by Daniel Siryoti
The slab, inscribed with Aramaic in Hebrew script, proves Jews lived on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee as early as 500 C.E. • Only two words discernible: "Amen" and "Marmaria" • Area associated with Jesus' Miracle of the Swine.
The ancient slab found near
the Sea of Galilee on Wednesday
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Photo credit: Jennifer Munro  |
A 1,500-year-old marble slab found on the
eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee Wednesday provides the first real
proof of ancient Jewish settlement in the area, archaeologists say. The
large slab, which bears an Aramaic inscription in Hebrew script, was dug
up on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee on Wednesday as part of
an ongoing excavation in the ancient town of Kursi.
Experts say the slab probably dates to around
500 C.E., when the Hebrew alphabet was used by Jews and some local
Christian communities. This suggest that Kursi was either a Jewish
community or a mixed Christian-Jewish settlement. Researchers could only
discern two words: "Amen" and "Marmaria," the latter possibly referring
to Jesus' mother, Mary.
Professor Michal Artzi, an archaeologist from
Haifa University and one of the supervisors of the excavation efforts,
said that while it had been assumed that Jews had inhabited Kursi,
Wednesday's find provides the first proof.
"It is a rarity to discover proof of a Jewish
presence on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Up to now, we had
nothing proving that Jews settled on the lake's shores during that era,
other than in the town of Migdal," Artzi said.
Kursi is associated with the town of Garasenes
or Gadarenes, where according to the New Testament, Jesus performed the
Miracle of the Swine, in which he exorcised evil spirits from a man and
cast them into a herd of wild pigs, which then rushed into the lake and
drowned.
The excavation is being run under the auspices of the
Israel Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority,
with the support of the Avery-Tsui Foundation.
Daniel Siryoti
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=30487
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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