{"id":36300,"date":"2019-12-24T20:59:41","date_gmt":"2019-12-25T01:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=36300"},"modified":"2019-12-24T22:25:20","modified_gmt":"2019-12-25T03:25:20","slug":"the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/","title":{"rendered":"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first of two posts written by Dr. Douglas Boin on new archaeological and historical research in the study of early Christianity, drawn from his book<\/em> Coming Out Christian in the Roman World: How the Followers of Jesus Made a Place in Caesar’s Empire<\/a> (Bloomsbury Press, 2015). Click here to read part two.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"maresha-paintings\"<\/a>

A melange of animals\u2014some real, others exotic\u2014populate the upper registers of a tomb at the Hellenistic city of Maresha. The paintings on site are restored versions of the originals, which dated to the third and second centuries B.C. Photo: Douglas Boin.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The race for the next spectacular artifact is on. Ancient bone boxes<\/a>, lost manuscripts<\/a> encoded with secret messages about Jesus, even fragments of crumbled papyrus<\/a>\u2014some no bigger than the receipts we stuff in our pockets\u2014promise hope of a brave new world in Biblical studies<\/a>. The assumption seems to be that if we just look a little harder, if we just dig a little bit deeper, one day we\u2019ll find the one piece of evidence that will take us back to the earliest age of Jesus and his followers. To many, it\u2019s an urgent archaeological mission with profound implications for the history of faith.<\/p>\n

Just don\u2019t hold your breath. For almost two hundred years after the crucifixion<\/a>, Roman cities are entirely devoid of any trace of early Christians; to date, no one has ever found any object that\u2019s been plausibly connected to them. As an archaeologist and a historian, I think it\u2019s time we start taking this silence seriously and stop trying to fill it with any more sensational \u201cdiscoveries.\u201d Many of Jesus\u2019 followers\u2014men and women who lived in the first, second and even third century Roman Mediterranean\u2014simply didn\u2019t want to be found.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not exactly the first thing that usually comes to mind when we think about early Christians, but the evidence is insurmountable at this point. For almost four hundred years, there were no manger scenes<\/a> anywhere in the Roman world. There were no crucifixes<\/a> displayed in homes or schools. There weren\u2019t even any bound Bibles tucked into church pews. In fact, we actually don\u2019t even know what \u201cchurches\u201d<\/a> looked like, at least, not until the middle of the third century. For a community that would later come to remember its earliest history as a time of vicious persecution, answered with outspoken acts of martyrdom, this archaeological silence poses a slight problem. Where are these people?<\/p>\n

There are two assumptions people usually rely upon to explain the silence. The first is that Scripture, which is to say, the Second Commandment of the Hebrew Bible<\/a>, prohibited Jesus\u2019 followers from dabbling in anything artistic. The second is that early Christians were too poor and disenfranchised to leave anything noticeable behind. New archaeological and historical research suggests that neither of these traditional explanations are adequate. This post is the first in a two-part series that will explore each of these issues, charting some new directions in the study of early Christianity.<\/p>\n

\n

In the free eBook<\/strong><\/em> Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity<\/a>, learn about the cultural contexts for the theology of Paul and how Jewish traditions and law extended into early Christianity through Paul\u2019s dual roles as a Christian missionary and a Pharisee.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

So let\u2019s tackle the first question. Did the Mosaic commandment forbidding the creation of graven images (Deuteronomy 5:8) really prohibit Jesus\u2019 earliest followers from pursuing their own artistic talents? Recent work on Jewish material culture during the late Second Temple period has shed new light on this topic. At the center of this picture is a twenty-year-old boy, Alexander the Great<\/a>, and the legacy he left behind in the eastern Mediterranean in the third, second and first centuries B.C.<\/p>\n

By the time of Alexander\u2019s successors\u2014the Seleucid family<\/a> in Asia Minor and the northern Levant, the Ptolemies<\/a> in Egypt and the southern Levant\u2014sounds of Hellenistic art<\/a> and craftsmanship were beginning to echo on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean. A visit to two cities makes that clear. At the city of Hellenistic Marisa<\/a> (today known as Maresha, a site near Bethlehem<\/a>), archaeologists found tomb chambers with paintings of animals and landscapes that are stylistically similar to those seen at sites like Vergina, Greece, an important site for the Macedonian kings. The animals depicted at Maresha may even have been inspired by a famous Hellenistic zoo, organized by the Ptolemies at Alexandria. The paintings at Maresha have been dated to the third and second centuries B.C. (see image above).<\/p>\n

