{"id":93401,"date":"2026-02-27T06:45:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/?p=93401"},"modified":"2026-02-27T12:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:09:19","slug":"archaeology-and-first-christians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblicalarchaeology.org\/daily\/people-cultures-in-the-bible\/archaeology-and-first-christians\/","title":{"rendered":"Archaeology and the First Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Roman<\/a>

Roman-period column with inscribed base found during renovation of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Homs, Syria. Courtesy Maamoun Saleh Abdulkarim.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Archaeology at Emesa (modern Homs, Syria) does not give a single dramatic moment of religious revolution. Instead, it offers something more historically valuable: layers. Coins, tombs, mosaics, and reused sacred spaces\u2014including recently uncovered inscriptions on column bases<\/a>\u2014reveal the slow transformation of a powerful pagan city into a Christian and then Muslim one. For Bible readers, the site allows a glimpse into the long arc of Christianity\u2019s development within the Roman world.<\/p>\n

The earliest well-attested stratum at Emesa shows the dominance of pagan culture. A mosaic of Hercules reveals the city\u2019s syncretistic religious culture, where local Syrian worship blended with broader Greco-Roman traditions. A richly furnished mausoleum\u2014yielding a gold funerary mask and other elite grave goods\u2014points to a powerful ruling priestly family, one of whose members, Elagabalus, would later become the Roman emperor.<\/p>\n

Roman-period coins depict the grand Temple of the Sun housing the sacred black stone embodying the Emesan sun god Elagabal (later linked to Emperor Elagabalus), while column-base inscriptions praise divine cosmic power and royal authority linked to this deity. These Greek inscriptions, uncovered during restoration of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, survived centuries of redevelopment. Professor Maamoun Abdulkarim of the University of Sharjah (UAE), who published the finds, explained in personal correspondence: \u201cIn my view, the Temple of the Sun should not be understood as a lost structure, but as a dynamic sacred space that was religiously redefined across successive periods.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Front<\/a>

Roman coin minted in Homs depicting a sacred stone inside the Temple of the Sun. Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. http:\/\/www.cngcoins.com, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The strong pagan character of Emesa began changing in the third century CE. Burial practices shifted. Catacombs<\/a> in the al-Shorfa area contain corridors, niches, lamps, and symbolic decoration associated with early Byzantine Christianity. Grave inscriptions emphasize themes resonant with Christian theology, like resurrection and eternal life. The evidence from Emesa is not explosive or revolutionary, but subtle. Christianity first appeared at the margins\u2014in burial customs, naming patterns, and small communal spaces.<\/p>\n

This layered material record mirrors what unfolds in the Acts of the Apostles. Acts describes Christianity beginning as a small, socially vulnerable movement operating within cities dominated by temples and civic cults. Paganism coexists alongside emerging Christian practices, gradually giving way to transformation.<\/p>\n

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FREE ebook: Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity<\/strong>. Paul\u2019s dual roles as a Christian missionary and a Pharisee.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t