Ancient cave linked to early Christians in Jordan

By DALE GAVLAK
The Associated Press
Wednesday, June 11, 2008; 9:21 PM

"AMMAN, Jordan -- Archaeologists in Jordan have discovered a cave underneath one of the world's oldest churches and say it may have been an even more ancient site of Christian worship. But outside experts expressed caution about the claim..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...id=sec-religion


This is a pretty cool find to me. Further verification needs to be done to find out if this is a home to some 70 Christians literally practicing their religion underground in the first century A.D.. Certain pieces revealed to date make sense to me as fleeing persecution would lead some to geographically escape to another land and worship underground.

Literature retained from the first century A.D. outside of traditional bibles would merit discovery into the orgins of the Baptist sect of Christianity. A writing in circulation today translated into many languages is "The Diache" which is teaching on the ways of a righteous man exampled by J.C. leading to membership into the Church. It could be viewed as a newer version of the jewish process of Bar Mitzhah in which a young adult is sponsored and schooled into the ways of the Faith leading to ceremony as an accepted one.

Baptism was in fact the cultimation of schooling, sponsorship and a trial period of acceptance outlined in "The Didiache". Today's real Baptists practice much the same program as Baptism is considered passage into joining the body of Christ as a personal decision made much after birth as some religions expect Baptism and sponsorship to occur right after birth.

I am bringing up these links to the early Baptists because attached to this cave found in Jordon is a source of water through a tunnel connected to the main atrium which is exciting to me in that water for Baptism would be a very big intergal part of the practices of early Christians in the first Century A.D. Of course traditional bible study shows links to John the Baptist himself and J.C.

It could be a long shot to connect the orginal Baptists to a cave in Jordon but my curiosity has been aroused. Biblical history not officially ordained by church/state unions was hidden for years and years. Validation through modern science may just right some wrongs of the past.