The Megiddo Mosaic
The “most significant discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls” is 1,800 years old and is the oldest known inscription declaring Jesus as God. She was found by a prisoner of Megiddo prison.
“Akeptouslover of God, offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial”, it reads in Greek.
The oldest known inscription declaring Jesus as God was discovered by an inmate in 2005 under the prison of Megiddoin Israel, while he was digging under the floor of his cell — possibly during an escape attempt.
AND the “most significant discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls” and is on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, the capital of the USA.
Dated from 230 d.C.the mosaic decorated what is considered the first Christian prayer room in the world. Its discovery places Jesus as divine in early Christian understanding, contrary to the belief that this concept developed later.
“God-loving Akeptous offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.”
The mosaic also presents some of the first symbolic representations of fish from Christianitymaking reference to the miracle of Jesus, who fed 5,000 people, as reported in Luke 9:16.
The fish is the oldest symbol of Christianity.
Discovered during the expansion of the Megiddo high-security prison, the mosaic remained buried for years before being transported to the US in 11 meticulously packaged boxes.
Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) carefully stabilized and prepared the mosaic for exhibition The Megiddo Mosaic: Foundations of Faithwhich will be on display until July 2025, before returning to Israel for permanent installation at the site where it was discovered.
Along with Akeptous, the names of four other women: Primilla, Cyriaca, Dorothea, and Chreste — a rarity, as you almost never see individual women being honored in such inscriptions.
“Remember Primilla and Cyriaca and Dorothea, and lastly, Chreste.”
The mosaic also references Gaianusa Roman official who financed its creation. The site, situated in the Jezreel Valley near the ancient city of Megiddo, also contained a Roman camp. “Brutius was probably the tessellary do Mosaico”, the museum said in a statement.
Carlos Campo, executive director of the Museum of the Bible, describes the mosaic as “the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls”, while curator Alegre Savariego highlights its role as “innovative physical proof of early Christian practices”.
Upon its return to Israel, the artifact will be celebrated as a cornerstone for understanding early Christianity.
