dig Their Way to Early Christianity, New York Times, 7 Nov. 2005 [2]
- ^ Vassilios Tzaferis, Oldest Church Found? Inscribed "To God Jesus Christ" Early Christian Prayer Hall
- ^ "Museum of the Bible to premiere Megiddo Mosaic, decorative floor of oldest Christian prayer hall". Museum of the Bible. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
- ^ "Earliest inscription of Jesus as God now on display in Washington D.C." The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
- ^ Bronder, Robert (2024-11-13). "The Megiddo Mosaic". Biblical Archaeology Society. Retrieved 2024-12-05.