TEL MEGIDDO, Israel (AP) — An ancient Christian mosaic bearing an early reference to Jesus as God is at the center of a controversy that has riled archaeologists: Should the centuries-old decorated floor, which is near what’s believed to be the site of the prophesied Armageddon, be uprooted and loaned to a U.S. museum that has been criticized for past acquisition practices?
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Israeli officials are considering just that. The proposed loan to the Museum of the Bible in Washington also underscores the deepening ties between Israel and evangelical Christians in the U.S, whom Israel has come to count on for political support, tourism dollars and other benefits.
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The Megiddo Mosaic is from what is believed to be the world’s earliest Christian prayer hall that was located in a Roman-era village in northern Israel. It was discovered by Israeli archaeologists in 2005 during a salvage excavation conducted as part of the planned expansion of an Israeli prison.
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The prison sits at a historic crossroads a mile south of Tel Megiddo on the cusp of the wide, flat Jezreel Valley. The compound is ringed by a white steel fence topped with barbed wire and is used for the detention of Palestinian security inmates.
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The Israel Antiquities Authority said that it will decide about the move in the coming weeks, following consultations with an advisory body.
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The mosaic should be left in situ unless doing so is not an option. How is tearing up a 2000 year old floor, cutting it into pieces, putting the pieces into crates, shipping the crates halfway across the world, and then reassembling it better than leaving it in place and building a museum around it? Moving it creates many more opportunities for it to get destroyed or lost.
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Evangelicals, who make up more than a third of the world’s estimated 2 billion Christians, say their affinity for Israel stems from Christianity’s Jewish roots.
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Some view the founding of Israel as fulfilling biblical prophecy, ushering in an anticipated Messianic age when Jesus will return and Jews will either accept Christianity or die. That tenet has generated unease among some Israelis, but politicians have embraced evangelical support for the state nonetheless.
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This is stupid. Christianity is like the opposite of Judaism. That’s like saying “I have an affinity for broken homes because I grew up in one.” Look at how many times the Jews disobeyed direct orders from God and had to be punished by Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, etc. And this isn’t like today when people have trouble interpreting a verse in the Bible, this was back in the old days when God would appear before everyone and tell them exactly what to do and they still wouldn’t listen.
Jesus fulfilled the old covenant. It’s over. We’re in the new covenant era now. Look at the Last Supper. He took the Passover seder and did it in reverse.