Grave robber chase reveals ancient Holy Land church

Reuters ^ | Wednesday, February 2, 2011 | Ari Rabinovitch, ed by Tim Pearce

[SunkenCiv]

The hill-top church was destroyed by an earthquake some 1,300 years ago and lay partly buried until detectives from Israel's Antiquities Authority, pursuing a gang of antiquity thieves, noticed an elaborate doorpost poking through the earth. The robbers got away -- they were caught a few months later at a site nearby -- but after weeks of digging, archaeologists uncovered the remains of the church. It was about the size of a basketball court and contained fallen marble pillars and a nearly pristine 10-meter-long mosaic floor.

Beneath the church's altar is a burial chamber that the Antiquities Authority said may have been the tomb of the prophet Zechariah, known from the eponymous book in the Bible, written around 520 BC.

The claim, which a number of experts have based on Christian sources and an ancient diagram known as the Madaba Map, has not been proved and is still being studied, they said.

[SunkenCiv]

Tomb of Prophet Zechariah Found?: Big Pic
Discovery News
Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Israeli archaeologists unveiled on Wednesday the remnants of a newly discovered Byzantine-era church they suspect is concealing the tomb of the biblical prophet Zechariah.

The church, with intricate and well-preserved mosaic floors, was discovered on the slopes of the Judaean hills at Horbat Midras, the site of a Jewish community in Roman times, southwest of Jerusalem.

Underneath is a second layer of mosaics dating from the Roman period, with a cave complex still further below which archaeologists think could be Zechariah's tomb.

[pillut48]

Was this Zechariah who was King Cyrus’s (?) cup-bearer who helped the remnant return to Israel and rebuild the Temple?

Very cool that something bad led to something like this discovery!

[skeeter]

The hill-top church was destroyed by an earthquake some 1,300 years ago

What a coincidence, considering what else happened 1300 years ago.

Fascinating find, anyway.

[Beowulf9]

I don’t think the kid should be running around on the antiquity, though.

Beautiful mosaic floor. Looks like a Persian rug.

[ExcursionGuy84]

It was actually NEHEMIAH who was the
cupbearer/food-taster to the
Persian King Artaxerxes.

Zechariah was, according to ancient Jewish tradition, martyred in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem.
And, he is also one of the Minor Prophets in the
Old Testement.

[SunkenCiv]

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks SJackson for this newer one:

Archaeologists May Have Found Tomb of Prophet Zechariah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2668344/posts

[pillut48]

My bad! Mixed up my ‘-miahs’. Thanks! :-)

[pillut48]

Okay, he DID have something to do with rebuilding of the Temple and return of the Jews to Israel...just got the cupbearer part wrong. Guess I *was* listening in Bible study class... ;-)

[ExcursionGuy84]

S'alright. It happens

I've gotten many answers wrong when
I was in childrens church back in the late-80's

[SunkenCiv]

Just when I was going to thwack you with a ruler...