Impressive Marble Statue Of A Ram, An Ancient Christian Symbol For Jesus Discovered

MessageToEagle.com – An impressive marble statue of a ram, an ancient Christian symbol for Jesus, was discovered on Christmas Eve during the excavation of a Byzantine-period church in Caesarea, the Israel Antiquities Authority spokesperson, informed.

The discovery was made last Thursday morning in an archaeological excavation, archaeologists are conducting in the Caesarea Harbor National Park, at the initiative of the Caesarea Development Corporation.

The marble statue discovered in Caesarea Copyright: Vered Sarig, The Caesarea Development Corporation
The marble statue discovered in Caesarea. Copyright: Vered Sarig, The Caesarea Development Corporation

In Christian art the ram is often depicted carried on the shoulders of the “Good Shepherd” (that is, Jesus, who is portrayed as the shepherd tending his flock), and sometimes the ram is situated to the left or right of Jesus.

In Christianity the ram, like the lamb, represents the faithful, or Jesus himself, whose anguish and death were meant according to Christian belief to atone for original sin (the origin of the image is in John 29:1).

In the past, Caesarea was the magnificent city of King Herod and one of the largest and most important cities in Eretz Israel. Imagine the people walking the Roman streets, the cheering crowds in the majestic theater, the galloping horses in the giant hippodrome. Enter the screening hall and view the display. The Caesarea Experience relays the 2000 year history of this glorious city. Credits: www.caesarea.com
In the past, Caesarea was the magnificent city of King Herod and one of the largest and most important cities in Eretz Israel. Imagine the people walking the Roman streets, the cheering crowds in the majestic theater, the galloping horses in the giant hippodrome. Enter the screening hall and view the display. The Caesarea Experience relays the 2000 year history of this glorious city. Credits: www.caesarea.com

The ram appeared alongside the Greek gods Hermes and Mercury in Roman art, and it was a representation of the god Amun in Egyptian mythology.

“Caesarea never ceases to surprise as evidenced by this amazing statue that was discovered today,” according to Dr. Peter Gendelman and Mohammad Hater, directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

In ancient Christianity Jesus was not portrayed as a person. Instead, symbols were used, one of which was the ram. It may or may not be a coincidence, but the statue was uncovered on Christmas Eve.

The statue that we found might have been part of the decoration of a Byzantine church from the sixth–seventh centuries CE at Caesarea. By the same token it could also be earlier, from the Roman period, and was incorporated in secondary use in the church structure”.

MessageToEagle.com via AncientPages.com 

source: Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs