1,500-Year-Old Church Uncovered In Israel

HIRBET MADRAS, Israel — Israeli archaeologists presented a newly uncovered 1,500-year-old church in the Judean hills on Wednesday, including an unusually well-preserved mosaic floor with images of lions, foxes, fish and peacocks.

The Byzantine church located southwest of Jerusalem, excavated over the last two months, will be visible only for another week before archaeologists cover it again with soil for its own protection.

The small basilica with an exquisitely decorated floor was active between the fifth and seventh centuries A.D., said the dig's leader, Amir Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority. He said the floor was "one of the most beautiful mosaics to be uncovered in Israel in recent years."

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Mortifyd said on 2 Wednesday 2011 pm28 2:40 pm: Chassidic philosophy was developed with the Baal Shem Tov, not Maimonades - there's about a 400 year gap between their lifetimes. Maimonades codified the 13 principles of faith as well, which are quite clear on the lack of pantheistic thought in Judaism by the mid 1100s.

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"It is unique in its craftsmanship and level of preservation," he said.

Archaeologists began digging at the site, known as Hirbet Madras, in December. The Antiquities Authority discovered several months earlier that antiquities thieves had begun plundering the ruins, which sit on an uninhabited hill not far from an Israeli farming community.

Though an initial survey suggested the building was a synagogue, the excavation revealed stones carved with crosses, identifying it as a church. The building had been built atop another structure around 500 years older, dating to Roman times, when scholars believe the settlement was inhabited by Jews.

Hewn into the rock underneath that structure is a network of tunnels that archaeologists believe were used by Jewish rebels fighting Roman armies in the second century A.D.

Stone steps lead down from the floor of church to a small burial cave, which scholars suggest might have been venerated as the burial place of the Old Testament prophet Zecharia.

Ganor said the church would remain covered until funding was obtained to open it as a tourist site.

Israel boasts an exceptionally high concentration of archaeological sites, including Crusader, Islamic, Byzantine, Roman, ancient Jewish and prehistoric ruins.

Comments

[Macready]

08:59 AM on 02/07/2011

isn't it amazing they never unearth anything israeli . . . . lots of Roman stuff . . Canaanite but nothing to prove the myths they have been perpetrating . . .

[Atomizer]

12:27 PM on 02/07/2011

It's true that recent archaelogical study has shown that the myth of Israel being some sort of long-lived and prosperous nation state was in fact nothing more than religious propaganda. It's worth reading The Bible Unearthed written by Israel Finkelstein, Professor of Archaeology at Tel Aviv University and Neil Silberman, editor of Archaeology Magazine to see how "Israel" was really only a short lived collection of villages and small towns. Many other cultures such as the Egyptians, Assyrians, Caananites, Romans, etc had control of the land of "Israel" for much longer periods than Jewish "Israelis".

And to the modern eye, the Palestinians who have been the overwhelming majority population there for the past 1,500 years and who are descended from the Caananites (who were there before the Jews) would seem to have the most right to occupy the region. Unless of course you believe Zionists have a God given right to steal another people's land.

[Henk]

02:35 PM on 02/07/2011

I seem to remember in one of my College courses (I went to a Lutheran College and three religion courses were required for graduation) that the land that Israel claims to be heir to, was considered prime real estate back in the day. That's why it was conquered so many times.

[Macready]

04:49 AM on 02/08/2011

fanned and fav'd Atomizer . . . The Bible Unearthed is a definite must read . . . . I have read it twice and always find there is more to learn from it on each rereading . . . .

[Marco75]

05:46 PM on 02/12/2011

Yes. There's a whole lot of "suggesting" and "supposing" and "believing" that there are some sort of Jewish structures under the structures that are ACTUALLY there.

[merrymay]

10:45 AM on 02/06/2011

Hot Tip: invest in Kleenex The levels of snottiness against Christianity are really huge here. My, we do have our noses up in the air!

