1,500-year-old 'Christ, born of Mary' inscription discovered in Israel
Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,500-year-old inscribed Christian blessing that begins, "Christ, born of Mary," the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) reported Wednesday (Jan. 20).
The stone inscription, written in Greek, was once part of a lintel (the structure that spans the top of door frames) that decorated the entrance of a church, located in what is now et-Taiyiba (also called Taiba), a village in Israel's northern Jezreel Valley.
The church itself dates to the late fifth century A.D., meaning it was built during either the late Byzantine Empire or early Islamic period. In addition to the lintel, archaeologists found that the previously unknown church contained mosaic pavements arranged in a geometric design.
The inscription was likely created for the church's opening dedication, according to Leah Di-Segni, a researcher at the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who translated the text. In full, the inscription reads, "Christ born of Mary. This work of the most God-fearing and pious bishop [Theodo]sius and the miserable Th[omas] was built from the foundation - -. Whoever enters should pray for them."
The opening line, "Christ born of Mary," was likely intended to protect the reader of the inscription from evil forces — it's a common phrase used in inscriptions and documents from that time, Di-Segni said.
"The inscription greets those who enter and blesses them," Di-Segni said in a statement from the IAA. "It is therefore clear that the building is a church, and not a monastery: Churches greeted believers at their entrance, while monasteries tended not to do this."
Theodosius, one of the men referenced in the inscription, was one of the first Christian bishops and the building's founder. Theodosius was a regional archbishop, meaning he had religious authority over the larger metropolis of Bet She'an, which included what is now et-Taiyiba.
"This is the first evidence of the Byzantine church's existence in the village of et-Taiyiba, and it adds to other finds attesting to the activities of Christians who lived in the region," Walid Atrash, an archaeologist at the IAA, said in the statement. Previously, archaeologists found the remains of a church from the Crusader period, as well as a monastery that was under the jurisdiction of Bet She'an religious metropolis.
Like many other ancient stone blocks — for instance, an 1,800-year-old altar to the pagan god Pan that was repurposed as a brick in a Byzantine church in Israel — the lintel was reused at a later date. "It was now found incorporated in the walls, therefore we know that the stone was reused as construction material. Likely the building collapsed and was rebuilt," Yardenna Alexandre, an archaeologist with the IAA, told The Jerusalem Post.
During the Byzantine period (fifth to seven centuries), this place was a Christian village, and it transformed into a Christian fortress during Crusader times. "The modern Arab village grew around it, and some remains are still visible," Alexandre said.
Archaeologists found the church ahead of a road construction project. Tzachi Lang and Kojan Haku, archaeologists at the Israel Antiquities Authority, directed the excavation, and received help from the public, including students, volunteers and local workers, the IAA reported.
Articles-Latest
- After decades of struggle for a place in Israel, dozens of Black Hebrews face threat of deportation
- Purgatory in the Bible
- Pope’s new ruling on blessings for same-sex couples does not change Catholic teaching - bishop
- Sacred Mysteries: The starwright who bursts forth like the sun
- The Vatican's 'trial of the century,' a Pandora's box of unintended revelations, explained
- The pope says he wants to be buried in the Rome basilica, not in the Vatican
- A Black Jesus review – religious rites and refugees collide in Sicilian village
- Recordings show how the Mormon church protects itself from child sex abuse claims
- Pilgrims yearn to visit isolated peninsula where Catholic saints cared for Hawaii's leprosy patients
- In the US, Black survivors are nearly invisible in the Catholic clergy sexual abuse crisis
- Pope Francis cancels Cop28 trip to Dubai due to ill health
- A French bishop is accused of attempted rape in latest scandal to hit Catholic Church in France
- Dalai Lama apologises for asking child to suck his tongue
- Vatican on trial in UK for first time in history as British banker looks to clear his name
- Hermaphrodites Gynomorphs and Jesus-The Importance of Demons
- Hermaphrodites Gynomorphs and Jesus
- Pope updates Catholic Church rules for dealing with sexual abuse
- Pope Francis hints at end of 1,000-year-old celibacy rule after calling ban 'temporary'
- Who is responsible for the hatred against Jews in Barcelona? - Opinion
- Satanic Temple opens online abortion clinic named after Samuel Alito’s mother
Articles-Most Read
- Home
- Let There Be Light
- Plants that feel and Speak
- The Singing Forest
- The Singing Forest-2
- Introduction
- Meditation
- Using Essential Oils for Spiritual Connection
- Heaven Scent
- Purification
- Plants that Feel and Speak-2
- Making the Spiritual Connection
- Anointing
- The Sanctity of Plants
- Essential Oils: The unseen Energies
- The Aroma Of Worship - Introduction
- The Aroma Of Worship-Foreward
- Methods Of Use
- Handling and Storage
- Spiritual Blending