Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Beautiful Mosaic Floor Uncovered at Site of Prophet Zacharia's Tomb in Israel

Israel National News/Arutz 7 reports that archaeologists have uncovered an especially large and beautiful mosaic floor at the site in Hirbat Madras, on the Judaen coastal plain, identified by scholars as the residence and tomb of the Prophet Zacharia. The report states that the finds at the site include the ruins of an ancient synagogue dating back to Second Temple times. Hirbet Madras was known as the site of a large, important Jewish community from the Second Temple period. The city was destroyed during the Bar Kochba Revolt in 135 CE.

However, the destruction of Hirbet Madras did not end its use as a religious site. According to archaeologists, "Based on the results of the excavation, a church dating to the Byzantine period was apparently built inside a large public compound from the Second Temple period and the Bar Kochba Revolt. Eight marble columns bearing capitals especially imported from Turkey graced the nave of the basilica."

It is unclear to me from the Israel National News report whether the mosaic floor dates back to the Second Temple structure or was installed later in the Byzantine church. Regardless, other discoveries at the site bore witness to its use during the Second Temple period. "Among the items found in the rooms were coins from the time of the Great Revolt (66-70 CE) and the Bar Kochba Revolt (132 - 135 CE), stone vessels, lamps and various Jewish pottery vessels from the period."

Of course, since according to Palestinian "scholars" Jews never lived in the Land of Israel before the Zionist invasion, clearly there has been some colossal misunderstanding by the archaeologists and Hirbet Madras must be the remnants of the ancient Palestinian Arab civilization. I hope there is no Hebrew writing on those coins--it would be embarrassing.

2 Comments:

Anonymous romana said...

It is a shame for you to site nonesense on your site! We Christian or Muslim Palestinians NEVER said that Jews did not live in the Holy land... Our Jesus is a Palestinian Jew!! The Old Testament itself proclaims that the land was inhabited by the Cananites, Philistines, Ma'obites,etc.. and then the Hebrews, so does the Qur'aan..! regardless, in Jesus there is no Jew or Gentile... (When you believe and live it, we are all but equal in HIS Devine eyes!! yet The majority of the Israelis of today are not of the Land but imported from all over the world... and took our Land (the land of the indiginous people (the Palestinians )..of whom many were originally Jews.. my family is traced back to the times of the romans.. we were Jews and converted to Christianity 1900 years ago... and a lot of the Muslims in the Holy land were Jews at sometime, became Christians and then muslims!! Arabic is only a language we adopted from the Arabian peninsula! Palestinians are mostly from the Islands of Creet pre old testament! Peace and God Bless you and all the World!

Wednesday, September 19, 2012 12:42:00 PM  
Blogger The Kosher Hedgehog said...

Romana, thank you for the blessing and prayer for peace. However,are you kidding about, "We Christian or Muslim Palestinians NEVER said that Jews did not live in the Holy Land"? In my blog post, I quote the Palestinian Al Aqsa Institute, which says exactly that. Palestinian authorities frequently refer to the Temple as "the alleged Temple." Yassir Arafat always insisted that Jerusalem was only holy to Christians and Moslems, not to Jews, and that the Temple never existed on the site of Al Aqsa. Yes, that is irrational given that the New Testament describes Jesus as a Jew who spent time at the Temple, so that in effect Mr. Arafat was denying the beliefs of Palestinian Arab Christians, but that is what he indeed said on several well-documented occasions, including to President Bill Clinton at Camp David in 2000. I appreciate that you recognize the Jewish historical connection to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel, and I certainly do not myself deny the Christian and Islamic connections, but please do not pretend that all of your fellow Palestinians feel the same way. Also, please understand that those Jews in Israel today who were "imported from all over the world" were returning to the land of their ancestors, as the prophets in our Bible, yours and mine, foretold. May Christians, Moslems and Jews learn to live with one another in the Holy Land, in peace.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 10:44:00 PM  

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