\"jerusalem-tombs\"<\/a>

Doric and Ionic columns, friezes, even an Egyptian pyramid shape provided the architectural vocabulary for these two tombs in Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period. These are located east of the Temple Platform, in the Kidron Valley of Jerusalem. Photo: Douglas Boin.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Evidence in Jerusalem reveals similar examples of cultural exchange during this time.<\/p>\n

Representations of ships and anchors appear in many Jerusalem tombs<\/a> during the late Second Temple period. Some monumental tombs built in the Kidron Valley, in the shadow of the Second Temple, incorporate architectural styles that were also widely popular. Both the tomb of the sons of Hezir<\/a>, dated to the second century B.C, and the so-called Tomb of Absalom, dated to the first century A.D., draw upon Greek columns, capitals, friezes\u2014even Egyptian pyramid forms (see image right).<\/p>\n

Jewish individuals and groups during the late Second Temple period may have been waging fierce debates amongst themselves about the role of Hellenistic customs in the formation of their Jewish identity\u2014debates we pick up in our textual sources, like 2 Maccabees\u2014but the archaeological evidence is clear: The Second Commandment given to Moses<\/a> did not prevent Jews from making images. It prevented them from making idols. Appreciating this nuance in the history of Jewish art and archaeology is an important first step to seeing early Christian archaeology in a new light, too.
\nIn sum, how have we ever come to believe that Christians harbored an innate artistic hostility of their own, taught to them in the Second Commandment, when Jews who read their own Scripture came to entirely opposite ideas<\/em>? To understand why we haven\u2019t been able to find Jesus\u2019 earliest followers means setting aside long-held assumptions like these. In my second post<\/a>, I’ll tackle another one: Were early Christians so poor that they were never able to afford nice things? The answer to that question, too, is not the one we may think we know.<\/p>\n

\n

This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on December 1, 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\"douglas-boin\"<\/a>

Photo by Jerod Quinn<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Douglas Boin<\/strong> is assistant professor of ancient and Late Antique Mediterranean history at Saint Louis University. He is the author of Coming Out Christian in the Roman World: How the Followers of Jesus Made a Place in Caesar’s Empire<\/em><\/a> (Bloomsbury Press, 2015), from which this post is adapted. This post has been adapted from it.<\/p>\n

Follow him on Twitter @douglasboin<\/a> and on his blog Religious Dirt<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Related reading in Bible History Daily:<\/h2>\n

Who Tells the Truth\u2014the Bible or Archaeology?<\/strong><\/a>
\nWilliam G. Dever attempts to marry archaeology and the Bible<\/em><\/p>\n

Roman Emperor Nerva\u2019s Reform of the Jewish Tax<\/strong><\/a> by Nathan T. Elkins<\/p>\n

