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Earliest ‘Jesus is God’ inscription found — deemed ‘greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls’

By
Ben Cost
Published Nov. 19, 2024, 12:05 p.m. ET

If only these floors could talk.

Scientists are going gaga over the earliest inscription declaring “Jesus is God,” claiming that this 1,800-year-old engraving could change our understanding of Christianity.

The mosaic is “the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls,” declared Carlos Campo, CEO of the Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C., where the theologically significant relic has been housed since July, the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) reported.

Dubbed the Meggido Mosaic, the 581-foot artifact was originally underneath a floor of the Meggido Prison in Israel in 2005, after which it was excavated in pieces by the Israel Antiquities Authority over the course of four years.

The mosaic.
“The mosaic (pictured) presents groundbreaking physical evidence of the practices and beliefs of early Christians, including the first archaeological instance of the phrase, ‘God Jesus Christ,’ seconded the exhibition’s curator Alegre Savariego. Museum of the Bible

It had reportedly adorned a private chapel in 230 AD that was reportedly the “earliest known house of prayer,” according to Gil Lin, the head of the Megiddo Regional Council.

Inscribed on the mosaic are Greek words, “The god-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial. Lin described this as the “first physical proclamation of Jesus Christ as God,” the Daily Mail reported.

“The mosaic presents groundbreaking physical evidence of the practices and beliefs of early Christians, including the first archaeological instance of the phrase, ‘God Jesus Christ,’ seconded the exhibition’s curator Alegre Savariego.

This was significant as the artifact declared JC as God before Christianity became part of the Roman empire, JNS reported.

The fish.
The mosaic included an image of a fish, one of the signature symbols of Jesus Christ. Museum of the Bible

Megiddo, which was designed by a craftsman named Brutus, also features some of the earliest depictions of fish, one of the trademark symbols of the messiah in Christian theology.

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Dr. Adolfo Roitman presents a part of the Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, inside the vault of the Shrine of the Book building at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem on Monday, Sept. 26, 2011. AP

In the gospel of Luke 9:16 in the Bible, Jesus notably multiplied two fish and several loaves of bread to feed 5,000 people.

Also included was a reference to Gaianus, the Roman officer who commissioned the tile during the Roman occupation of Judea.

This, along with the mosaic’s proximity to a Roman camp, suggested that Romans coexisted with Christians to some degree despite the notorious tales of bloodshed and violence involving the two factions.

“This is arguably one of the most important archaeological discoveries for understanding the early Christian church,” said Bobby Duke, director of the Scholars Initiative at the Museum of the Bible. “Truly, the mosaic presents a wealth of new data for church historians.”

To wit, the piece includes the names of five women: Primilla, Cyriaca, Dorothea, Chreste, and Akeptous, the latter of whom was shouted out for donating a table to the prayer hall.

“The mosaic underscores the crucial role of women in the early church,” deduced Duke.

After the Museum Of The Bible’s exhibition concludes in July 2025, the hallowed floor decor will return to Israel, where it will be showcased at the exact site where it was exhumed.