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Jesus Showed Himself to Abraham
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Jewish Voice Ministries: Jesus Revealed Himself To Abraham In The Old Testament

by Kriza Jo Tanduyan
written by Kriza Jo Tanduyan

Did you know that, in the Old Testament, Jesus appeared 56 times in human form before His birth and one of those amazing encounters was with Abraham.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Rabbi Troy Wallace joins Jonathan Bernis and Ezra Benjamin of Jewish Voice Ministries International talekd about the instances in which Jesus appeared to His chosen people even before the New Testament was written.

There is a traditional view that some Christians believe. They separate the Old and the New Testament. For instance, many view the Old Testament as being about Moses, while the New Testament is about Jesus. But according to Rabbi Troy, if we look at the shadow of the Son in the Old Testament, Jesus reveals Himself.

“It’s just the idea that it’s the same story from cover to cover… There’s different pictures we learn – new stuff, but from cover to cover, the narrative is consistent,” Rabbi Troy shared.

Theophany

Ezra Benjamin, one of the speakers, talked the “Theophany”. According to Rabbi Troy, it’s a simple principle where we see the images of God in the form of a man. In the Old Testament, these appearances are visible. God was making Himself known in the form of a man. Others call it “Christophany”, the idea of Christ appearing in the form of a man.

In the interview, Rabbi Troy shared that in the Hebrew Bible, called Tanakh, the God of Israel shows up 56 times in the form of a man. One of these instances is recorded in Genesis 18:1-2.

Jesus Showed Himself to Abraham

Jewish Voice (Screenshot). (2023). Jesus Appearing in the Old Testament, Retrieved September 6,2023, from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmZn_pB-_bQ

Jesus showed himself to Abraham

“Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground…” Genesis 18:1-2, NKJV

“Abraham saw the Lord as one of the three men in the middle of the day, and his response was to run up and bow down and worship Him,” Rabbi Troy shared. Abraham bowed down not just to a messenger or an angel but to the Lord.

Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” Revelation 22:9

In this part of the Scripture, the man didn’t rebuke Abraham. It means that He accepted Abraham’s worship. This encounter is a great moment in the bible that is often overlooked!

Watch and discover more of these life-changing encounters here.

Reference | Jewish Voice

Header Image: Gupta, Dewang. (Photographer). (2023). Man Behind the Light [Photograph], Retrieved September 6,2023 , from: https://unsplash.com/photos/Mu3T3DmvQQw

Read more on the GOD TV blog here

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FaithSpotlight

The Old Testament Still Applies Today

by Sarah Crockett
written by Sarah Crockett

I don’t know about you, but when I get to some parts of the Old Testament I find myself reading the words on the page but they aren’t registering.  My eyes are reading the words, but my mind is completing thinking about something else.

This time it was different.  Before I began reading I invited Holy Spirit to come and speak to me.   I knew I was about to read chapters that were very detailed and tedious.  I reminded myself that if it was in the bible God put it there for a reason and if it was important enough to Him to include it then I was going to choose to make it important to me too.

I intentionally approached reading this portion of scripture with hunger and seeking revelation. I read a few sections before I was hit with a short phrase that began to speak to me; detailed plans for the tabernacle, more detailed plans for the altar, and then I read Exodus 27 verse 9…

“Make a courtyard for the tabernacle. The south side shall be a hundred cubits long and is to have curtains of finely twisted linen…”

As I read the verse it felt like I had just walked past something only to be yanked back to it.  That may sound a little violent, but I could feel the swift and strong pull of Holy Spirit drawing my focus to this phrase.  As I read it again my thoughts began to race.  The first thought that came to mind was that we are a temple for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).  I began exploring this truth with Holy Spirit using a mathematical equation called an if-then statement.

IF

Old Testament = Courtyard for the Tabernacle

THEN

New Testament = ______________ for Me

As I sat there pondering this with the Holy Spirit, I shared my thoughts with Him… A courtyard surrounds a building and a courtyard is uncovered. I pressed into what that could mean for me asking the Holy Spirit for revelation. What did this Old Testament verse mean for me now? I continued to ponder… God gave specific plans to Moses for making a courtyard for the tabernacle and if I’m now the tabernacle that houses God’s presence then what would my “courtyard” be?  Then Holy Spirit filled in the equation…

IF

Old Testament = Courtyard for the Tabernacle

THEN

New Testament = ENVIRONMENT for Me

I get to be the tabernacle that carries God’s presence

The revelation began to unravel for me.  An environment is what surrounds me.  Wherever I go there is an environment and I get to be the tabernacle that carries God’s presence. Wow!  What an amazing thought.  I may have differing levels of authority in any given environment, but I always have influence as a carrier of God’s presence.  For example, I have more authority over the environment of my home than I do at Walmart.  However, I have influence over the environment in both places.  The tabernacle that housed God’s presences in the Old Testament influenced the atmosphere of the courtyard.

