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Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:05 am
by MrMacSon
The writing, dated to the year 230 AD, bears three Greek inscriptions, one reading: 'The god-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial'.
... It was found in 2005 through excavations completed by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the University of Tel Aviv, exploring the ancient grounds beneath the British-built Megiddo Prison in northern Israel ... among one of the earliest-known Christian houses of worship, part of what was the Jewish and Samaritan village of Othnay.
Images of fish – common early Christian symbols – are also present on the mosaic.
https://www.christiantoday.com/amp/anci ... 126745.htm
Re: Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:58 am
by Peter Kirby
Deserves to be on ECW. One of the ones that 'slipped through' because it was discovered after 2001.
Re: Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 1:55 am
by StephenGoranson
Though this is a significant find in any case, there is some debate about the date. If interested, see
https://larryhurtado.wordpress.com/2018 ... ics-again/
and the links there.
Re: Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2018 7:40 am
by perseusomega9
What I find interesting about this find:
describing Jesus as 'the God'
fish symbolism
lack of cross/crucifixion symbolism
Re: Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:51 pm
by andrewcriddle
Peter Kirby wrote: ↑Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:58 am
Deserves to be on ECW. One of the ones that 'slipped through' because it was discovered after 2001.
There is a reference at
http://earlychristianwritings.com/info/ ... s-2008.pdf
Andrew Criddle
Re: Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:51 am
by StephenGoranson
This important find has not been securely dated yet, unless I missed a relevant publication. Quite interesting in any case.
For a general discussion: Andrew Lawler, First Churches of the Jesus Cult, Archaeology, Sept/Oct 2007. And reprinted in The Best of Science and Nature Writing 2008. Abstract here:
https://archive.archaeology.org/0709/ab ... rches.html
If one wishes to compare fish and cross symbolisms, a couple of old resources:
Kant, Laurence Harold. The interpretation of religious symbols in the Greco-Roman world: A case study of Early Christian fish symbolism. 3 volumes. Yale U dissertation 1993.
Vassilius Tzaferis. Christian Symbols of the 4th century and the church fathers, Hebrew U dissertation. 1971. iirc, he claimed that crosses were later symbols, at least for the majority. This accords with his BAR article (accepting early date, I think) linked by Larry Hurtado and Andrew Criddle.
Re: Ancient mosaic describing Jesus Christ as 'God' dated to 230AD
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2018 7:28 am
by Jax
StephenGoranson wrote: ↑Wed Mar 07, 2018 3:51 am
This important find has not been securely dated yet, unless I missed a relevant publication. Quite interesting in any case.
For a general discussion: Andrew Lawler, First Churches of the Jesus Cult, Archaeology, Sept/Oct 2007. And reprinted in The Best of Science and Nature Writing 2008. Abstract here:
https://archive.archaeology.org/0709/ab ... rches.html
If one wishes to compare fish and cross symbolisms, a couple of old resources:
Kant, Laurence Harold. The interpretation of religious symbols in the Greco-Roman world: A case study of Early Christian fish symbolism. 3 volumes. Yale U dissertation 1993.
Vassilius Tzaferis. Christian Symbols of the 4th century and the church fathers, Hebrew U dissertation. 1971. iirc, he claimed that crosses were later symbols, at least for the majority. This accords with his BAR article (accepting early date, I think) linked by Larry Hurtado and Andrew Criddle.
From your link. "A growing body of archaeological data, however, paints a more diverse and surprising picture in which Christians thrived alongside Jews and the
Roman military."
And "A
Roman soldier paid for the mosaics, and members of the congregation may even have baked bread for
Rome's sixth legion, stationed nearby."
I find these statements interesting as they fit well with my theory that early Christianity may have been a cult centered around the legions of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3889
The 6th legion is an ideal candidate for this as it would have been everywhere that I suspect that Paul was in the 1st century BCE and should be the legion that left 400 'Galatians' behind as bodyguard to Cleopatra when Julius Caesar left for Asia Minor.
http://www.livius.org/articles/legion/legio-vi-ferrata/
Food for thought.
