Archaeologists continue to stun us with new and unprecedented discoveries. Recently, a building was discovered in Nazareth, which many experts consider the home of Jesus Christ.
This is a building of the 1st century, carved in limestone. Did archaeologists find the place where Jesus grew up? According to the British scientist, the Son of God lived in this cave with Mary and her husband, Joseph. Where was the childhood home of Christ discovered, and what discoveries gave the world of science the artefacts found in it?
Professor Ken Dark of the University of Reading spent nearly fifteen years researching the sacred sanctuary. Initially, the scientist was excavating another site in Israel. While carrying out this assignment, a mystery caught his attention.
In a media interview, he said, “I have been studying the history of the city as a Byzantine Christian pilgrimage centre.” Dark was interested in the old story, which told about the house where the childhood of Jesus Christ passed. For the first time, nuns wrote about this at the end of the 19th century. At that time, there was a Byzantine church on this site, which was probably built specifically to protect the Savior’s house.
In September, a book was published about the forgotten but essential chapter in biblical history. It received the name “The Convent of the Sisters of Nazareth: a place of memory of the Roman, Byzantine and Crusader periods in the centre of Nazareth.” In this work, the professor claims that this house was built by the hands of the earthly father, Jesus Christ.
In the 20th century, excavations were carried out from time to time. Then they forgot about it for a while, but in 2006 Professor Dark again began to study the alleged dwelling of the Messiah. The more the scientist was engaged in researching this place, the more it became clear that this house still belonged to the parents of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
The house was built in the 1st century. The building has a sense of skilful work, and there is a large courtyard, a beautiful terrace on the roof, and storage facilities.
Joseph was a real master, a skilled carpenter and an artisan, and he could well have built such a house. The staircase was carved right in the stone. The vaults of the stone cave served as a ceiling. Not many places have a doorway cut out of solid rock, with a staircase carved like this. There is pressed chalk instead of carpet. Traces of ceramics were also found in the interior.
After the Son of God was crucified, a church was built near this house. In the 2nd century, another one was built over the building, only much more significant. Professor Dark believes that this was done for a reason. Christians have always considered this place to be very substantial.
Located on a quiet side street, the monastery of the Nazareth Sisters is now part of the centre of Nazareth in 2020. Next to it is the famous Church of the Annunciation, another important religious site.
Saint Joseph can be seen as a simple carpenter. However, The Good Book calls him tecton, “the ancient word for artisan. It looks like his craftsmanship went beyond woodworking. It is possible that it was he who created this house from limestone. Dark got information about this ancient Christian temple from the report “De Locis Sanctis”, written by the Irish monk Adomnan in the 7th century. The abbot and statesman came up with the name “Church of Nutrition” because Christ himself ate in the sacred premises.
Before the trip to Israel, Professor Dark had done a great job. The house of Jesus Christ, or what is considered such, was mentioned by the French scientist and explorer Victor Guerin in 1888. The nuns stumbled upon the ancient structure, causing real ecclesiastical excitement. Then, for about 80 years until 1964, excavations were carried out in the house. The Jesuit priest, Henri Senes, was almost the only person who always kept in what is the childhood home of our Savior. Now Professor Dark has revived people’s interest in this topic.
In 2015, the professor published a scientific article about his discoveries. He cannot say with certainty if this is the home of Christ’s childhood. But for him, this is the most likely option. There is no concrete archaeological evidence for this, but there are no archaeological reasons to refute this statement. Dark’s conclusions are based mainly on ancient Byzantine texts. Recent discoveries in the excavations only confirmed his opinion.
Will the world accept such a truth? Will he see a pattern in the ancient buildings of Nazareth? Answers will come brick by brick because the excavation is not over yet.
