Legacy MattersThe image below is a photo of a mosaic with writing in ancient Greek with references to Jesus Christ and images of fish. The mosaic and ruins of a small building were found inside a maximum security prison where new cells were about to be built.
The jail houses prisoners including members of Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas who are sworn to Israel's destruction.
The site was discovered some months ago, but kept secret until now. The dig took place near the biblical site of Armageddon in northern Israel.
The archaeological digging was done by 60 inmates of the prison who will continue to be involved in the excavation.
"I never dreamed of anything like this. When we found something at the site we just kept on working. It is amazing," prisoner Ramil Raziloub said.
According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, one of the most dramatic finds suggests that, instead of an altar, a simple table stood in the center of the church, at which a sacred meal was held to commemorate the Last Supper. ...
The Israel Antiquities Authority believes it's the oldest church in the world dating back to the time when Christianity could only be practiced in secret.
"This is a once in a lifetime find and the inscriptions are very rare," IAA excavation supervisor, Jotham Tefer said.
Three Greek inscriptions were found on site: the northern one mentions a Roman army officer who donated money to build the mosaic floor. The eastern one commemorates four women, and the western inscription mentions a woman by the name of Ekeptos, who "donated this table to the God Jesus Christ in commemoration."
