A 1,400-year-old artifact near the Sea of Galilee may rewrite the history of baptism
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Archaeologists have found an artifact near the Sea of Galilee that may reveal new details about how early Christians were baptized.
A 1,400-year-old artifact was recently found in the ancient city of Hippos, the seat of a prominent bishop at the time of the meeting. Byzantine periodaccording to a March 30 press release shared with Fox News Digital.
This city was the only Christian city around the Sea of Galilee, controlling the area related to the ministry of Jesus.
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A marble stone was found in the baptistery called the photisterion. It may shed light on “a hitherto undocumented stage of early Christian baptism,” officials said.
The Hippos cathedral had two baptismal halls: one for adults, one for infants and children, which is where a new discovery was made.
Discoveries from the Byzantine period at Hippos include a ceremonial object related to early Christian worship near the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus preached. (Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images; Michael Eisenberg)
The small hall was built after 591 AD and was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 AD – meaning the object is about 1,400 years old.
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Officials described the object as a “rectangular block with three hemispherical holes, found near the baptistery of the recently uncovered ceremonial hall.”
Researchers believe that this block may have held three different oils used during the triple dipping ceremony.
“The collapse buried the marble and bronze artifacts under the rubble, preserving them until their recent discovery.”
Photographs of the object show a weathered block of marble with three bowl-shaped bowls, suggesting that it was designed to hold liquids on the side.
Early Christian baptism often involved two anointings before and after the ceremony—making the tripartite design unusual.
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“The collapse buried the marble and bronze artifacts under the rubble, preserving them until later discovery,” the release noted.
Officials added, “After extensive testing and comparison, experts concluded that no known similarities exist.”
A marble stone with three carved bowls found at Hippos may refer to a previously unknown step in the baptismal ritual of early Christians. (Michael Eisenberg)
Michael Eisenberg, an archaeologist from the University of Haifa who recently published the results in the journal PEQ, and colleague Arleta Kowalewska, said the object was found among a variety of “church wonders,” including a bronze candelabrum used to hold candles.
“It was only after careful research that we realized how different they are in understanding Christian practices where Christianity began by the Sea of Galilee,” he said.
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The material “wasn’t anything special at first,” when they dug it up, Eisenberg told Fox News Digital.
“But this is exactly where archeology and liturgical studies come into play.”
The ancient city of Hippos, close to the regions associated with the ministry of Jesus, was the main center of early Christian life. (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images; Michael Eisenberg)
“The realization that a one-of-a-kind artifact could fill an unknown regional and perhaps wider lacunae in one of the oldest and most sacred Christian festivals was absolutely amazing.”
Eisenberg said the discovery could “open a portal” to the development of baptism practices in the early Christian world.
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“In different regions, different service traditions developed, many of which are not recorded in written sources,” said the archaeologist.
“This discovery provides a unique insight into how baptism was constructed and practiced in the Byzantine Christian community of Hippos.”
The bronze candelabrum, seen on the right, is one of several religious objects discovered at Hippos, a major Christian center during the Byzantine period. (Michael Eisenberg)
The find joins a long list of important archaeological finds at Hippos in recent years.
Last year, diggers at Hippos discovered a 1,600-year-old Christian nursing home, possibly the oldest nursing home in the world.
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Last July, metal detectorists found a cache of ancient jewelry and gold coins near the ruins of Hippos.
