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Rihab, Jordan - Archaeologists in
Rihab, Jordan, say they have
discovered a cave that could be the world's oldest Christian church.
Dating to the period AD33-70, 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 practiced 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.
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