Archaeologists
in Rihab, Jordan, say they have discovered a cave that could be the world's
oldest Christian church.
Dating to
the period AD 33-70, the underground chapel would have served as both a place of
worship and a home.
It is
claimed that it was originally used by a group of 70 persecuted Christians who
fled from Jerusalem.
These
early Christians lived and practised their faith in secrecy until the Romans
embraced Christianity several hundred years later.
Rihab is
in Northern Jordan. The cave is beneath the ancient church of St Georgeous,
itself one of the oldest known places of worship in the world.
According
to Dr Abdul Qader Al-Hassan, the director of the Rihab Centre for
Archaeological studies, the cave site shows clear evidence of early Christian
rituals that predate the church.
Dr
Al-Hassan says that steps lead down into the chapel which is approximately 12m
long and seven metres wide.
There is
a circular area of worship with stone seats separated from living quarters.
This circular element, called an apse, is important says Dr Al-Hassan because
there is only one other example of a cave with a similar feature, which was
also used for Christian worship.
Dr
Al-Hassan said: "We found beautiful things. I found the cemetery of this
church; we found pottery shards and lamps with the inscription
'Georgeous'".
In the
cave there is also a tunnel that leads to a cistern which supplied water to the
dwellers. An inscription in the floor of the church above refers to the
"70 beloved by God and the divine" whom the archaeologist believes
were refugees from religious persecution in Jerusalem.
Dr
Al-Hassan says that excavation of the tunnel and the cistern may yield yet more
evidence about the lives of these early Christians.
"From
the tunnel to the cistern is very important. We want to clean it and make an
excavation inside it. We found a very old inscription beside it and coins also,
and crosses made from iron."
Other
experts say they are cautious about the claim. They want to examine the
artefacts and see clear dating evidence. The earliest confirmed examples of
churches date from the third century, they say.
An
article by By Matt
McGrath
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7446812.stm
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