The earliest inscription proclaiming 'Jesus Christ as God' was discovered beneath the floor of an Israeli prison and is currently on display in the United States. The 1,800-year-old Megiddo mosaic has been hailed as "the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls," according to Carlos Campo, CEO of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. The Jewish News Syndicate reported that the mosaic has been housed in the museum since July, 2024.
Discovered in 2005 the Megiddo Mosaic is now on display for the public!!This might be as big a deal as the Dead Sea Scrolls – it dates to 230 AD1) it says Jesus is God2) it shows the early church used icons for worship & celebrating the Eucharist! https://t.co/XellOLhKv8pic.twitter.com/e1bLWXUCN3
— Kenneth (@Orthodox_Xian) November 19, 2024
"We truly are among the first people to ever see this, to experience what was put together almost 2,000 years ago by a man named Brutus, the incredible craftsman who laid the flooring here," Campo said during the exhibition's inauguration.
The mosaic, discovered by a prisoner in Megiddo, Israel contains words inscribed in Greek that read: "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," According to the Daily Mail.
Earliest 'Jesus is God' inscription found beneath Israeli prison The 1,800-year-old mosaic, discovered by an inmate of the Megiddo prison, features the ancient Greek writing: 'The god-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.'… pic.twitter.com/lY4JQ3fAtO
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The discovery also features some of the earliest depictions of fish, which scholars believe connect to the event in Luke 9:16, where Jesus multiplied two fish to feed a crowd of 5,000 people.
"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,'" said Alegre Savariego, curator of the exhibition, in an interview with the Daily Mail.
The unearthing process, carried out by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), took four years to recover the 581-square-foot mosaic floor.
This theologically significant relic also includes the name of a Roman officer who commissioned the tile during the Roman occupation of Judea.
Additionally, the mosaic contains the names of five women, emphasizing the key roles they played in the early church.