{"id":61406,"date":"2025-07-17T15:27:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T13:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/?p=61406"},"modified":"2025-07-17T15:27:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T13:27:54","slug":"mosaic-of-megiddo-the-first-physical-evidence-of-christianity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/07\/17\/mosaic-of-megiddo-the-first-physical-evidence-of-christianity\/","title":{"rendered":"Mosaic of Megiddo, the First “Physical Evidence” of Christianity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Megiddo<\/a><\/p>\n

On display for the first time in Washington, the Megiddo mosaic<\/b><\/mark>, dating back to the 3rd century, is part of the earliest known place of worship of early Christianity, where Jesus was already venerated as God.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

For the first time, it is now possible to visit the world\u2019s oldest Christian place of worship<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is the Megiddo mosaic<\/mark><\/b>, which dates back to the 3rd century<\/strong> and is now housed at the Museum of the Bible in Washington.<\/p>\n

Unveiled to the world for the first time on September 15, 2024<\/strong>, it has already attracted thousands of visitors from across the globe. It will remain on display until July 2025.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

What is the Megiddo Mosaic?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The Megiddo Mosaic<\/strong> was discovered during the construction of a prison in Megiddo in 2005<\/strong>, located in northern Israel in the Galilee region. This area, historically known as Legio<\/strong><\/i>, holds significant biblical and historical relevance (often associated with the Battle of “Armageddon,” mentioned in the Book of Revelation).<\/p>\n

Regarded as the most important discovery<\/strong> since the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran (1946), the mosaic dates to around 230 AD<\/strong>, predating the legalization and broader acceptance of Christianity under Emperor Constantine.<\/p>\n

It provides deeper insight into the spread of early Christianity in the Holy Land.<\/p>\n

Scholars believe it was part of the floor of the oldest Christian place of worship<\/strong>, adorning one of the 50m\u00b2 prayer rooms. It stands as a unique testament to a primitive ecclesial community<\/strong> before the more formal church structures developed in later centuries.<\/p>\n

\"Megiddo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The first inscription of Megiddo Mosaic: the use of the term “brother”<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The Megiddo mosaic, created by an artist named Brutius<\/strong> (whose name is preserved on the floor), features a depiction of a table\/altar for the celebration of the Eucharist<\/strong> and the image of two fish<\/strong>, early symbols of Christianity.<\/p>\n

However, there are other intriguing elements, including three inscriptions in Greek.<\/p>\n

The first inscription is dedicated to a man named Gaianus<\/strong>, a Roman centurion who funded the mosaic floor at his own expense as an act of generosity. This serves as a rare example of unity between Romans and Christians<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Gaianus is referred to as “our brother”<\/strong>, affirming the use of the term “brother” in the early church as seen in the letters of the New Testament.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The Second Inscription: The Role of Women<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The second inscription<\/strong> (pictured below) commemorates five women<\/strong>, calling them by name. These women likely played a significant role in the community.<\/p>\n

They are Akeptous<\/b>, wife of Gaianus, Primilla, Cyriaca, Dorothea, and Chreste.<\/p>\n

Bobby Duke<\/strong>, the exhibition curator, believes these references emphasize \u00abthe crucial role of women<\/strong> in the early church\u00bb<\/i>. They may also have been financial supporters of this early “house church.”<\/p>\n

\"Megiddo<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

The Third Inscription: Jesus as God<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n

The third inscription<\/strong> includes the words: “God Jesus Christ”<\/strong>, specifying that the central table in the room is dedicated to Him.<\/p>\n

This is a precious and ancient affirmation of faith in the divinity of Jesus<\/strong>, predating the major councils of the early church (for instance, Nicaea, held in 325 AD).<\/p>\n

This statement is not presented as a grand revolutionary idea but as a simple (and almost self-evident) prepositional phrase<\/strong>, serving as the theological foundation of this early community’s faith.<\/p>\n

It reveals a long-standing belief, thereby refuting Bart D. Ehrman<\/strong>‘s theory of a so-called late exaltation<\/strong> of Jesus as God.<\/p>\n

In his controversial popular work, How Jesus Became God<\/strong><\/i> (HarperOne, 2014), the agnostic scholar attempts to challenge the evidence for what is known as “high Christology”<\/strong>, arguing that Christians gradually elevated Jesus to the status of a divine being equal to the God of Israel, formalizing this belief only at the Council of Nicaea<\/strong> (325 AD).<\/p>\n

This is an old and recycled idea from early 20th-century historiography<\/strong> (originating with Wilhelm Bousset), widely discredited by the scholarly community thanks to researchers like Martin Hengel<\/strong>, Larry Hurtado<\/strong>, and Richard Bauckham<\/strong>. Ehrman’s book received an immediate and detailed response in the volume How God Became Jesus<\/a><\/i><\/strong> (Zondervan, 2014).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28), wrote Saint Paul<\/strong> in the first half of the 1st century.<\/p>\n

The Megiddo mosaic<\/strong> bears witness to a small Christian community living according to Paul\u2019s ideal, where an artist, a Roman soldier, and a group of women created a room to allow the early local church<\/strong> to gather fraternally in the name of Jesus Christ, already then worshiped as God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On display for the first time in Washington, the Megiddo mosaic, dating back to the 3rd century, is part of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":103,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[162,1525,1063,1526],"class_list":["post-61406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-biblical-acheology","tag-christian-archeology","tag-early-christianism","tag-megiddo-mosaic"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMosaic of Megiddo, the First "Physical Evidence" of Christianity - UCCR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here is the significance of the Megiddo mosaic, part of the oldest Christian place of worship dating back to the 3rd century AD.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uccronline.it\/eng\/2025\/07\/17\/mosaic-of-megiddo-the-first-physical-evidence-of-christianity\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mosaic of Megiddo, the First "Physical Evidence" of Christianity - 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