Take Aways
– The Old Testament is still relevant
– Father God chose to make us the present-day tabernacle.
– We can, as the present-day tabernacle, make a “courtyard” wherever we go
– Our awareness of God’s presence in us enables us to influence our environments

May the Old Testament come alive for you in new ways as you partner with Holy Spirit to discover biblical truth!

Written by Sarah Crockett

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FaithIsraelIsrael Insider

Was Balaam’s Prophecy Much More Than A Compliment?

by Rabbi Eric Tokajer
written by Rabbi Eric Tokajer

I remember the first time I heard the story of Balaam as a child my attention went directly to the part of the story in which a donkey was talking. This was probably because at that time there was a popular television program, “Mr. Ed,” about a talking horse, and I had also watched the movie about Francis the talking mule. Today, children might relate the story of Balaam to the talking donkey in the cartoon Shrek.

Each year as I grew up, when the portion of Torah which includes the story of Balaam and his donkey was read in synagogue, we would discuss the text and the text seemed to grow with me. First, it was about a talking donkey. Then, it was about an angel with a large sword. Later, it was about a greedy man who wanted to curse Israel. Still later, it became about showing that an enemy could not curse what G-D had blessed.

Recently, I read this portion of Scripture from Numbers 24:1-5 again and I was reminded once again how we can read a series of verses from the Bible over and over and each time see something different and new.

Numbers 24:1-5: 1 When Balaam realized that it was pleasing in the eyes of Adonai to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorceries as at the other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness. 2 Lifting up his eyes, Balaam saw Israel dwelling by tribes. The Ruach Elohim came over him. 3 He uttered his oracle and said: “This is the oracle of Balaam son of Beor, and the oracle of a strong man whose eye has been opened, 4 the oracle of one hearing God’s speech, one seeing Shaddai’s vision, one fallen down, yet with open eyes: 5 How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, and your dwellings, O Israel!

In the text above, I have underlined two places in the text. These two sections seemed to jump off of the page as I read. The first text lets us know that the Spirit of G-D came upon Balaam just as G-D’s Spirit would come upon the prophets of Israel. While I’d read these words many times before, it wasn’t until this reading that those words became so prominent on the page. Seeing these words so strongly caused me to look at the words Balaam spoke in a new light. Instead of seeing Balaam’s words as just being nice words about Israel, I saw his proclamation not as words about Israel, but as words that were prophetic for Israel.

Look closer at what Balaam says. This is the oracle of one whose eyes were opened, who heard G-D’s speech, who saw Shaddai’s vision. Balaam wasn’t looking at how Israel tents were arranged and saying “look how beautiful this tent city is.” Balaam was speaking forth a prophetic vision that he saw and heard from the voice of G-D.

So, when we look at the words from Numbers 24:5, we should try to view them not as simple words blessing Israel, but rather as a prophetic word for Israel.

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, and your dwellings, O Israel!

It struck me that when Balaam spoke, he said two different things. First, he used Jacob, and then he used Israel. We know these were words repeated by Balaam, but spoken first by G-D. So, to understand what is being said we should look how G-D used these two names previously. We know that G-D changed Jacob’s name to Israel after the wrestling match and said, “From now on, you will be called Israel.” However, after G-D changed Jacob’s name to Israel, G-D Himself still called Israel, Jacob. He did this whenever Jacob was not walking completely in rightness. So, when Israel was walking correctly, G-D called them Israel, and when they were not, G-D called them Jacob.

