Archeologists Believe They’ve Discovered World’s Oldest Church
Published: June 17, 2008
Archaeologists have now discovered a cave buried beneath one of the world's oldest churches and say the site may be an even more ancient site of Christian worship.
Abdel-Qader al-Housan, head of the Rihab Center for Archaeological Studies, said this week that the cave, which shows evidence of early Christian rituals, was uncovered in the Jordanian city of Rihab after three months of excavation.
The cave is under the St. George's Church, which many believe was built in 230 A.D., though the date is widely disputed. That would make it one of the oldest churches in the world.
Al-Housan said there was sufficient evidence that the cave was used by 70 disciples of Jesus as a church in the first century after his death.
He described the cave containing a circular worship area with stone seats, separated from a living area with a long tunnel that led to a source of water. He believes early Christians hid there from persecution.
A mosaic inscription on the floor of St. George's Church refers to "the 70 beloved by God and the divine."
Despite the findings, S. Thomas Parker, a reputable historian, said any such claim should be taken with caution. "We need to see the artifacts and dating evidence," says Parker.
Parker asked how archaeologists could be certain the cave "was actually a center of Christian worship," on account of mosaics being very difficult to date unless noted within inscription. Parker says that mosaic inscriptions with Christian themes were from the 5th and 6th centuries.
"It's quite possible," says Parker, "that there was a cave with earlier occupation, which was later converted to Christian use."
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Archeologists Believe They’ve Discovered World’s Oldest Church
Published: June 17, 2008
Cave found by archaeologists contain evidence that would date site as one of the world's oldest churches
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