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Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Showing posts with label Byzantine Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Byzantine Church. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2018
Did Archaeologists Find One of Earliest Depictions of Jesus in Byzantine Church? - Breaking Israel News
Monday, September 26, 2016
Evidence of Ancient Jewish Presence Found in Jordanian Church - JNS BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS
Illustrative: Seven-branched menorah carved in stone. (Shutterstock)
Evidence of Ancient Jewish Presence Found in Jordanian Church
“And there shall be six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side thereof.” Exodus 25:32 (The Israel Bible™)
A menorah carving found in a 1,400-year-old Byzantine church in Jordan provides the first substantial evidence of Jewish presence in the ancient city of Abila, which has long thought to have a Jewish population, Haaretz reported.
The seven-branched menorah with a three-legged branch was carved on a stone block found in the second tier of a wall in the church, while excavating the Byzantine church from the sixth or seventh century C.E.
“This is the first physical evidence of a Jewish presence at Abila, and holds great promise that further discoveries will give more evidence in this direction,” said Dave Vila, head of the excavations.
Archaeologists can only confirm that the menorah carving predates the church which is 1,300-1,400 years old.
The stone block is believed to be repurposed from another structure, such as a synagogue. Menorahs similar to this carving are often discovered on mosaic synagogue floors from the Late Antiquity period, from the late third century A.D. to the mid-seventh century A.D.
Friday, June 12, 2015
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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Saturday, January 25, 2014
Ariel Sharon - free eBook from Israel365
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Friday, January 24, 2014
1,500 Year Old Byzantine Church Uncovered
1,500 Year Old Byzantine Church Uncovered (Photos)
“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” (Psalms 145:9)
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) revealed to the public on Wednesday an impressive archeological find. Law in Israel states that before to any type of new construction, the land on which the construction is to take place must be excavated. A salvage excavation, prior to the construction of a new neighborhood at Moshav Aluma in the Shafir Regional Council, uncovered 1,500 years worth of history.
Headed by archeologists Dr. Daniel Varga and Dr. Davida Dagan, the excavation revealed magnificent mosaics in pristine condition and five inscriptions from the Byzantine time period (330-638 CE). Dr. Varga and Dr. Dagan believe that “The Church probably served as a center of Christian worship for neighboring communities.”
The church itself is situated in what once was a large and important Byzantine settlement. The settlement, which was located near the main road that ran between Ashkelon on the coast to western Israel and cities such as Beit Guvrin and Jerusalem to the east, is believed to have “made its living from the production and exportation of wine via the coast to the entire Mediterranean region.”
Dr. Varga explained: “An impressive basilica building was discovered at the site, 22 meters long and 12 meters wide. The building consists of a central hall with two side aisles divided by marble pillars. At the front of the building is a wide open courtyard (atrium) paved with a white mosaic floor, and with a cistern.”
“Leading off the courtyard is a rectangular transverse hall (narthex) with a fine mosaic floor decorated with colored geometric designs; at its center, opposite the entrance to the main hall, is a twelve-row dedicatory inscription in Greek containing the names Mary and Jesus, and the name of the person who funded the mosaic’s construction.”
The main hall (nave) is designed with a colored mosaic floor containing images of vine tendrils that form to create forty medallions. Each medallion depicts different animals such as a zebra, leopard, turtle, wild boar, various winged birds, botanical, and geometric designs. Three of the medallions depict inscriptions in Greek that are meant to commemorate the senior church dignitaries Demetrios and Herakles who were the heads of the local regional church.
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
Each side of the nave is lined by two narrow halls (side aisles) which also contain similar colored mosaic floors, geometric and botanical designs, and numerous Christian symbols.
Next to the church, a pottery workshop was also discovered. The workshop is believed to be mainly for the production of jars such as amphorae, cooking pots, kraters, bowls, and different types of oil lamps. Glass containers which were very common in the Byzantine period were also discovered at the site.
(Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority)
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