With this in mind, and knowing that this “blessing” spoken by Balaam was prophetic, let’s see what it might be speaking to Israel, rather than about Israel. What if, instead of Balaam saying that Israel’s tents looked really nice from the top of a mountain, Balaam was speaking of future events? What if Balaam saw an event that took place when Israel was not walking/living as they should, when they were Jacob, followed by a second event that would take place when they were Israel? What if Balaam spoke over Israel that day a prophecy from the Spirit of G-D concerning the First and Second comings of Yeshua? What if the “how lovely are your tents, O Jacob” refers to when Yeshua came and was rejected by Jacob, and the words “your dwellings, O Israel” refers to the second coming when Yeshua’s brothers will welcome Him with the words “Baruch Haba B’Shem Ad-nai!” (Blessed is He who comes in the name of the L-RD!)

Maybe this is why these words prophesied by Balaam, known as the Ma Tovu, are sung in synagogues every Shabbat.`

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ArticlesVideo

Actor Jamie Foxx Impressed Fans With Knowledge Of The Books Of The Bible

by Christa
written by Christa

Jamie Foxx surprised his fans with his knowledge and memory by reciting in order the Old Testament books of the Bible.

Actor Jamie Foxx

A recent video of the actor has brought attention from his fans and fellow believers in Christ. The video showed Foxx in Zoom video call with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Apparently, they were promoting their latest movie together, Project Power.

Part of the program was answering questions taken from Google’s auto-fill function. When it was Foxx’s turn in answering a question, he received, “is Jamie Foxx vegan?”

“Actually I’m baptist,” he said in his response. “And I’ve been baptist my whole life. To me, Jesus is the foundation.”

He continued to share that he “had nothing against other vegans” while jokingly added that he “doesn’t know where they go as far heaven and hell is concerned.” “But I know where I’m going as far as heaven is concerned,” he said as he rapidly recited the books of the Old Testament in their order.

Foxx concluded, “It’s about Jesus, okay? Nothing against vegans, but we’re going to heaven over here.”

Foxx’s faith-based films

Jamie Foxx in Just Mercy

This is not the first time that Foxx opened about his Christian beliefs. Last December, he professed of his faith when he starred in a spiritual-themed film, Just Mercy. The movie is based on Bryan Stevenson’s book with the same title. It follows a young lawyer and his advocacy to fight for the wrongfully condemned. Additionally, the film received multiple awards for its critically acclaimed performance.

Last March, Foxx teamed up with Cinema Libre Studio and Fight to Fame to develop a faith-based movie, When We Pray. The film will be Foxx’s second directorial outing. He is co-writing the script with Donald Ray “Speedy” Caldwell.

 

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Articles

God Chooses Broken

by Corine Channell
written by Corine Channell

Have you ever broken a dish? Maybe it was in two pieces, cracked down the middle, and fixable with super glue. Although left with a visible crack, it still worked. Maybe it was a glass dish that you accidentally got too hot (that is all the details you get on THAT) and it literally exploded into hundreds of pieces, all razor sharp and hard to even begin to find them all. That glass dish is now not usable…and you may or may not have a tiny sliver stuck in your foot, while being less a glass dish. Somewhere is a plastic bowl full of broken glass, headed to the broken glass cemetery (#RestInPieces).

To compare our lives to that glass dish and say if we messed up too badly, we then become unusable would be exactly what I am NOT going to say.

I want to look at the story of Gideon when God told him to break something – on purpose!

Not just break one thing, but 300 of something. Ever hear the story? If YOU have ever been stuck concentrating on your broken parts and anxious over whether or not God could use your life with all its jagged pieces, razor sharp edges and scars, then Gideon’s story is for you!

First of all I love the humanness of Gideon; a man God chose to use just as he was. Or who he THOUGHT he was. Gideon was an Israelite harvesting wheat and hiding from his enemies the Midianites. He knew he was a coward, right? He was in hiding. He reminds me of the cowardly lion in the movie The Wizard Of Oz. Both had no “couraggggggge”. Except God saw Gideon differently. He sent an angel to him to declare him he was “a mighty man of courage” and that God had chosen him “to save Israel from the hand of Midian.”

God sees who we CAN be, in spite of the fact that generally we do NOT see it.

God knew Gideon’s heart – He knew that there WAS courage there; it was just some hot ashes that needed stirred up to start a fire. There is nothing greater than to see this happen in someone’s life – it is like witnessing the light come on! It is that BAM moment! Then, watch out! That person who thought they had no call, no passion, no strength all of a sudden comes to life and is like a lion charging forth. THAT is because God stirred something that was already there, albeit way down deep – it was there all along.

Speaking of light, here is where you need to see broken things from another angle.