The Origin of Christianity<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

When Did Christianity Begin to Spread?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Alternative Facts: Domitian\u2019s Persecution of Christians<\/strong><\/a> by Mark Wilson<\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In part one of a two-part series, Douglas Boin presents new archaeological and historical research in the study of early Christianity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":36310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[383,386],"tags":[354,827,988,108,167,36,118,37,1349,1351,1356,1404,229,1653,1654,42,43,1886,1997,2326,2338,2341,2353,250,251,2601,50,51,3011,3015,357,3440,3472,3522,172,173,5108,302,5413,60,114,6002,6490,67,68,73,13,235,7600,7602,7663,304,305,8396,8736,8973,9122,257,151,10187,10190,78,306,10448,10749,11255,11261,11460,12158,12316,91,12526,12677,308,12678,15,12739,12976,13085,14874,14878,14881,247,16196],"class_list":["post-36300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biblical-archaeology-topics","category-daily-life-and-practice","tag-about-jesus","tag-ancient-cultures","tag-ancient-library-of-alexandria","tag-ancient-near","tag-archaeological-evidence","tag-archaeologist","tag-archaeologists","tag-archaeology-and-the-bible","tag-archaeology-places","tag-archaeology-sites","tag-archaeology-today-2","tag-artifacts-and-the-bible-2","tag-bethlehem","tag-bib-arch","tag-bib-arch-org","tag-bible-history","tag-bible-history-daily","tag-bible-interpretation","tag-bible-people","tag-biblical-archaeology-places","tag-biblical-archaeology-sites","tag-biblical-archaeology-topics","tag-biblical-artifacts","tag-biblical-period","tag-biblical-sites","tag-biblical-topics-2","tag-bone-box","tag-brother-of-jesus","tag-christian-apocrypha","tag-christian-archaeology","tag-crucifixion","tag-crucifixion-methods","tag-crucifixion-roman","tag-daily-life-and-practice-2","tag-early-christian","tag-early-christianity","tag-free-ebooks","tag-gospel-of-jesus","tag-gospel-of-jesus-wife","tag-hebrew","tag-hebrew-bible","tag-history-of-crucifixion","tag-how-was-jesus-tomb-sealed","tag-james","tag-james-ossuary","tag-jerusalem-2","tag-jesus","tag-jesus-born","tag-jesus-tomb","tag-jesus-tomb-sealed","tag-jesus-wife","tag-jewish-traditions","tag-jews","tag-library-of-alexandria","tag-maresha","tag-mediterranean-history","tag-morton-smith","tag-moses","tag-new-testament","tag-origin-of-christ","tag-origin-of-christianity","tag-ossuary","tag-paul-jewish-law-and-early-christianity","tag-people-in-the-bible","tag-post-biblical","tag-roman-crucifixion","tag-roman-crucifixion-methods","tag-scripture","tag-tel-maresha","tag-the-ancient-library-of-alexandria","tag-the-brother-of-jesus","tag-the-crucifixion","tag-the-gospel-of","tag-the-gospel-of-jesus","tag-the-gospel-of-jesus-wife","tag-the-hebrew-bible","tag-the-history-of-crucifixion","tag-the-origin-of-christianity","tag-the-second-temple","tag-when-did-christianity","tag-when-did-christianity-begin","tag-when-did-christianity-begin-to-spread","tag-where-was-jesus-born","tag-william-g-dever"],"acf":[],"nelio_content":{"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"efiAlt":"","efiUrl":"","followers":[],"highlights":[],"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"networkImageIds":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[],"series":[],"suggestedReferences":[]},"yoast_head":"\nThe Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians - Biblical Archaeology Society<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In part one of a two-part series, Douglas Boin presents new archaeological and historical research in the study of early Christianity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Archaeology Society\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BibArch\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-12-25T01:59:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-25T03:25:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"320\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"214\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@BibArch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@BibArch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/50137afe3b66121a262ade87bed707ee\"},\"headline\":\"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-25T01:59:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-25T03:25:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\"},\"wordCount\":1254,\"commentCount\":26,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"about jesus\",\"ancient cultures\",\"ancient library of alexandria\",\"ancient near\",\"archaeological evidence\",\"archaeologist\",\"archaeologists\",\"archaeology and the bible\",\"archaeology places\",\"archaeology sites\",\"archaeology today\",\"artifacts and the bible\",\"bethlehem\",\"bib arch\",\"bib arch org\",\"bible history\",\"bible history daily\",\"Bible Interpretation\",\"bible people\",\"Biblical Archaeology Places\",\"Biblical Archaeology Sites\",\"Biblical Archaeology Topics\",\"Biblical Artifacts\",\"biblical period\",\"biblical sites\",\"biblical topics\",\"Bone box\",\"Brother of Jesus\",\"christian apocrypha\",\"christian archaeology\",\"Crucifixion\",\"crucifixion methods\",\"crucifixion roman\",\"daily life and practice\",\"early christian\",\"early christianity\",\"free ebooks\",\"gospel of jesus\",\"gospel of jesus wife\",\"hebrew\",\"Hebrew Bible\",\"History of Crucifixion\",\"how was jesus tomb sealed\",\"James\",\"james ossuary\",\"jerusalem\",\"Jesus\",\"jesus born\",\"jesus tomb\",\"jesus tomb sealed\",\"jesus wife\",\"jewish traditions\",\"jews\",\"library of alexandria\",\"maresha\",\"mediterranean history\",\"morton smith\",\"moses\",\"New Testament\",\"origin of christ\",\"origin of christianity\",\"ossuary\",\"Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity\",\"People in the Bible\",\"post biblical\",\"roman crucifixion\",\"Roman Crucifixion Methods\",\"scripture\",\"tel maresha\",\"the