Israel. Descubren la iglesia cristiana más antigua del mundo
Foto: Prisioneros de la cárcel de Megiddo limpian un mosaico que dice en griego antiguo: El amor de Dios para aquellos que contribuyen al altar de Jesucristo y al centro aparecen dos peces, símbolo de los inicios del cristianismo. Foto: Jim Hollander/EFE (2) This picture taken on Oct. 31, 2005 and released by the Israeli Antiquities Authority shows a mosaic with writing in ancient Greek with references to Christ, on the floor of what is believed to be the oldest church in Israel that was recently discovered in the grounds inside the Megiddo prison, near the biblical site of Armageddon, in central Israel and reported by Israel's Channel 2 TV Saturday Nov. 5, 2005. The ruins are believed to date back 1,700 years, and include references to Jesus and images of fish, the report said. Archaeological experts quoted in the story said it was the largest church ever discovered in the holy land, and could perhaps turn out to be the oldest church in the world.(AP Photo/Israel Antiquities Authority)
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Según los arqueólogos las ruinas datan del siglo III o IV e incluyen un mosaico en el que aparece el nombre de Jesucristo.
El recinto fue encontrado durante los trabajos de renovación de una prisión ubicada en Megiddo. Se trata de una zona del norte de Israel que correspondería a Armagedón, área que según el Nuevo Testamento albergará la batalla que desatará el fin del mundo.
Hace 18 meses, las autoridades de la prisión de Megiddo, zona ubicada al norte de Israel, iniciaron trabajos de renovación estructural con la ayuda de 60 reos. Las excavaciones de los presos se realizaban en una región que, de acuerdo con los expertos en estudios bíblicos y fe cristiana, representa una gran importancia: para ellos el lugar corresponde a Armagedón, sitio que según el Nuevo Testamento albergará la guerra que marcará el fin del mundo.
Por este motivo, cuando los reclusos empezaron a desenterrar lo que parecían ser mosaicos y estructuras, las labores se detuvieron y se llamó a un equipo de arqueólogos. Tras la cuidadosa remoción de escombros, salió a la luz un sorprendente hallazgo anunciado este fin de semana: una iglesia cristiana que para los investigadores es la más antigua de Tierra Santa y del mundo.
Según la Autoridad de Antigüedades de Israel, las ruinas datan del siglo III o IV d.C y, entre otras reliquias, hay un mosaico muy bien preservado que muestra el nombre de Jesús e imágenes de peces, un antiguo símbolo cristiano.
"Este es el descubrimiento de toda una vida", dijo el arqueólogo jefe Yotam Tepper mientras estudiaba el lugar. "Este será el lugar de la última batalla, por eso es tan importante para el mundo cristiano", agregó.
Hallazgo clave
La reacción del Vaticano tampoco se hizo esperar. Pietro Sambi, embajador de la Santa Sede en Israel, afirmó que "los cristianos están convencidos de la existencia de Jesús, pero es muy importante tener evidencias históricas de una iglesia dedicada a él".
En el lugar se encontraron tres inscripciones en griego antiguo. La ubicada más al norte de las ruinas menciona a un oficial romano que donó dinero para construir el mosaico del piso, mientras que la del este trata sobre cuatro mujeres. La que está al oeste nombra a otra mujer llamada Ekeptos y que "donó esta mesa a Dios Jesucristo en conmemoración".
Para el profesor Leah di Segni, de la Universidad Hebrea, esta mención representaría un cambio importante en la concepción que se tiene del cristianismo temprano. Esto porque hasta ahora se creía que el ritual de la Ultima Cena se realizaba en torno a un altar y no en una simple mesa.
Debido a este tipo de información, se cree que el hallazgo ayudará a obtener información vital sobre los albores del cristianismo, el cual estuvo prohibido hasta el siglo IV. "Normalmente, las evidencias que tenemos sobre esta región y período son de tipo literario y no arqueológico. No existe otra estructura con la cual se puedan comparar estas ruinas, por eso es un hallazgo bastante único", comentó Tepper.