One dark night Gideon and his 300 men marched into the Midianite camp, like a boss! I am thinking this was the moment God was just waiting to pull off! The moment He took a great man in hiding, and made him a mighty man of valor! He instructed Gideon exactly what to do with those 300 men on that dark night, that should have been an easy victory for the unsuspecting Midianites.

300 men with 300 horns and 300 lanterns.

That was it. The God of the universe on their side. Oh yes, this was about to go down; it was truly one for the books. THE Book!

First Gideon asked God what to do, then he did it (this is key.) If you ask God for His help or advice or direction, it would be wise to heed what He says – without question. Just do it! Judges 7:20 tells of the plan of attack – “The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars (lanterns)…”

Wait. THAT was the plan? Hey Gideon, you will win this war if you all blow your trumpets, scream loudly and break your lighted lanterns. Okay God, whatever you say. YES. Yes, God -WHATEVER YOU SAY! We will recklessly throw abandon to the wind, as we obey Your command. (I wonder what their exact level of fear and excitement was at? Probably off the charts!)

HERE is the most amazing visual you may ever see; the visual of a miracle orchestrated by a God who chooses the weakest among us to do the GREATEST things! When all the lanterns broke, the light would have shined out through every single jagged shard, bounced off each other, became more visible, more multiplied, and more glorious in its presentation! Picture it – hear it! 300 men screaming out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Coupled with the ear piercing proclamation sound of 300 trumpets, and 300 BROKEN lanterns exploding with violent light in all directions! The Bible says the Midianites fled in TERROR!

WOW! Do you still only see your broken places as useless?

God will take broken beyond repair and turn it into a story, or a song, or an invention, or a painting, or a career, or a ministry, or a dance, or a great idea, or a simple blog (yes, I admit – I broke the bowl). You will have light pouring out from every broken place, as it is allowed to come forth to heal others.

I think what we go through is more about others, than ourselves. God will join you with other broken pieces and your light will grow more powerful – all from broken places. Just like Gideon.

I wonder how those 300 men felt; how Gideon himself felt – when the army of the Midianites RAN like little children screaming with fear, into the night. No one died that night. God used 300 regular guys, 1 man who previously had been cowering in fear hiding under a tree,  300 probably rusty out of tune trumpets, and 300 lanterns that were deemed to be smashed to pieces. An attack had been simulated as if by a larger, fiercer army!

I LOVE THIS! YES. Gideon should give us all hope that if we just say YES, whether we see what God sees in us or not, that He will do AMAZING miracles through our lives.

“The true courage is in facing the danger when you are afraid.”  #PutEmUpPutEmUp

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Articles

An Important Word For The Prophetic Movement In 2020

by Betty King
written by Betty King

Dear Saints,

I want to release to you an important word for the prophetic movement for 2020.

As we move forward in this new era, I feel it is important to talk about the present position of the prophetic movement. This has come on the back of a conversation I had with someone who felt that the spirit of revelation has been blocked and that some people are not hearing from God as accurately as they should.

As I prayed and inquired of the Lord about this, the Lord reminded me of the place where it says that He does nothing without first revealing it to His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). However, an issue has come in whereby some within the prophetic movement have gathered too many lovers to themselves. What I mean by this is that they have become part of a grouping of people which endorses each other’s words and use this as their main source of confirmation instead of purely bringing words out of a place of intimacy and friendship with God. It will seem for them at times as though the heavens are like brass, because they are waiting for approval from a crowd before they speak the Word of the Lord. God speaks, but if the group doesn’t like what is said, the person loses confidence in what they are hearing from God. The result is that they are wooed away from friendship and intimacy with God.

Habakkuk the prophet had come to the point of frustration and felt like nothing was coming out of his prayers and relationship with God. Yet God spoke to Him and instructed Him to write the vision and make it plain, because He would certainly bring it to pass in its time. The words He gave to Habakkuk have stood the test of time, and we are still reading them even today! This is because they were words birthed from a place of friendship and intimacy.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that a word from God can be for one, for two, or for a multitude. Yet in this day where social media is such an obsession, people think that if a word doesn’t receive enough ‘likes’ then it is not from God. We should remember that in history God has bypassed the crowd to give a word to the person in the desert. If we can return to His perspective and see things from that viewpoint, we will not be waiting for the applause of others to know that He has spoken.

