An old, old church believed to date from the third century has been uncovered in northern Israel under a prison. Israeli prisoners excavating for construction of new wards to house 1,200 Palestinian prisoners at the high-security Megiddo Prison hit a complex mosaic containing ancient Christian symbols. Some believe it may be the oldest church in the Holy Land, located near the spot where the New Testament says the final battle between good and evil -- Armageddon itself -- will take place. A biblical scholar said during the second and third centuries, people worshipped Jesus at Nazareth and Caperneum secretly. "This was a time of persecution," Stephen Pfann said, adding the blatant expression of Christ in the mosaic could be the reason the church was destroyed. Religious conflicts have flourished for a very long time and killed many in the name of each side's God. Who is evil and who is good, and can a "final battle" end such strife? A church buried under a prison may be the perfect symbol of the spirit confined in the structures of religions.
Armageddon Siting
An old, old church believed to date from the third century has been uncovered in northern Israel under a prison. Israeli prisoners excavating for construction of new wards to house 1,200 Palestinian prisoners at the high-security Megiddo Prison hit a complex mosaic containing ancient Christian symbols. Some believe it may be the oldest church in […]