Ante la importancia del descubrimiento, ahora se especula en Israel que la prisión de Megiddo será trasladada a otra zona y que ahí se abrirá un centro de atracción para visitantes locales y extranjeros. El ministro deTurismo de Israel, Avraham Hirshzon, explicó que "esto podría atraer un gran flujo de personas hacia el país". El recorrido permitiría a los peregrinos visitar Jerusalén, Belén y Galilea, incluyendo una parada en Armagedón.
Fuente: La Tercera, 7 de noviembre de 2005
Enalce: http://www.tercera.cl/medio/articulo/0,0,3255_5726_169709371,00.html
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(2) MEGIDDO PRISON, Israel - Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land's oldest church.
The discovery of the church in the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, near the biblical Armageddon, was hailed by experts as an important discovery that could reveal details about the development of the early church in the region. Archaeologists said the church dated from the third century, decades before Constantine legalized Christianity across the Byzantine Empire.
"What's clear today is that it's the oldest archaeological remains of a church in Israel, maybe even in the entire region. Whether in the entire world, it's still too early to say," said Yotam Tepper, the excavation's head archaeologist.
Israeli officials were giddy about the discovery, with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calling the church "an amazing story."
Vatican officials also hailed the find.
"A discovery of this kind will make Israel more interesting to all Christians, for the church all over the world," said Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican envoy to Jerusalem. "If it's true that the church and the beautiful mosaics are from the third century, it would be one of the most ancient churches in the Middle East."
Razilo, who is serving a two-year sentence for traffic violations, was one of about 50 prisoners brought into the high-security Megiddo Prison to help excavate the area before the construction of new wards for 1,200 Palestinian prisoners.
Razilo was shocked to uncover the edge of the mosaic. The inmates worked for months to uncover all the parts of the mosaic the floor of the church, he said.
"We continued to look and slowly we found this whole beautiful thing," said Razilo, who used a sponge and a bucket of water to clean dirt off the uncovered mosaics Sunday.
Two mosaics inside the church one covered with fish, an ancient Christian symbol that predates the cross tell the story of a Roman officer and a woman named Aketous who donated money to build the church in the memory "of the god, Jesus Christ."
Pottery remnants from the third century, the style of Greek writing used in the inscriptions, ancient geometric patterns in the mosaics and the depiction of fish rather than the cross indicate that the church was no longer used by the fourth century, Tepper said.
The church's location, not far from the spot where the New Testament says the final battle between good and evil will take place, also made sense because a bishop was active in the area at the time, said Tepper, who works with the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The inscription, which specifies that Aketous donated a table to the church, indicates the house of worship predated the Byzantine era, when Christians began using altars in place of tables in their rituals, Tepper said. Remnants of a table were uncovered between the two mosaics.
The building most of which was destroyed also was not built in the Basilica style that was standard under the Byzantines, he added.
Stephen Pfann, a biblical scholar and professor at the Holy Land University, said the second and third centuries were transitional periods where people sought to define their religious beliefs and modes of worship. Iconography and inscriptions found in Nazareth and Caperneum places where Jesus lived show that people went there to worship, although most did so secretly.
"This was a time of persecution and in this way it is quite surprising that there would be such a blatant expression of Christ in a mosaic, but it may be the very reason why the church was destroyed," Pfann said.
The dig will continue as archaeologists try to uncover the rest of the building and its surroundings, including what they believe could be a baptismal site, Tepper said.
Joe Zias, an anthropologist and former curator with the antiquities authority, questioned the dating of the find, saying there is no evidence of churches before the fourth century. The building may have been in use earlier, but most likely not for Christian religious purposes, he said.
"They're going to be hard, hard-pressed to prove it ... because the evidence argues otherwise," Zias said.
Fuente: By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press, 6 de noviembre de 2005
Enlace: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051106/ap_on_sc/israel_ancient_church
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Edwin Aguirre -