I am excited to share with you one of my favorite stories of the year.
Researchers in Israel have discovered what is the oldest known inscription of the utterly true, glorious, and wonderful statement that Jesus Christ is God.
The earliest inscription declaring Jesus as God - deemed 'the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls' - was uncovered beneath the floor of an Israeli prison and is now on display in America.
The 1,800-year-old mosaic, discovered by an inmate of the Megiddo prison, features the ancient Greek writing: 'The god-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.'
This is the oldest-known inscription outside of Scripture to declare the deity of Jesus Christ. And it was rediscovered by an inmate in a prison.
The Megiddo Mosaic was originally in the world's first Christian prayer hall in 230 AD. The piece is massive, 581 square feet, covering the entire floor of the building. In modern times, the building is an Israeli prison. The mosaic was uncovered in 2005 for research.
Now the mosaic, the entire floor, has been moved piece-by-piece to Washington, DC, where it has been reassembled and is on display at the Museum of the Bible.
Alegre Savariego, curator of the exhibition, said: 'The mosaic presents groundbreaking physical evidence of the practices and beliefs of early Christians, including the first archaeological instance of the phrase, 'God Jesus Christ.''
The mosaic features the name of Gaianus, a Roman soldier and Christian who is credited in the mosaic for the commissioning of the piece. This would have been more than 100 years prior to Constantine's Christianization of the Roman Empire. The hall was actually built as a wing of a residential building used by Roman soldiers in the Sixth Ironclad Legion that was stationed nearby at the military camp of Legio.
Here's some more information:
The prayer hall, or church, was likely abandoned and covered up because the Roman Empire's Sixth Legion was transferred to Transjordan - a region located to the east of the Jordan River.
The mosaic also contained the names of five women, highlighting the important role women played in the church.
Aside from Akeptous, who was mentioned for her donation of a table to the prayer hall, the mosaic's inscription also says to 'remember Primilla and Cyriaca and Dorothea, and lastly, Chreste.
This provides the earliest look we know of into what an ancient Christian Church in Rome would have looked like and, most importantly, how they viewed the person of Jesus Christ.
What a tremendous discovery! Go see it if you have a chance!
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