Tel Aviv, Israel

The earliest inscription of 'Jesus is God' was found on the floor of an Israeli prison and has been put on display in the United States. The discovery has been called "the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls" by the researchers. 

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An inmate of the Megiddo prison found that 1,800-year-old mosaic which featured the ancient Greek writing: "The god-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial."

The first prayer hall of the world was decorated by the 581-square-foot mosaics in 230 AD which confirmed that it was believed by Christians from the beginning that Jesus was the son of God, The Daily Mail reported. 

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In the Megiddo Mosaic were some earliest images of fish which had reference to the story in Luke 9:16 when two fishes were multiplied by Jesus to feed a crowd of 5,000 people as per experts. 

Museum rents the floor of the mosaic 

The floor earlier remained hidden beneath the prison since it was founded in 2005, however, it has now been rented out to a museum in Washington DC till July 2025.

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The museum's CEO Carlos Campo hailed the mosaic as "the greatest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls" and his colleagues said that it was "the most important archaeological discovery for understanding the early Christian church."

"We truly are among the first people to ever see this, to experience what almost 2,000 years ago was put together by a man named Brutius, the incredible craftsman who laid the flooring here," said Campo, at the opening of the exhibition. 

Also Read: Marking 75th year of Constitution adoption, India to get Constitution Museum

Meanwhile, the curator of the exhibition Alegre Savariego said, "The mosaic presents groundbreaking physical evidence of the practices and beliefs of early Christians, including the first archaeological instance of the phrase, 'God Jesus Christ'.'' 

The discovery of Megiddo Mosaic was made in the Jezreel Valley where Christians believe the final battle of the Biblical Armageddon will occur as per the Book of Revelations. 

Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) conducted the excavation for four years to recover the 581-square-foot mosaic floor.

On the mosaic was mentioned the name of the Roman officer who is believed to have commissioned the tile. The inscription read, "Gaianus, a Roman officer, having sought honour, from his own money, has made the mosaic."

As per the researchers, this proves Romans coexisted with Christians in those times. 

(With inputs from agencies)