He is speaking to His people more now than he has ever done. There is nothing wrong in belonging to a group, but if it is the group that assures you of your identity in Christ and validates your friendship and relationship with Him, then actually there is no relationship. The prophets of old often just appeared from a place of intimacy with God and challenged the status quo and all that was taking place. If we are not careful, we will trade intimacy and true friendship with God for the nods and likes of a crowd and only produce noise instead of a clear sound.

Ultimately, we must find our identity in Him. That does not mean that there is not value in the grouping. God does bring together prophetic alignments, as when He sent Elijah to Elisha. This is done to to fulfill a purpose, and God knows who to call together and how so that the purpose will be fulfilled. God also gives us people to be a safety net for us, and for us to do life with. We should recognize our prophetic alignments, and pray for them, honor them and respect them, but remember where our identity ultimately comes from.

There is also prophetic mentorship and discipleship. Those who have others that they call spiritual fathers and mothers should respect the authority and the covering that comes with that. For some reason there are people that are gifted but feel that they are more gifted than those covering and sending them. This is not as it should be. If you can’t be led then you can’t lead, and humility is forever a key in the Spirit. Recognize those who are leading and mentoring you so that pride will not overtake you. With mentorship comes familiarity but be careful to recognize it for what it is and how to handle it.

When the sons of the prophets know what to do, the leader has the peace to give clear instructions and pursue the higher calling. This is what the world needs, as from this place solutions to problems can be released.  It is from a culture of unity, submission and humility that the senior prophets will go in to the key places and decree.

Love will cover everything.

Adored,

Rev. Betty King

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IsraelNews

Maccabean History: The Battle Of Beit Zechariah

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

The Battle of Beit Zechariah, which took place 2,000 years ago during the Maccabean Revolt, is one of sacrifice and bravery.

On a clear autumn afternoon last week in Gush Etzion, TPS took a trip back in time, standing among the vineyards and rolling hills of Gush Etzion in Judea, in a spot almost exactly where the battle took place.

The Maccabean Revolt took place between 167 BCE and 160 BCE after the ancient Greek King Antiochus the Wicked (IV) issued decrees forbidding Jewish religious practice.

Standing next to a famous 600-year-old oak tree, which sits opposite the settlement of Alon Shvut, Aryeh Routtenberg, a renowned Jewish historian at the Kfar Etzion Field School, told the story of the Maccabean battle to save Jerusalem and the Jewish people.

A battle, he says, which echoes the battle for Gush Etzion that took place in 1948 just prior to and during the War of Independence.

“More than two thousand years ago, in 164 BCE, Elazar the Maccabee sacrificed himself for the Jewish people,” explained Routtenberg. “The Greeks came from the south of where we stand now – they had surrounded Beit Tzur. The battle took place between Beit Zechariah and Beit Tzur.

“Beit Zechariah is just north of this tree,” he said pointing at the old oak.

According to the book of the Maccabees, Judah the Maccabee had laid siege to [Greek Fortress] Akra in Jerusalem [which overlooked the Temple Mount], but he lifted his siege and “marched to the narrow passageway to our left,” which was the direct road to Jerusalem and directly in the path of the Syrian-Greek army who were marching to Jerusalem.

He explained that the Greek Army used elephants and infantry for battle, and that “Elazar charged towards one of the elephants” and he thrust a spear into the elephant’s belly and pierced, killing it, but the dead elephant fell upon Elazar, and he too was killed.

Routtenberg highlighted that the Maccabees were victorious against the Greeks during the Battle of Beit Zechariah and this eventually led to their victory in recapturing Jerusalem and rededication of the Temple.

“After winning the battle [in Jerusalem], Judah was asked by Syrian commander Lysias, ‘what can we do to bring peace?’ He told them that what he would like is the return of Jewish autonomy, and allow the practice of Judaism as was done before,” he said. “Lysius answered Judah, ‘I realize you have been upset by the decrees of Antiochus V, we will abolish these decrees and we will return Jewish autonomy in the Land of Israel.’”

The TPS team also visited Beit Zechariah itself, which today forms part of a small Arab village called Hirbeit Zakariya. The tomb of the Prophet Zechariah stands in a small building and in the building is the entrance to a mosque because he was seen as a prophet in Islam as well.

Articles and photo by Ilanit Chernick/TPS

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IsraelNewsVideo

Dutch ‘Noah’s Ark’ To Set Sail For Israel

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

A Dutch Christian businessman who built a life-sized replica of Noah’s Ark has announced he hopes to sail the 95 feet wide, 410 feet long and 75 feet tall vessel to Israel.

