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Archaeologists have uncovered a one-of-a-kind artifact near the Sea of Galilee that may reveal new details about how early Christians practiced baptism.
The 1,400-year-old artifact was recently found in the ancient city of Hippos, a prominent bishop’s seat during the Byzantine era, according to a March 30 press release shared with Fox News Digital.
The city was once the only Christian city around the Sea of Galilee, controlling territory associated with Jesus’ ministry.
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The marble bloc was found in a hall of baptism called a photisterion. It may shed light on “a stage of the early Christian baptismal rite that has until now gone unrecorded,” officials said.
Hippos’ cathedral had two baptismal halls: one for adults, and another for infants and children, which is where the new object was found.
The smaller hall was constructed after 591 A.D. and was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 A.D. — meaning the object is roughly 1,400 years old.
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Officials described the artifact as “a rectangular block bearing three hemispheric cavities, found beside a baptismal font in a newly revealed ceremonial hall.”
Researchers believe the block may have held three different oils used during a threefold baptismal immersion ceremony.
“The collapse buried the marble and bronze artifacts beneath the rubble, preserving them until their recent discovery.”
Pictures of the object show the weathered marble block with three bowl-shaped basins, suggesting it was designed to hold liquids side by side.
Early Christian baptisms more commonly involved two anointings before and after the rite — which makes the three-part design particularly unusual.
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“The collapse buried the marble and bronze artifacts beneath the rubble, preserving them until their recent discovery,” the release noted.
Officials added, “After extensive examination and comparison, the scholars concluded that no known parallels to the artifact exist.”
Michael Eisenberg, a University of Haifa archaeologist who recently published the results in the journal PEQ, along with colleague Arleta Kowalewska, said the object was found among a variety of “remarkable liturgical objects,” including a bronze candelabrum used to hold candles.
“Only after careful research did we realize how unique they are for understanding Christian ritual practices in the cradle of Christianity by the Sea of Galilee,” he said.
The object was “nothing special at first glance,” to the excavations, Eisenberg told Fox News Digital.
“But here is exactly where the archaeological and liturgical studies came into play.”
“Realizing that it is a one-of-a-kind artifact that may fill unknown regional and perhaps wider lacunae in one of the most ancient and sacred Christian ceremonies was a complete surprise.”
Eisenberg said the findings may “open a portal” to the development of baptism rituals in the early Christian world.
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“In different regions, distinct liturgical traditions developed, many of which are not documented in written sources,” the archaeologist said.
“This find offers a rare glimpse into how the baptismal rite was shaped and practiced in the Byzantine Christian community of Hippos.”
The find joins a long list of significant archaeological discoveries found at Hippos in recent years.
Last year, excavators in Hippos found a 1,600-year-old Christian care facility for the elderly, which is possibly the world’s oldest nursing home.
Last July, metal detectorists found a trove of ancient jewelry and gold coins near ruins in Hippos.
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