A mosaic bearing the earliest known inscription declaring Jesus is God has been unearthed in Israel, hailed as the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Megiddo Mosaic Archaeological Discovery
The 1800 year old Megiddo Mosaic engraving had been hidden under the floor of a prison. It also features images of fish, which experts say may reference the story of Luke 9 16, where Jesus multiplied two fish to feed 5000 people. They’re saying the scientists are excited after finding this early inscription declaring Jesus is God, and they’re saying it’s from an 1800 year old engraving. They dubbed it the Megiddo Mosaic, and it’s 581 feet.
When the Megiddo Mosaic was Constructed
The Megiddo Mosaic had reportedly adorned a private chapel in 230 AD, and it was the earliest known house of prayer. What’s also remarkable is the story of faith behind its creation. A Roman centurion, an artist, and five women who made this spectacular mosaic floor and a space for their worship dedicated to God Jesus Christ. This dedication is now the earliest archaeological evidence of Jesus being called God.
CBN News Reports on the Megiddo Mosaic and Inscription
Well, a new discovery is shedding light on the early church. The Megiddo mosaic dates back nearly 2000 years, and experts believe it decorated one of the earliest Christian worship sites in Israel. CBN News Washington correspondent Michelle London takes us to the Museum of the Bible to show us this foundation from an early church.
Historian Museum of the Bible Scholars Initiative Director Dr. Bobby Duke
When I heard about this mosaic and read the story behind it, I got the same kind of chills and the same kind of goosebumps. The Megiddo mosaic is the greatest discovery in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What’s Something People Don’t Know About This Exhibit?
I would say the question we get asked the most often, is the Megiddo mosaic real? It does date back to the third century, AD 230. A period before Christianity became an official religion of the Roman Empire. The Megiddo mosaic features a table used for communion and a design showing two fish, early symbols of Christianity, with handcrafted geometric patterns. To make the designs that we see even around this floor in here, I mean that takes hours and hours and hours.
How the Megiddo Mosaic was Discovered
The mosaic likely decorated one of the oldest Christian prayer halls in Megiddo, a city located in Canaan. In the 1940s, this site of ancient Christian worship became buried under a newly maximum security prison where it remained for 60 years. Then, in 2005, archaeologists accidentally rediscovered it. They were wanting to do some construction. Whenever you do construction in Israel, you have to do a salvage archaeological dig to make sure that you’re not constructing over something significant. They carefully excavated the mosaic, hiding it securely in northern Israel until flying it here for a first public appearance.
Some of the Exciting Features and the Inscriptions
So the first one right here is dedicated to a man named Gaius. Historians say he was a Roman centurion who helped fund the mosaic floor and table. A rare show of unity between Romans and Christians. The second inscription describes some key women in early Christianity, while the third marks history. The table is dedicated to the God Jesus Christ. Now this phrase, “God, Jesus, Christ,” is in the fifth line of the inscription, and it is actually in a shortened form, so the letters that have the lines over them, it is actually a respectful way to write those words. Dr. Duke believes these early writings are some of the first to show belief in the deity of Jesus, with this inscription from a Christian woman identified as a Ceptus that reads, “God, Jesus, Christ.”