ancient library of alexandria\",\"the brother of jesus\",\"the crucifixion\",\"the gospel of\",\"the gospel of jesus\",\"the gospel of jesus wife\",\"The Hebrew Bible\",\"the history of crucifixion\",\"the origin of christianity\",\"the second temple\",\"when did christianity\",\"when did christianity begin\",\"when did christianity begin to spread\",\"where was jesus born\",\"william g dever\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Biblical Archaeology Topics\",\"Daily Life and Practice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\",\"name\":\"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians - Biblical Archaeology Society\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-25T01:59:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-25T03:25:20+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/50137afe3b66121a262ade87bed707ee\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg\",\"width\":320,\"height\":214,\"caption\":\"Doric and Ionic columns, friezes, even an Egyptian pyramid shape provided the architectural vocabulary for these two tombs in Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period. These are located east of the Temple Platform, in the Kidron Valley of Jerusalem. Photo: Douglas Boin.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/\",\"name\":\"Biblical Archaeology Society\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/50137afe3b66121a262ade87bed707ee\",\"name\":\"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/author\/biblical-archaeology-society-staff\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians - Biblical Archaeology Society","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians","og_description":"In part one of a two-part series, Douglas Boin presents new archaeological and historical research in the study of early Christianity.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/","og_site_name":"Biblical Archaeology Society","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BibArch\/","article_published_time":"2019-12-25T01:59:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-12-25T03:25:20+00:00","og_image":[{"width":320,"height":214,"url":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@BibArch","twitter_site":"@BibArch","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/"},"author":{"name":"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/50137afe3b66121a262ade87bed707ee"},"headline":"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians","datePublished":"2019-12-25T01:59:41+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-25T03:25:20+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/"},"wordCount":1254,"commentCount":26,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg","keywords":["about jesus","ancient cultures","ancient library of alexandria","ancient near","archaeological evidence","archaeologist","archaeologists","archaeology and the bible","archaeology places","archaeology sites","archaeology today","artifacts and the bible","bethlehem","bib arch","bib arch org","bible history","bible history daily","Bible Interpretation","bible people","Biblical Archaeology Places","Biblical Archaeology Sites","Biblical Archaeology Topics","Biblical Artifacts","biblical period","biblical sites","biblical topics","Bone box","Brother of Jesus","christian apocrypha","christian archaeology","Crucifixion","crucifixion methods","crucifixion roman","daily life and practice","early christian","early christianity","free ebooks","gospel of jesus","gospel of jesus wife","hebrew","Hebrew Bible","History of Crucifixion","how was jesus tomb sealed","James","james ossuary","jerusalem","Jesus","jesus born","jesus tomb","jesus tomb sealed","jesus wife","jewish traditions","jews","library of alexandria","maresha","mediterranean history","morton smith","moses","New Testament","origin of christ","origin of christianity","ossuary","Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity","People in the Bible","post biblical","roman crucifixion","Roman Crucifixion Methods","scripture","tel maresha","the ancient library of alexandria","the brother of jesus","the crucifixion","the gospel of","the gospel of jesus","the gospel of jesus wife","The Hebrew Bible","the history of crucifixion","the origin of christianity","the second temple","when did christianity","when did christianity begin","when did christianity begin to spread","where was jesus born","william g dever"],"articleSection":["Biblical Archaeology Topics","Daily Life and Practice"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/","url":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/","name":"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians - Biblical Archaeology Society","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg","datePublished":"2019-12-25T01:59:41+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-25T03:25:20+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/50137afe3b66121a262ade87bed707ee"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/jerusalem-tombs.jpg","width":320,"height":214,"caption":"Doric and Ionic columns, friezes, even an Egyptian pyramid shape provided the architectural vocabulary for these two tombs in Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period. These are located east of the Temple Platform, in the Kidron Valley of Jerusalem. Photo: Douglas Boin."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/archaeology-today\/biblical-archaeology-topics\/the-archaeological-quest-for-the-earliest-christians\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Archaeological Quest for the Earliest Christians"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/","name":"Biblical Archaeology Society","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/#\/schema\/person\/50137afe3b66121a262ade87bed707ee","name":"Biblical Archaeology Society Staff","url":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/author\/biblical-archaeology-society-staff\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}