Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic

The earliest known Christian prayer hall, with a mosaic dedicated 'to God Jesus Christ'

The Apostles & the Early Believers · synagogue / church, inscription · Accepted by scholars · found 2005

How Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic was found

Before a planned extension of the prison, excavators found a Roman village (Kefar Othnay) next to the legionary camp of the Sixth Legion Ferrata. In one house a room of about 5 by 10 metres had a mosaic floor with three Greek inscriptions and fish symbols, and a stone base for a table (not an altar) in its centre.

What it is

A 54-square-metre mosaic with geometric panels, two fish, and three inscriptions: one saying the Roman centurion Gaianus 'made the pavement at his own expense'; one asking remembrance for four women (Primilla, Cyriaca, Dorothea, Chreste); and one recording that 'the God-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.'

Why it matters for the Bible

This is the oldest building yet found made for Christian worship, from a time when the faith was still illegal. The Akeptous inscription is the earliest archaeological text to call Yeshua 'God' (Theos), and the 'table' — not altar — points to a memorial meal, the bread and cup. A Roman officer paying for the floor and women named as donors show who the early believers were. Set next to a legion camp near Har Megiddo (Armageddon), it also shows Messianic faith rooted in the Galilee a century and a half after the apostles.

The Hebrew word: shool-CHAN

שֻׁלְחָן

שֻׁלְחָן is pronounced shool-CHAN and means table — the 'table' Akeptous gave for the memorial meal (Greek trapeza) (Strong's H7979 / G5132).

People this discovery connects to

• Jesus — יֵשׁוּעַ (yeh-SHOO-ah) — YHVH saves (Greek Iesous Christos on the mosaic)

Places

• Megiddo — מְגִדּוֹ (me-gee-DO) — place of troops; source of 'Armageddon' (Har Megiddo)

Events

Earliest Christian prayer hall in the Land · Memorial meal (bread and cup) in early assemblies

Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic in Scripture

Matthew 1:1 First mention of Jesus in Scripture.

John 20:28 Thomas's 'My Lord and my God' — the mosaic calls Yeshua 'God' in the earliest inscription to do so.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 The memorial meal 'in remembrance' — the table on the mosaic was given 'as a memorial.'

Questions people ask

What is Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic?
A 54-square-metre mosaic with geometric panels, two fish, and three inscriptions: one saying the Roman centurion Gaianus 'made the pavement at his own expense'; one asking remembrance for four women (Primilla, Cyriaca, Dorothea, Chreste); and one recording that 'the God-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.'

When was Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic discovered?
It was found in 2005 by Yotam Tepper, Israel Antiquities Authority (with Tel Aviv University), in a salvage dig inside Megiddo Prison, at Kefar Othnay (Legio), Megiddo Prison, Jezreel Valley.

Where is Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic today?
Mosaic lifted in 2024 and shown at the Museum of the Bible, Washington DC (loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority, 2024–2025); to return to Israel.

Which Bible verses does Megiddo Prison Church Mosaic relate to?
Matthew 1:1, John 20:28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Related discoveries

• לֶחֶם
  Tabgha: Church of the Multiplication and the Loaves-and-Fishes Mosaic
  A 5th-century Byzantine church marking the feeding of the five thousand
• יֵשׁוּעַ
  The Talpiot Tomb ('Jesus Family Tomb')
  A first-century family tomb with common names that a 2007 film claimed held Yeshua's family
• דְּבָרִים
  Oxyrhynchus Papyri and the Gospel of Thomas Fragments
  A rubbish-heap of Roman Egypt yielding the earliest 'Sayings of Yeshua' and dozens of New Testament pieces
• צְלָב
  Alexamenos Graffito
  The earliest picture of the crucifixion — a mocking scratch on a Roman wall
• כְּלֵי אֶבֶן
  Cana: Khirbet Qana and Kafr Kanna
  Two candidates for the village of the water-into-wine sign
• גֻּלְגֹּלֶת
  Skull Hill (Gordon's Calvary)
  The rocky knoll above the East Jerusalem bus station that Protestants proposed as Golgotha

Sources

• Y. Tepper & L. Di Segni, A Christian Prayer Hall of the Third Century CE at Kefar 'Othnay (Legio) (IAA, 2006)
• Wikipedia, 'Megiddo church (Israel)'

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