November 11, 2005

Faith is Stronger than Circumstances

What a week in the Middle East. On Wednesday, three simultaneous suicide attacks in Amman, Jordan – the latest salvos in the global jihad campaign – shook the small but strategic nation and reverberated around the world. King Abdullah and his loyal populace defied the attackers, and he pledged to “pull them from their holes and bring them to justice.” Their implacable enemy, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi of al-Qaeda Iraq masterminded the attacks.

Zarqawi has become the face of jihad in Iraq and throughout the Middle East and the enemy of Arab regimes like Jordan. A biography on him by the Center for Special Studies here in Israel sheds some light on his worldview and jihad. It states, “... it should be noted that al-Zarqawi’s jihad is also aimed at Arab rulers whom he considers infidels because their countries serve as ‘supply bases’ for ‘the American airplanes of destruction’, and their fate will be to lose their rule, as Saddam Hussein lost his.”

The analysis goes on to describe the scope of his enemies: “... there is a real danger for those whom extremist radical Islamic elements consider infidels, be they Christians, Jews or even Muslims. Their fate is a death sentence, wherever they may be.”

Jihadists like al-Zarqawi with their radical brand of Islam see Christians in the Middle East or around the world as their enemies. It’s a state of affairs Christians have faced on and off throughout the centuries. In fact, just the day before the bombings in Jordan, Israeli authorities displayed evidence of a time when Christians faced persecution centuries ago.

The Israel Antiquities Authority unearthed perhaps the earliest church ever found in Israel – mid 3rd to 4th century - in one of the most unlikely places, a maximum security prison. The prison was also located in one of the most evocative places on earth, the valley of Armageddon. In the process of building a new wing on the prison in Megiddo, prison officials discovered the remains of this church with a floor that contained remarkable mosaics.

There were three mosaics. One contained an inscription to an army officer named Gaianos who contributed the mosaic floor. Another was dedicated to the memory of four women: Frimilia, Kiriaka, Dorothea and Karasta. The third and most significant memorialized a man called Akaptos in these words: “Lover of God who contributed the altar to the God Jesus Christ, as a memorial.”

As in many press events, you can get caught up in the moment, in getting the story, the interviews and the footage necessary to tell the story. But I began to wonder, who were these people? Who was Gaianos, who probably risked his life and military career to pay for this mosaic? Who were these four women and why were they so honored? What about Akaptos who was a “lover of God”? Seeing their names after so many centuries was like a glimpse back through history to meet brothers and sisters in Christ.

We do know that they celebrated the Lord’s Table, the same communal meal Christians have celebrated since the Last Supper. Stephen Pfann, a professor from the University of the Holy Land, helped us re-create what their church life might have been like. In the middle of the floor were the remains of what looked like a table. He noted that the word translated “altar” in the inscription was more accurately translated “table.” So unlike a pagan altar, this was likely a table where communion was celebrated. Also, the table was in the middle of the room where everyone could gather around. No distinction between priest and laity.

Pfann also told us this was a time of great persecution, a time when Christianity was illegal and persecution was rampart. But they still gathered together, still celebrated communion and still boldly proclaimed their faith through these mosaics. Yet, their profession of faith expressed in these mosaics was a bold statement for its day and possibly – according to Pfann – a reason why their church might have been destroyed.

Perhaps Gainos, Akaptos, and these four women have left us a legacy and a lesson: that their faith is stronger than the circumstances. So whether it’s facing the Roman legions of the 3rd or 4th centuries or the jihad warriors of al-Zarqawi today, there’s a transcendent faith that binds us not only through the centuries, but through eternity as well. This Sunday, as many of us celebrate the same communal meal they did 1700 years ago, we can remember the One who binds us together through time and eternity. We can remember Jesus Christ once more as He told us to, until He comes again.

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