Archaeologists Believe They Uncovered the House of Jesus

Archaeologists claim they have made a huge discovery by locating the house where Jesus — the central figure in Greek Orthodox religion — was born and brought up by Mary and Joseph. It is an ancient house in Nazareth, Israel made of mud and stone, which dates back to the beginning of the first century.

The house made of mortar-and-stone walls, was first uncovered in 1880 by nuns at the Sisters of Nazareth convent, who claimed that Jesus had grown up in it. However, until 2006 there was no scientific evidence to support this theory. Then, archaeology professor Ken Dark from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom dated and proved that the house had in fact been built early in the first century.

“Was this the house where Jesus grew up? It is impossible to say on archaeological grounds. On the other hand, there is no good archaeological reason why such an identification should be discounted,” Dark wrote in an article published in the magazine Biblical Archaeology Review.

However, archaeologists have discovered that centuries after Christ’s era, the Byzantine Empire — which used to control Nazareth up to the seventh century — decorated the house with mosaics and built a church on top of it, the “Church of the Nutrition,” to protect it.

Crusaders who entered the Holy Land in the 12th century, restored the church which was in ruins. According to historical records both the crusaders and the Byzantines and Crusaders, believed that Jesus had grown up in this house.