John, and Other Doves, I do hope this hasn't already been posted somewhere. It was so good. I had

 

read or heard bits and pieces of this, but hadn't seen an article of the story in it's entirety. When I read this one

 

sentence on the block that said "for the oil of the Holy Spirit", I could just imagine touching  that, and it the seal of the early church.

 

No wonder so many signs, wonders, and miracles were performed in that early church. The Holy Spirit was given His rightful place.

 

He wasn't hidden in a back room somewhere, He was honored and respected as the God He is, that wonderful Third Person of The Trinity.

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Early Church Seal Discovered in Jerusalem  written by Perry Stone  http://www.voiceofevangelism.org/07featured_earlychurch_print.cfm

An item described as the “Messianic Seal of the Jerusalem Church” has been discovered on a piece of first-century pottery in Jerusalem, Israel.  The information concerning this seal has been released in the new book of the Messianic Seal of the Jerusalem Church, written by Reuven Schmaltz and Raymond Fischer.  The 97-page book, printed by Olim Publications in Tiberias, Israel, gives the account of a meeting between the authors and Ludwig Schneider, a German living in Israel.
According to the book, in 1990, Mr. Schneider befriended a lone monk, who was living in a small building in the Old City of Jerusalem.  After the third visit, the monk, a Greek named Tech Oteeoos, invited Ludwig into his small musty dwelling to show him a discovery he had made in 1969, in the area of Mount Zion.  According to Greek tradition, this area was the location of the first church in Jerusalem, pastored by James.

To Ludwig’s amazement, the monk had about forty pieces of pottery, including an oil lamp, clay jars, and other first-century vessels that he had unearthed in an old grotto, on property not far from the tomb of David.

It was not the pottery that struck Ludwig, but a strange emblem that was either etched or painted on all the pieces of pottery.  The emblem appeared to be a Jewish seven branched menorah drawn with a triangular base, with the triangular tail of a small fish overlapping the bottom half of the menorah.  The triangular base of the menorah and the triangular tail of the fish seemed to form the Star of David (the present emblem of Israel that appears on the national flag).
The monk gave Ludwig eight pieces of this amazing pottery with this unique design.  Ludwig believes this emblem was the Messianic seal of the first century church in Jerusalem.  In fact, one large stone block that was unearthed contains the words “For the oil of the Spirit.”  It may have been used to hold a large jar of oil, used to anoint believers.

According to the Bible, James was the leader of the first church in Jerusalem.  While the Apostle Peter served the Jewish sect of the first church, and Paul was chosen as the voice to the Gentile believers, it was James in Acts 15:15, who spoke of God “restoring the tabernacle of David and healing the breach.”  It was also James who mentioned anointing the sick with oil in the “name of the Lord” (James 5:15).
Could this discovery be evidence of an emblem from the first Christian church that has been hidden for over 1,900 years?

WE TOURED THE GROTTO

In 1998, after our Israel tour group departed, Dr. Joe Van Koevering and I extended our stay to tape programs for the January episodes of God’s News Behind The News.  During our stay, we asked our guide, Gideon Shor, if he was familiar with the location of this ancient, underground grotto.  Gideon knew the sight and set up arrangements for us to visit the location.

On Wednesday, December 5, we three, along with our camera crews, went to the actual grotto, which is about 75 yards from the tomb of King David.  There is a concrete building and metal cage that surrounds the underground chamber, which also has double metal doors that are chained tight.  After making contact with a young monk, a teacher at the Greek school, we were permitted to go inside the grotto and take photographs.

As our Greek guide unlocked the doors and took us down the stone steps, we began to ask him certain questions.  He told us the grotto, which is cut out of limestone, was a cistern and appears to have been a Jewish mikvot.  The mikvot was an ancient baptismal pool, where the Jews would submerge and purify themselves in water.  We walked through a small opening into another room, round in shape and cut from the limestone rock.  A small tunnel, about twenty feet long, led into another room, which was later made into a cistern.  The monk told us that the entire hill has tunnels under it that branch out- similar to the catacombs found under the city of Rome, Italy.  The tunnels have been sealed up and are no longer accessible, at least from the area of the ancient grotto.

According to the Monk who gave us the tour, Helena (the mother of Constantine) came to the Holy Land over 1,600 years ago, and built a church on the same hill where these underground tunnels are located.  In fact, we were able to visit the school in the basement and see two sections of a small mosaic floor that are the only remaining pieces of evidence from the church of Helena, built on the land where the early Christians met in the underground caves.

The young monk was not familiar with the story of Teek Oteeoos, or the discovery of the pottery and the ancient seal.  The discovery was made years before he became a part of the school.  He gave us the contact information of people we could talk to, who may give insight if they chose to do so.

According to Ludwig, the old monk who found the pottery was in his nineties when he gave the special gifts to Ludwig.  The monk, Teek Oteeoos, passed away, and the other remaining pottery was removed from the small building, along with the possessions of the departed Monk.  Some believe the Greek monastery, which refuses to discuss the subject, may have taken the pottery.  Fortunately, Ludwig has eight of the possible forty pieces in his possession.

Gideon Shor was shown a picture of a small stone block with the letters carved on the front.  Gideon confirmed that the letters were the old Hebrew letters, which would have been used from the first century.  Reading right to left, the two words are “Shemon Ruach” or the “oil of the Spirit.”  The old Hebrew was used until about the fifth century, then the form of the letters changed.  The church in Jerusalem was a Jewish church, and was pastored by Jewish leaders and elders.  Therefore, the language used would have been in Hebrew.

THE CONTROVERSY OF THE SEAL

In 1996, Ludwig opened a gift shop in the Old City, and began to make copies of the emblem he believed was the “Messianic Seal of Jerusalem Church.”  When certain orthodox Jews became angry over the seal, they began to stone his shop, and he was soon forced to close it down.

It seems the problem is with, what appears to be, the Star of David that is formed when the base of the menorah intersects with the tail of the fish (see the enclosed drawing).  The Star of David can be traced as far back as the 7th century B.C., and is presently the emblem of the nation of Israel.  It appears on Israel’s national flag.

By placing the menorah (a Jewish emblem) and the fish (definitely an early Christian sign) together, few people would be upset.  But on each piece of the pottery, the menorah and the fish seem to create the image of the Star of David.

Prophetically speaking, the menorah was the emblem of the old covenant, and the fish was the emblem of the new covenant.  In fact, when the Christians were being martyred in Rome, one would draw half of the fish in the sand, and the other Christian would draw the other half, thus forming the fish sign.

If evidence continues to mount, the seal of the early church may have been found!  It is unique that the old covenant (menorah) and the new covenant (fish), when placed together, form the Star of David (Israel).  The star is the bridge between the two covenants; just as Israel is the prophetic bridge between both covenants!

In 1999, at our Campmeeting in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, I preached on God’s present purpose is to “restore the breach” between the Jews and Gentiles.  When I saw this seal, I thought about how unusual it was that this discovery was made near the “beginning of the third day,” when God is beginning to repair the breach between natural and spiritual Zion!  How strange that James mentioned restoring the breach in Acts 15:15 and now, as we have crossed into another millennium, a visible seal was unearthed, that demonstrates the first century unity of the Jews and the Gentile!   

IN CONCLUSION

Our Jewish guide, Gideon Shor, has assured us that he will follow up on the story, and attempt to make contact with the people who have reported these events.  If you are ever in Tiberias, Israel, visit the Galilee Experience and get the book The Messianic Seal of the Jerusalem Church