Tuesday, June 04, 2024

Mobile Megiddo mosaic moving to Museum of the Bible (on loan)

DECORATIVE ART EXHIBITION: Israel Lending 'Jesus Mosaic' From Armageddon to Controversial Bible Museum. Mosaic found in extremely early Christian prayer hall removed from prison home, to be displayed at the evangelical-backed Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C. (Ariel David and Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).
Last week, expert conservators working at an archaeological site in a northern Israeli prison quietly completed the job of packing up and loading onto trucks one of the most important discoveries made in Israel this century.

The Megiddo Mosaic, which decorated one of oldest Christian prayer halls ever found, will soon fly overseas for a 9-months loan to the Museum of the Bible, Haaretz has learned.

[...]

I noted last year that the loan was being raised as a possibility. For background on the Megiddo "Jesus" mosaic and on the Museum of the Bible, see the links there. For more on the loan and on the evidently separate decision to move the mosaic from its context, see here and here.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.