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The oldest Church in the World |
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Jordan -
Jordan Attractions
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Tuesday, 10 June 2008 00:00 |
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 Jordan Archaeologists have unearthed and discovered what could be the world's oldest church, dating back over 2,000 years to the time of Christ.
Archaeological Scientists discovered the cave underneath the Saint Georgeous Church in Jordan, after exploring an underground cavern, later coming upon the cave which was beneath the church itself. They believe it is an even more ancient site of Christian worship, than the church above.
The Archaeologist Abdel-Qader Hussein, Head of the Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies and Abdul Qader al-Hussan believe this Church to be the first in the world and can be dated from (33 AD - 70 AD).
Unearthed in the northern Jordanian city of Rihab after three months of excavation, the discovery also gave evidence to early Christian rituals. This church may well served as a shelter to early Christians including Christʼs 70 Disciples, being used in the First Century after Christʼs death would make it the oldest Christian site of worship in the world. The Saint Georgeous church was built in (230 AD) and is located (65 km) northeast of Amman in Rihab.
Could we be certain this cave was actually a centre of Christian worship?
The cave's entrance was discovered during three months of excavations.
An archaeologist studies the entrance to the cave which they believe Christians fled to in times of persecution. He walks 'inside' the old church and described a circular worship area with stone seats, separated from a living area that had a long tunnel leading to a source of water. He said the early Christians hid there from persecution.
A mosaic inscription on the floor of the later church of St. Georgeous above refers to 'the 70 beloved by God and the divine' who laid the foundations for the Christian church.
Mr Thomas Parker, a Historian at the University of North Carolina-Raleigh, who led the discovery of the church in Aqaba, stated although he had not seen the Rihab site, any such claim should be taken with a degree of caution.
'An extraordinary claim like this requires extraordinary evidenceʼ. The artefacts and dating evidence should be able to suggest an occupation in the First Century.
The Archaeologist stated, mosaics are difficult to date unless there is a precise date in the text of the inscriptions themselves. He added typical mosaic inscriptions with Christian themes are usually from the (5th - 6th century).
It is quite possible that there was a cave with earlier occupation which was later converted to Christian use. But to make the jump that this was actually used by Christians fleeing Jerusalem in the 1st century A.D. seemed like a stretch.
Archimandrite Nektarious, the Bishop Deputy of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Amman, hailed this discovery as an important milestone for Christians all around the world and right here at home. It confirms that Christians in this region are not strangers. They are real citizens who have always had roots in this region from those days until the present.
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