[Henk]

02:42 PM on 02/07/2011

Yes, Christian have it so tough in this country. No one attends their churches, politician all but ignore them, their considerations are never listened to at all. And we tax the heck out of them...oh wait!

[merrymay]

07:47 PM on 02/07/2011

I said HERE...on the HP!

[merrymay]

04:44 PM on 02/11/2011

If the dollar gets shafted, the Churches will have their turn to open their doors, put up or shut up.

[mudshark12]

09:52 PM on 02/04/2011

I hope this church/archaeological site will be re-opened in the future, the mosaics are exquisite.

[yavuz]

05:43 PM on 02/04/2011

holy land is only for jews, oh wait...what church?

[MarcU]

07:39 AM on 02/05/2011

You mean just like you could go to church in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran?

I understand how hard it is for you to acknowledge that Israel is the ONLY country where people are allowed to practice their religion. I can go to Israel tomorrow and walk past the Al-Aqsa Mosque, go into any of the churches on the Stations of Cross and the Western Wall. When Jordan occupied Jerusalem, could I have done the same?

[Luuke]

09:22 AM on 02/05/2011

Well said Marc...

[Trackerinblue]

04:41 PM on 02/05/2011

We aren't discussing freedom of religion in those countries, but the one you claim has so much freedom. The only freedom there is for people who practice Judaism.

[DeniseA]

01:26 AM on 02/06/2011

Israel is the only country in the middle east with a growing Christian population.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-z-chesnoff/saving-the-islamic-worlds_b_244641.html

[Geelee]

02:32 PM on 02/06/2011

Yes...all the end-timers are heading over and that makes Israel happy...for now. Of course the end timers don't believe when the rapture (or as a friend's child called it "the rupture") comes, the Jews are in any luck unless they are born again, this time to Christianity. Sooner or later they won't enjoy their presence any more than many of us in the U.S. Do. Their alliance withIsrael's right wing is unholy.

[Avirahim]

01:10 PM on 02/04/2011

Will Palestinian Christians be blocked from this site, like so many other Christian sites, by IDF thugs?

Palestinian Christians (as other Palestinians) are suffering from either brutal Israeli occupation or a denial of their right to return to their ancestral homeland by racist Israeli laws.

Jerusalem's Holy Sepulcher

In solidarity with them we started a campaign to endorse the call of their leaders for free access to Jerusalem see:

http://www.imemc.org/index.php?obj_id=53&story_id=58203.

We also sent our request for endorsers to most of the mainstream churches in Canada, none of whom answered us directly. We are aware, however, that the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops did send a letter to PM Stephen Harper on March 29, 2010, highlighting some of the problems faced by Palestinian Christians that limit their basic freedoms*.

The endorsers names are posted on our website, just go to www.cpavancouver.org under Support for Easter in the Holy Land
without Apartheid Passes and see Complete list of endorsers click here!! or access the following link http://www.cpavancouver.org/Endorsers.docx

Thanks again for your support and
solidarity.


Next Year in a Free Jerusalem and a Free Palestine

Hanna"

http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/5960-palestinian-christian-blocked-in-israel-.html

[simcha]

02:09 AM on 02/07/2011

This is a joke. I know a lot of the endorsers of this fanatical group. Most of the members of the different organizations don't have a clue where Israel even is, never mind what is going on in the middle east. (I used to belong to one of them).
And what basement in New West are you guys camped out in while you raise the money for your grand cruise? Have you got the CPC-ML organizing the "Canadian Flotilla" for you?
Too funny.

[Woods-shade]

10:13 AM on 02/04/2011

How utterly incredible! When you think what must still lie out there undiscovered... just breathtaking.

[negogato]

05:24 PM on 02/05/2011

Absolutely amazing, breathtaking.

[Brigette]

02:40 AM on 02/04/2011

What an incredible find! The worksmanship and time it would have taken to create that is astounding. Amazing!

[American in Exile]

09:13 PM on 02/03/2011

I don't know what's captured my attention more, the announcement of the discovery of some very impressive artistic expressions from the 5th century or the bickering in the commentary below about which fairy tale is older, better, more authentic, etc.

