Archaeologists have discovered a 1,500-year-old church in Israel dedicated to an unnamed martyr.
The sizable church features Greek inscriptions stating that it is dedicated to a “glorious martyr”, but does not specify who this martyr is.
Mosaic in the church dedicated to the martyr.
At the time the church was built, the Byzantine Empire controlled Israel, and an inscription within the church indicates that it was expanded during the reign of Emperor Flavius Tiberius, who ruled from 578 to 582.
Israel and surrounding areas were conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate from 634 to 638. However, despite the rise of Islam in the region, the church thrived and was not abandoned until the 10th century.
Benyamin Storchan, an archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority, named the building “The Church of the Glorious Martyrs.”
A mosaic and inscriptions found in the church indicate that it was expanded in the 6th century and was dedicated to a “glorious martyr” whose name remains unknown.
While archaeologists do not know the identity of this martyr, it is possible that it was dedicated to someone named Zechariah, a name frequently mentioned in the Bible.
Ancient records suggest that the tomb of a Christian martyr by that name was discovered nearby in the 5th century, and texts indicate that a temple dedicated to Zechariah was located close to the excavation site, implying that this church could be that temple.
Storchan noted that Zechariah could also be the name of a religious figure not described in the Bible.
