Showing posts with label Emmaus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emmaus. Show all posts

Friday, June 12, 2015

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Byzantine-era Church

Israeli Archaeologists Uncover Byzantine-era Church

Courtesy IAA
JERUSALEM, Israel -- Just outside Jerusalem, a team of Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologists uncovered the remains of a 1,500-year-old Byzantine-era church.

Contractors discovered the church while widening the main highway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

IAA archaeologists said the church was part of a larger complex, which also served as a road station for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem.

"The location of the church is not accidental," the IAA's Annette Nagar said.

"On the one hand it's built beneath a water spring, which in Arabic is called 'anaka.' And on the other side, it's built on one of the ancient roads leading from Jerusalem, between Jerusalem and the coast," Nagar explained. "This was a road station, which besides giving services of food and drink, it also gave religious services."

The church and road station were part of a series of churches that served travelers on their way to Jerusalem.

Other churches discovered along this route include a church in Emmaus, the traditional site where according to the Gospel of Luke (24:13-28), Jesus appeared to two of his disciples.

Scholars believe Emmaus was located where Motza stands today, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem, just off the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway.

Byzantine Church Found on Israel’s Highway 1

Byzantine Church Found on Israel’s Highway 1

Thursday, June 11, 2015 |  Aviel Schneider  ISRAEL TODAY
A Byzantine church dating to the 5th century AD was discovered this month along Highway 1 connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The site is situated near the Arab village of Abu Ghosh and the Messianic moshav of Yad Hashmonah.
According to archaeologists, the church was part of a rest stop on the route between Jerusalem and the coastal region. During the excavations, a chapel featuring a white mosaic and a small baptismal in the shape of a cross (pictured) was found. Red plaster chips scattered around the floor indicated frescoed walls.
Nearby living quarters and storage facilities contained ceramic tiles, beautifully-preserved oil lamps and other objects belonging to the church.
Annette Nagar, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, noted that this was the third church that had been discovered along this ancient route, the other two being located in Kiryat Ye’arim and Emmaus.
The church was discovered quite by accident during a major construction project to expand the highly-trafficked Highway 1. It again goes to show that no matter where you dig in Israel, you are certain to come face-to-face with history.
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