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MichaelStEdmund
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| Joined: | Fri Dec 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 98 |
| First Name: | Michael | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Convert from pentacostal/charismatic/holiness background |
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Posted: Wed Jun 11th, 2008 08:52 pm |
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Archaeologists unearth ‘first church in the world’ in Rihab
A picture shows a cave under Saint Georgeous Church in Rihab near Mafraq, where early Christians are belived to have taken as a shelter from persecution in Jerusalem. Circular-shaped stone seats, supposedly for the clergymen can be seen in the cave (Photo by Rula Samain)
By Rula Samain
AMMAN - Lying underneath Saint Georgeous Church in Rihab, Mafraq, is what archaeologists describe as the first Christian church in the world.
“We have uncovered what we believe to be the first church in the world, dating from 33AD to 70AD,” said Archaeologist Abdul Qader Hussan, head of the Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies.
The discovery was “amazing”, Hussan told The Jordan Times.
“We have evidence to believe this church sheltered the early Christians: the 70 disciples of Jesus Christ,” the scholar said.
The early Christians, described in the mosaic inscription on St. Georgeous floor as “the 70 beloved by God and Divine”, are said to have fled from Jerusalem during the persecution of Christians, to the northern part of Jordan, particularly to Rihab, he added.
Citing historical sources, the expert said the 70 lived and practised their rituals in secrecy in this underground church.
We believe that they did not leave the cave and lived until the Christian religion was embraced by Roman rulers.
“It was then when St. Georgeous was built,” said Hussan.
Saint Georgeous is believed to be the oldest “proper” church in the world, built in 230AD. This status is only challenged by a church unearthed in Aqaba in 1998, also dating back to 3rd century.
The findings in the graveyard near the cave offer valuable clues, according to Hussan.
“We found pottery items that date back from the 3rd to 7th century,” he added. The findings show that the first Christians and their offshoot continued living in the area till the late Roman rule.
“Going down a few steps into the cave, one would see a circle shape area, believed to be the apse, and several stone seats for the ecclesiastics,” he added.
Archimandrite Nektarious, Bishop Deputy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, described the discovery of the cave as an “important milestone for Christians all around the world”.
“The only other cave in the world similar in shape and purpose is in Thessalonica, Greece,” the bishop said in an interview in Amman.
The cave also embraces the living place of the first Christians. “A wall with an entrance is the only partition separating the altar from the living area,” Hussan said.
There is also a deep tunnel, which is believed to have led the 70 Christians to their source of water, the archaeologist added.
Officials in Mafraq say they will capitalise on the discovery to further promote the area.
Governor Zeid Zreiqat, who noted Rihab is rich in unique archaeological sites, said that together with the new discovery, these sites can be invested to attract religious tourism.
“We are working on developing Rihab to become a major tourist attraction in the near future,” he told The Jordan Times.
So far, 30 churches have been discovered in Rihab,” Hussan said. It is also believed that Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary have passed through this area, he added.
9 June 2008
Source: http://www.jordantimes.com/
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"Faith seeking understanding" - St. Anselm of Canterbury.
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 894 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu Jun 12th, 2008 02:17 pm |
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Indeed this is wonderful news and works to help us all fend off pesky "intellectual" gnats like Sam Harris and that other guy from across the pond who are making more than a few bucks of their own from debunking Christianity and faith in God in general.
Concerning Jordanian Gov. Zreigat's anticipation of (no doubt badly needed tourist revenues), I hope he's also politically astute to know the old saying "...Watch what you're asking for, you'll get more than you ever wanted..."
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“We are working on developing Rihab to become a major tourist attraction in the near future,” he told The Jordan Times.
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I just hope the Jordanians remain officially cool to the idea of allowing too many auslander "Bible Christians" from this side of the Atlantic from taking advantage of this historical find. On the other hand, any mention of Mary might thin their ranks a bit, ya think?
Sometime in the near future, some scholar from Wheaton, Gordon Conwell, Liberty or getting further away from the balanced center of evangelical Protestantism, Al Mohler's So. Baptist seminary and of course, our fav's, schools like Bob Jones and Pensacola Bible -- they'll all be out there pointing to the picture and saying, "See, these were simple mere Christians, there weren't any high and mighty bishops, or worse, popes."
There weren't any converted former professional basketball arenas around when Luther took his theses and tool box to the Wittenberg Cathedral either.
But, man--they (our team) sure knew how to build really beautiful megachurches back then.
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For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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Modern disciple
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| Joined: | Tue Apr 22nd, 2008 |
| Location: | Philippines |
| Posts: | 23 |
| First Name: | Modern Disciple | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic since birth til death |
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Posted: Wed Jul 23rd, 2008 04:28 am |
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I'm really confused. Does this refer only to the "church" as building?
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Jul 23rd, 2008 11:22 am |
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Yes, Reeno, “church” in this article refers to a place of worship, not an organization. The topic is an archeological discovery of a cave that was modified very early, possibly in the first century, to serve as a “church building” as well as a dwelling place for early Christians. The interesting thing is the local tradition that says that the first Christians in the area were first century refugees from Jerusalem during the Jewish persecution of Christians described in the book of Acts. So this cave may be where they lived and worshiped.
David
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