Archaeologists excavating at the settlement of et-Taiyiba, in the Valley of Megiddo (also known as the Jezreel Valley), discovered an inscription with the name "Christ, born of Mary".
According to Christian eschatology, the valley is the site of the final battle between the forces of good and evil, commonly known as Armageddon. The term “Armageddon” is derived from the Hebrew “Har Megiddo,” meaning ‘Mount Megiddo.’
The stone inscription is etched in Greek and was discovered in a doorway entry to a building that dates from the late 5th century AD during the Byzantine or Early Islamic period.
Excavations of the structure also revealed two rooms with mosaic flooring painted with geometric patterns.
Dr. Leah Di-Segni, a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology, explained that the inscription is a dedicatory to Jesus, the Son of Mary, and reads: "Christ born of Mary. The work of the most God-fearing and pious bishop [Theodo]sius and the unhappy Th[omas] was built from the ground up. "Whoever enters should pray for them."
Theodosius, referred to as the building's founder in the text, was one of the region's first Christian bishops and held ecclesiastical authority in Bet She'an, the capital of the Byzantine province of Palaestina Secunda.
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| Image Credit : Israel Antiquities Authority, Tzachi Lang and Einat Ambar-Armon. |
Researchers say the inscriptions are said to protect against the evil eye and have been found elsewhere in the Byzantine world.
Dr. Walid Atrash from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said: "This is the first evidence of the existence of a Byzantine church in the village of E-Taiba, along with other finds that testify to the activities of Christians living there. It complements the
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