Archaeological Proof That Christians Worshiped Jesus as God Before Constantine and the Equality of Women

In November 2024, archaeologists uncovered an 1,800-year-old Christian mosaic in Israel at the site of a Roman military outpost near Megiddo. Dated to approximately 230 AD, the inscription on this mosaic contains the earliest archaeological evidence explicitly referring to Jesus as God. (See Biblical Archaeology Society here.)

This discovery decisively challenges and ultimately destroys the widely held claim that Jesus’ divinity was a fabrication created at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD during the reign of Emperor Constantine. Instead, it compellingly proves that Christians—indeed, many decades before Constantine was even born—were already worshiping Jesus as God, establishing a foundational belief that predated the political motivations attributed to that council. Furthermore, it illuminates the significant and often overlooked role of women in the early Christian Church, demonstrating that their involvement was not one of mere subjugation as some might suggest, but rather one characterized by a remarkable degree of equality and respect within the community. It is discoveries such as these that underscore and reaffirm why biblical archaeology holds paramount importance; they play a crucial role in correcting misconceptions and dispelling false claims put forth by critics of the Bible, thus enriching our understanding of early Christianity and its multifaceted nature.

The Megiddo Mosaic: What It Says and Why It Matters

The mosaic inscription in Greek reads:

“The God-loving Akeptous has offered the table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.”

This phrase explicitly calls Jesus “God” (Θεῷ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ, Theōi Iēsou Christōi), confirming that early Christians already recognized and worshiped Jesus as divine. The Greek grammar leaves no room for ambiguity—this is a direct reference to Jesus as God rather than a lesser being.

The mosaic was found in what appears to be an early Christian prayer hall, likely used by both civilians and Roman soldiers. This means that even within the Roman military, Jesus was already being worshiped as God—centuries before Christianity was officially legalized.

Why This Challenges Skeptics

Many claim that Jesus was only elevated to divine status under Constantine at Nicaea. However, this mosaic—dating over 90 years before Nicaea—is material evidence that:

1. Christians already believed Jesus was God before Constantine.
2. This belief was widespread—even among Roman soldiers.
3. The deity of Christ was not a political invention but a core doctrine of early Christianity.

This aligns perfectly with what the New Testament, early church writings, and Jewish thought already confirm: Jesus was worshiped as God from the very beginning.

The Bible’s Explicit Claims That Jesus Is God

The Megiddo Mosaic is not an outlier—it aligns perfectly with the New Testament’s testimony that Jesus was recognized as God long before the third century.

Jesus as God in the Four Gospels

1. Mark 1:1-3 – Mark identifies Jesus with Yahweh from the opening of his Gospel. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” (cf. Isaiah 40:3, where “the Lord” is YHWH).
2. Matthew 1:23 – Matthew identifies Jesus as Emmanuel, “God with us.” “‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).”
3. Luke 22:67-71 – Jesus affirms His divine identity before the Jewish leaders. “‘If you are the Christ, tell us.’ But he said to them, ‘If I tell you, you will not believe… But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.’ So they all said, ‘Are you the Son of God, then?’ And he said to them, ‘You say that I am.’ Then they said, ‘What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.’”
4. John 1:1, 14, 18 – John calls Jesus the Word who is fully God and became flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

Jesus as God in the Rest of the New Testament

• Colossians 1:15 – Jesus is called the “image of the invisible God.” “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
• 2 Peter 1:1 – Peter explicitly refers to Jesus as “our God and Savior.” “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
• Romans 9:5 – Jesus is called “God over all” “To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.”
• Titus 2:13 – Paul explicitly calls Jesus “our great God and Savior” “Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Refuting the “Corruption of the Text” Argument

Critics sometimes claim that orthodox scribes altered the biblical manuscripts to insert the deity of Christ. However, this argument is refuted by:

1. The early Greek manuscripts – The oldest copies of the New Testament, including P66, P75, and Codex Sinaiticus (4th century), already contain the divine titles of Jesus found in modern Bibles.
2. The early Latin manuscripts – Even the earliest Latin translations (2nd-3rd century) affirm Jesus’ deity.
3. The Megiddo Mosaic itself – If textual corruption were the cause of Christ’s deity, why does an archaeological discovery from 230 AD confirm that Christians already worshiped Jesus as God?

