Several news agencies have released an announcement, made by Israeli archaeologists last Saturday, that they have uncovered some remains of a Church which appears to have been in use during the late years of the Roman persecution.   This is significant because it appears that this is the remains of one of the earliest Churches found. The remains of the Church were found during a dig for possible artifacts before the planned construction of a new prison wing for the maximum security prison at Megiddo.  The discovery was actually made about eighteen months ago and about two weeks ago the mosaics were uncovered.

Two significant mosaics were uncovered under the ruins of a later Byzantine structure.   One mosaic has a Greek inscription with the name of a man and four women who funded both it and the Holy Table that once stood on it.   The inscription is in the form of a prayer asking the Lord Jesus Christ to remember the donors. The other is a mosaic of two fish.  The fish was used widely in the Early Church as an ikonic symbol of our Lord.  The Greek word for fish, ICQUS, is made up of the five initial letters of the phrase, Jesus Christ Son of God Saviour.  The fish was also an ikonic symbol of the Creed and had a central position in the life of the early Church that was not free to proclaim its Creed.

It is possible that this Church, which was built in the style of a hall, was a House-Church.  During the Roman Persecution, Christians would come together at the home of a prominent Christian, who had a room large enough to be a Church.  It is also possible, however, that this Church was built during a time of calm.  Christians faced varying levels of persecution under the Roman Empire, interspersed with periods of calm. It was during such a lull that the Church could have been built to serve a local Christian community.

For more information do a news search.   You can view photos by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hocna/    and clicking on Photos.  A video, along with a news item is available at http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051106/sc_nm/mideast_church_dc .

This morning we spoke with Fr. Methodios, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou on Mt. Athos, and learned that three fathers were injured in an attempt by monks, faithful to Patriarch Bartholomew, to take possession of the Monastery's administrative offices in Karyes.

AP news covered this story as well as the Greek television channel, Antenna1, but tried to whitewash this tragic event.

Antenna1's web site does not mention at all that this incident was organized by monks faithful to Bartholomew but blames it all on a group of Albanians. 

The AP news release reports a bitter fight between Church authorities and a rebel monastery turned violent.  They omitted the fact that the so-called Church Authorities were a gang of monks and their Albanian Workmen.  It also falsely reports a police spokesman said nobody was injured in the clashes.  The truth is that 3 fathers were injured.

All monasteries on Mt. Athos have an administrative office in the town of Karyes.  Karyes is the administrative centre of Mt. Athos and representatives from all Monasteries are found on the administrative council.  The representative of the Monastery of Esphigmenou has been expelled from this administrative council which supports the heretical Bartholomew. 

At the time of the attack there were 8 fathers present when Bartholomew's gang of monks attacked the fathers of Esphigmenou with pickaxes, spades and crowbars.  The fathers could not use the office's telephone because the Greek Government cut telephone service to the office.  They were, however, able to use a cell phone to call police.  As reported before, the local Greek authorities are not allowing medical supplies to be brought to the Monastery.  There are 15 fathers at the Monastery that are old and ill and there will be a major crisis when existing medical supplies are exhausted.  Please keep the fathers in your prayers.

As usual, the Greek media is trying to bury this incident.  The Greek daily Kathemerini, an internationally famous newspaper has yet to report anything.  I suggest emailing the editor editor@... and asking why this incident remains unreported.

The Holy Theotokos Convent in Toronto has available a new Nativity Card with the above Ikon.  The  Nativity Card is 4"x6" in size and there are 15 cards/envelopes per package.  The price for 1 package is $10 USD plus shipping and handling.

To place an order or to make inquiries, please email Mother Magdalene at magdalene@....