If you're not reading Rogue Classicism for your daily dose of news about the Greco-Roman world, I highly recommend making it a part of your morning routine.
Today, RC is reporting about a bowl discovered in Alexandria with the engraving "DIA CHRSTOU O GOISTAIS".
Here are some clips from the article...
A team of scientists led by renowned French marine archaeologist Franck
Goddio recently announced that they have found a bowl, dating to
between the late 2nd century B.C. and the early 1st century A.D., that
is engraved with what they believe could be the world's first known
reference to Christ.
If the word "Christ" refers to the Biblical
Jesus Christ, as is speculated, then the discovery may provide evidence
that Christianity and paganism at times intertwined in the ancient
world.
The full engraving on the bowl reads, "DIA CHRSTOU O
GOISTAIS," which has been interpreted by the excavation team to mean
either, "by Christ the magician" or, "the magician by Christ."
"It
could very well be a reference to Jesus Christ, in that he was once the
primary exponent of white magic," Goddio, co-founder of the Oxford
Center of Maritime Archaeology, said.
He and his colleagues
found the object during an excavation of the underwater ruins of
Alexandria's ancient great harbor. The Egyptian site also includes the
now submerged island of Antirhodos, where Cleopatra's palace may have
been located.
...
Fabre concluded, "It should be remembered that in Alexandria, paganism,
Judaism and Christianity never evolved in isolation. All of these forms
of religion (evolved) magical practices that seduced both the humble
members of the population and the most well-off classes."
"It
was in Alexandria where new religious constructions were made to
propose solutions to the problem of man, of God's world," he added.
"Cults of Isis, mysteries of Mithra, and early Christianity bear
witness to this."
The bowl is currently on public display in the
exhibit "Egypt's Sunken Treasures" at the Matadero Cultural Center in
Madrid, Spain, until November 15.
Interesting stuff! You can read the Discovery.com article, too.
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