Posted on 12/04/2006 6:07:52 AM PST by NYer
Archaeologists claimed yesterday to have uncovered one of the world's first churches, built on a site believed to have once housed the Ark of the Covenant.
The site, emerging from the soil in a few acres in the hills of the Israeli occupied West Bank, is richly decorated with brightly coloured mosaics and inscriptions referring to Jesus Christ.
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According to the team, led by Yitzhak Magen and Yevgeny Aharonovitch, the church dates to the late 4th century, making it one of Christianity's first formal places of worship.
"I can't say for sure at the moment that it's the very first church," said Mr Aharonovitch, 38, as he oversaw a team carrying out the final excavations before winter yesterday. "But it's certainly one of the first." He said the site contained an extremely unusual inscription which referred to itself, Shiloh, by name.
"That is very rare and shows early Christians treated this as an ancient, holy place," said Mr Aharonovitch. According to the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was kept by the Israelites at Shiloh for several hundred years.
It was eventually moved to the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple that the Bible says was built by King Solomon around 1000 BC. When the temple was sacked by the Babylonians 400 years later, the Ark was lost, sparking theories about whether it had been hidden or destroyed.
The team at Shiloh is considering whether to dig under the beautiful mosaics that they have uncovered, in order to find traces of the Ark. "We have to decide whether to fix the mosaics here or take them to a museum," said Mr Aharonovitch.
Jewish residents in the modern settlement of Shiloh, which sits on a hill amidst Palestinian villages, want the team to keep digging.
David Rubin, a former mayor of Shiloh, said: "We believe that if they continue to dig they'll reach back to the time of the Tabernacle," referring to the portable place of worship where the Israelites housed the Ark.
You lucky dog!
Going over to the link!
Keep us posted on that stuff. I'd love to be on a ping list if you have created one. Wish I was in your shoes ... this stuff fascinates me!!!
Huh? How so?
In what way?
ping
"It dates to the late fourth century and they are calling it the first church?"
It says ONE of the world's earliest churches.
It makes the Bible so much very real.
I didn't either.
I also heard they might also be related to Lebanese, who are semites.
thanks, FrPR
http://www.cityofdavid.org/
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Go to www.cityofdavid.org if you want to learn more.Well, I just did, and there are no photos at all, it's just a Jews for Jesus website.
I believe that this might be the website:
http://www.cityofdavid.org.il/index.html
I, previous to your thoughtful ping, had no idea linoleum had been invented in the Holy Land! Amazing that is had stood up so well, what with the traffic of the Crusades, etc. etc.
Hey, many thanks!
the ark has to be one of the most fascinating artifacts described by historical sources, with various powers of which some would seem to make some sense in terms of what is known scientifically today, others not. I wonder what the origin of its powers was, in terms of physics.
Wow, "We believe that if they continue to dig they'll reach back to the time of the Tabernacle," that would be an even better find.
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