[Brigette]

02:42 AM on 02/04/2011

I agree. We are all so used to being angry on this site, people don't know when to stop. There is nothing controversial about anthropological find. I swear you could tell people they are the most wonderful, incredible, amazing person on earth and they would be enraged at you for not saying it in the right tone of voice.

[American in Exile]

05:04 AM on 02/04/2011

Spot on... except the angry and rude tones exist all over the internet. It's sickening.

[coreyspangler]

02:10 PM on 02/03/2011

Am I the only one who noticed the swastika on the mosaic in the first picture?

[FlyingLow]

09:51 PM on 02/03/2011

Ummm - who cares? The world has moved on.

[Chrystal Ji Davey]

10:08 PM on 02/03/2011

The swastika was not originally a Nazi symbol.
In fact, it had several ironic meanings behind it before the 20th century.

[Sacchinftw]

12:16 PM on 02/03/2011

Scientology has quite a few offices spanning the world over too!

According to their press release, they have millions of members!

[LIbislife]

01:19 PM on 02/03/2011

on many planets

[nycpaladin]

04:16 PM on 02/03/2011

Spam.

[enlightenedgirl]

11:28 AM on 02/03/2011

Hauntingly gorgeous, the patterns in the mosaic are truly amazing.  It's really too bad they have to cover it back up.

[AmericanFool]

11:47 AM on 02/03/2011

Sigh....

[ninetailedfox]

11:54 AM on 02/03/2011

Did I happen to mention i am an ex Messianic Jew? Messianic Jews have support Isreal funds. messianic Jews also believe in Jesus and the tanack.

[roblabrousse]

11:02 AM on 02/03/2011

I think at the outset the discovery of this church is amazing. I think it's great to discover art, artifacts etc of past cultures and past times. Those nay saying anything about the age or authenticity of this find should hold their opinions to themselves , unless they are qualified archaeologists. The Religious implications I doubt mater since the existence of any religion
in that region can be traced. Stop ignoring the fact that it is an amazing find of a wonderful piece of art. Leave the bickering someplace else.

[ESerafina42]

10:37 AM on 02/03/2011

Why is "1500-Year-Old Church" italicized in the link, as if this were a somehow shocking or a big deal. Uh, first of all, 1500-year-old buildings might as well have been built yesterday in that part of the world. Also, Christianity *originated* around there, 500 years earlier.

[roblabrousse]

11:06 AM on 02/03/2011

Something that was never expected to see the light of day which is still preserved always deserves an exclamation point. Finding the Titanic was an "!" discovery. Remnants of ancient villages of American Indians being uncovered is an"!" moment. Anytime we discover a connection to the past is a marvel. Go spend some time in history or art and educate yourself. Look at what other humans created before us and learn something.

[ESerafina42]

01:10 PM on 02/03/2011

Oops - a CONCENTRATION in European History. :)

[CJCalgirl]

08:13 PM on 02/04/2011

robla, Good post...think Lascaux Caves!  Nothing 'primitive' THERE!!!  They are, in my opinion, one of the GEMS of human creativity.

[MadameChaillot]

10:33 AM on 02/03/2011

"The Byzantine church located southwest of Jerusalem, excavated over the last two months, will be visible only for another week before archaeologists cover it again with soil for its own protection."

Yeah, right.

[roblabrousse]

11:11 AM on 02/03/2011

Perhaps it is a protective measure until they can secure it in a more protective manner say like building an exposition building around it or excavating more of it or keeping it from the any sort of deterioration or thievery. Maybe there's a reason that you don't know or understand unless this is your field of expertise.

[MadameChaillot]

12:07 PM on 02/03/2011

Sorry - my cynicism is on high today.

[HighDesertBob]

01:13 PM on 02/03/2011

This is a common process for archeological or paleontology finds. The area is cleared for initial discovery but recovered for protection against the elements and looters until time and funds are available to fully study the site.