Earliest 'Jesus is God' inscription found in Israel

'Greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls'

The earliest inscription declaring Jesus as God - deemed 'the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls' - was uncovered beneath the floor of an Israeli prison and is now on display in America. 

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.'

The 581-square-foot mosaic decorated the world's first prayer hall in 230 AD, confirming Christians believed Jesus was the son of God from the very beginning.

The Megiddo Mosaic also included some of the earliest images of fish, which experts believe reference the story in Luke:9:16Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
See All... when Jesus multiplied two fish to feed a crowd of 5,000 people. 

The floor has been hidden under the prison since it was discovered in 2005, but has now been lent to a museum in Washington, DC, until July 2025.

Carlos Campo, CEO of the museum, hailed the mosaic as ' the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls,' while his colleagues noted it was 'the most important archaeological discovery for understanding the early Christian church.'

'We truly are among the first people to ever see this, to experience what almost 2,000 years ago was put together by a man named Brutius, the incredible craftsman who laid the flooring here,' Campo said at the opening of the exhibition. 

The excavation, conducted by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), took four years to recover the 581-square-foot mosaic floor.

The mosaic included the name of the Roman officer who commissioned the tile during the Roman occupation of Judea.

Researchers suggested that could prove Romans coexisted with Christians to some degree, despite the numerous stories of war and slaughter at the time.

An inscription on the mosaic read: 'Gaianus, a Roman officer, having sought honor, from his own money, has made the mosaic.'

The team also found a nearby Roman camp, providing more support of the peace between the two groups. 

The prayer hall, or church, was likely abandoned and covered up because the Roman Empire's Sixth Legion was transferred to Transjordan - a region located to the east of the Jordan River. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14096551/earliest-inscription-jesus-god-israel-prison-ancient-discovery.html