| A Jewish catacomb in Rome predates its Christian
counterparts by at least 100 years, indicating burial in the city's
sprawling underground cemeteries may not have begun as a Christian
practice, according to a new study.
Scholars have long believed that early Christians were the first to
bury their dead in Roman catacombs. But Dutch experts from Utrecht
University, who dated organic material from a Jewish catacomb in the
city, say it appears that early Christians inherited the practice from
Jews.
"Perhaps it doesn't clinch the argument, but it makes it very
likely," said Leonard Victor Rutgers, an antiquities professor who
led the team.
The findings, published last week in the journal Nature, would
further illustrate links between early Christian culture and Judaism.
Radiocarbon dating showed the Villa Torlonia catacomb, a Jewish
burial site, was constructed between the first century B.C. and the
first century, long before any of Rome's 60 Christian catacombs, Rutgers
said.
More research needed
Although ancient Latin texts place a Jewish community in Rome as early
as the first century B.C., burial places like Villa Torlonia previously
were thought to have been used only from the third century, roughly
around the time Christians began using catacombs.
"So where and how did this ancient community bury its dead? Now
it seems likely that they used catacombs from the beginning,"
Rutgers said.
Rutgers said that to confirm his findings, radiocarbon dating would
have to be used on Christian catacombs as well, as those burials are
usually dated by evaluating the style of the decoration and
architecture.
Laura Supino, a Rome-based architect and expert in Jewish art and
history, said several researchers have tried to push back the age of
Jewish catacombs, but their theories were based more on conjecture than
hard evidence.
She said carbon analysis could provide an interesting basis to date
the burials, but cautioned that in antiquity, materials were often
re-used and it could be misleading to date a site using only this
method.
Comparative studies of the Jewish and Christian catacombs also could
help confirm the link between the two, Rutgers said.
"If you look at the layout of Villa Torlonia and compare it to
the early Christian catacombs, the architecture is absolutely
similar," he said. "The only difference is in the inscriptions
and the iconography."
Influence of Judaism
Christian catacombs are usually decorated with such early symbols as
fish or doves and the interlacing Greek letters chi and rho, a monogram
for the Greek word Christos. In contrast, frescoes of Jewish
symbols — menorahs, palm leaves, the ark of the covenant — cover the
dark tunnels under Villa Torlonia.
Rutgers said his research may provide further evidence of the
influence Judaism had on early Christianity. "The extent to which
Christianity has Jewish roots is a very widespread debate today and this
research adds a new element to the discussion," he said.
The study began two years ago, when Rutgers and his team collected
samples of wood embedded in the stucco that covers the openings of many
tombs in the catacomb, located under the city park that surrounds Villa
Torlonia, where dictator Benito Mussolini lived for 20 years.
The lines of tombs and niches are cut into the sides of winding
galleries dug in soft tufa stone to create one of six known Jewish
catacombs in Rome.
Four of the ancient Jewish burial grounds in Rome have collapsed or
were built over in past centuries, and unlike the more popular Christian
catacombs, the other two are hard to visit. Visitors need a special
permit from Rome's archaeological authorities to enter the Villa
Torlonia galleries, and the other Jewish burial site is on the property
of a private villa near the ancient Appian Way.
SOURCE: Article by Ariel David - http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/3288802 |
