JERUSALEM: The house where Jesus Christ is believed to have spent his childhood has been found. The house was discovered by British researchers during a search in Israel.
Ken Dark, a professor of archeology at the University of Reading and head of the research team, made the discovery after 14 years of fieldwork.
The remains of the house were found under the monastery of the Sisters of Nazareth in Israel. Researchers also say that this is the house of Jesus’ adoptive father Joseph and this is a first-century home.
Neighbors also say that the monastery was built on top of an ancient house. Researchers have found that parts of the wall made of limestone and a cave-like part that moves upwards like a ladder still remain as part of this house.
Dr. Dark says the new discovery is a historically significant site that researchers have almost forgotten. He says that until the 1930s, the locals believed that the place was home to Jesus’ childhood. Dr. Dark began his research in 2006, and in 2015 he published a paper incorporating his initial findings.
According to beliefs, Jesus’ adoptive father Joseph was a carpenter, but in some Greek texts he is also said to be a mason. The study says that only a skilled mason could build such a two-story house at that time.
Evidence has also been found that the area now inhabited was heavily populated by Jews at the time.
There are also indications that the cave-like path now found near the house is part of a church. One study suggests that a separate church came here after Rome adopted Christianity as its official religion.