The Ark of Noah replica was built by Johan Huibers from 2008 – 2013 together with other few amateur carpenters.

View the Ark here!

Ark of Noah VR Tour

Since then, the Ark is floating along Holland’s Maas River in the Dutch Bible Belt, a strip of land in the southern  Netherlands with a high concentration of conservative orthodox Calvanist Protestants.

Dubbed “Johan’s Ark,” it’s been open since then to the public in the Netherlands.  It has five decks, is entirely constructed of Swedish pine wood and cost $5 million to construct. The Ark is longer than a football field and can hold more than 5,000 people at one time.

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In an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency earlier this month, Huibers, who made a fortune building storage spaces, said he wants to take the ark to “God’s land,” as soon as he raises the approximately $1.3 million necessaries for getting there.

“This is a copy of God’s ship. It only makes sense to take it to God’s land,” he told JTA.

Sailing to Israel

Huibers planned to sail it to Israel straight after its completion, but the plan was postponed “due to the massive wildfires Israel was dealing with at the time,“ according to the Ark of Noah Foundation website.

According to the site, the ark was created for Christian educational purposes, focused on spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and social outreach to the underprivileged.

Huibers, 60 years old, was always fascinated with navigation. At the age of 24, he straightened his religious feeling, but the decision to build such a vessel came when he was 33 after he dreamt that a fierce storm-tide flooded the entire province of Noord-Holland where he grew up.

Huibers has also planned to sail the ark to Brazil, and to several other port cities in South, Middle and North America like  Montevideo and Buenos Aires, Havana, Panama, Columbia San Diego, Long Beach, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Written by Mara Vigevani/TPS  |  Photo by Ark of Noah Foundation (courtesy)

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IsraelNews

Rare 1,500 Year Old Painting Of ‘Short-Haired’ Christ Found In Negev

by GOD TV
written by GOD TV

A rare painting depicting Jesus’s face and dating some 1,500 years came to light a year-and-a-half ago at the baptistery in the ancient Byzantine village of Shivta in the Negev Desert, southwest of Beer Sheva, according to a statement released by the University of Haifa statement on Wednesday.

The excavations, led by by Dr. Emma Maayan-Fanar, Dr. Ravit Linn, Dr. Yotam Tepper and Dr. Guy Bar-Oz as part of the Zinman Institute of Archaeology of the University of Haifa has been taking place in Shivta for several years and led to quite a few new revelations about the reasons for the collapse of Byzantine society in the Negev in the seventh century CE. But the finding of Jesus’ face painting is unusual and significant for the current project.

The discovery was first reported in August in the prestigious ‘Antiquity’ journal.

Negev

“Although the church itself has been excavated and researched for many years, the location of the painting and the fact that it was badly preserved  resulted in the researchers not noticing it,” Dr. Fanar told TPS.

Fanar related how on particularly bright day, she and Linn looked closely into a niche and were able to identify traces of the painted scene: first a pair of eyes on the apse of the baptistery adjoining the northern church, then curly hair, a nose, and a long face.

“I was in the right place at the right moment” Fanar said.

The researchers then also identified another, larger, figure larger with an aura in the painting, whom they believe is probably John the Baptist.

“The painting describes the scene of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist,” Fanar said.  “The location of the painting, above a baptismal basin in the form of a cross, in addition to other features, such as the location of the remains of the figures enabled us to recognize that this is the scene of Jesus’ baptism. We have no doubt that, like other scenes of baptism, this painting also had additional details that disappeared over the years.”

The painting portrays Jesus as a short-haired youth which precedes religious iconography used in the Orthodox Christian Church.

“Christ’s face in this painting is an important discovery in itself. It belongs to the iconographic scheme of a short-haired Christ, which was especially widespread in Egypt and Syria-Palestine but gone from later Byzantine art. Early sixth-century texts include polemics concerning the authenticity of Christ’s visual appearance, including his hairstyle. Based on iconography, we estimate that this scene was also painted in the sixth century AD, ” the Haifa team wrote in ‘Antiquity.’

“The discovery of this painting is extremely important. It is the only on-site  scene of Jesus’ baptism of the pre-iconoclastic period.” Fanar concluded.

Written by Mara Vigevani/TPS  |  Photo by University of Haifa (courtesy)

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