The Early Church Fathers on Christ’s Deity

The first generations of Christians after the Apostles affirmed the divinity of Christ long before Constantine:

• Clement of Rome (c. 96 AD)“Brethren, we ought to think of Jesus Christ as of God.” (1 Clement 16:2)
• Ignatius of Antioch (c. 107 AD)“There is one Physician who is possessed both of flesh and spirit; both made and not made; God existing in flesh.” (Letter to the Ephesians 7:2)
• Justin Martyr (c. 150 AD)“The Father of the universe has a Son; who also, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God.” (First Apology 63)
• Irenaeus (c. 180 AD)“Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King.” (Against Heresies 1.10.1)

The Jewish “Two Powers” Concept and Jesus

Some claim that belief in a divine-human figure was “foreign” to Judaism. However, Dr. Michael Heiser debunks this idea:

“The idea that Judaism had a council of divine beings with Yahweh at the head, and that a second figure—a visible, embodied Yahweh—was part of that council, is well established in Jewish thought before and during the Second Temple period.” (The Unseen Realm, p. 39)

In Daniel 7:13-14, the “Son of Man” is worshiped alongside the “Ancient of Days.” The earliest Jews understood this as a divine figure distinct from Yahweh but sharing His authority.

This is exactly how Jesus described Himself (Mark 14:61-62), leading the high priest to accuse Him of blasphemy.

Refuting the Myth That Constantine “Invented” Jesus’ Deity

The claim that Jesus was not considered God until Nicaea in 325 AD is historically false.

The Council of Nicaea did not invent Jesus’ divinity—it simply affirmed what Christians had already believed for centuries in response to the Arian controversy.

Here’s the timeline:

Date	Event	Jesus’ Deity Affirmed
30-33 AD	Jesus’ ministry	Jesus claims divinity (John 8:58)
50-95 AD	New Testament written	Jesus called God (John 1:1, Titus 2:13)
96-200 AD	Early Church Fathers	Clement, Ignatius, Justin Martyr
230 AD	Megiddo Mosaic	Jesus explicitly called “God”
325 AD	Council of Nicaea	Officially condemns Arianism

The Megiddo Mosaic is physical, historical proof that Christians from the time of the New Testament believed Jesus is God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity

Women as Patrons and Leaders in the Early Church

Because the Greek uses a feminine noun and pronouns, we know that Akeptous was female. Her role in funding this early Christian gathering place aligns with what we see in the New Testament and early Christian history:

1. Women financially supported Jesus’ ministry
   • Luke 8:1-3 states that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and other women financially supported Jesus and His disciples out of their own means.
2. Priscilla and Aquila were key leaders
   • Acts 18:24-26 – Priscilla and her husband privately instructed Apollos, a powerful preacher, showing that women played a role in theological education.
   • Romans 16:3 – Paul calls Priscilla and Aquila “fellow workers in Christ.”
3. Phoebe was a deacon in the early church
   • Romans 16:1-2 – Paul commends Phoebe as a “deacon” (διάκονον, diakonon) and urges the Roman church to support her.
4. Women were the first witnesses to the Resurrection
   • In a radical break from Jewish and Greco-Roman customs, the Gospels present women as the first witnesses of the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:11-18).
   • If the early church had wanted to fabricate the Resurrection narrative, they would never have chosen women as the first witnesses, since women’s testimony was often disregarded in the ancient world.

The Megiddo Mosaic Further Confirms Women’s Prominent Role

This archaeological evidence aligns perfectly with the New Testament’s depiction of women as patrons, leaders, and key figures in the Christian movement.

Instead of marginalizing women, early Christianity gave them status and influence far beyond what was common in the Greco-Roman world. The Megiddo Mosaic stands as yet another refutation of the claim that Christianity was inherently oppressive to women.

This discovery proves that women were active participants in shaping and supporting the church—a reality that skeptics conveniently ignore.

Why This Challenges Critics

Many claim that Jesus was only elevated to divine status under Constantine at Nicaea. However, this mosaic—dating over 90 years before Nicaea—is material evidence that:

1. Christians already believed Jesus was God before Constantine.
2. This belief was widespread—even among Roman soldiers.
3. The deity of Christ was not a political invention but a core doctrine of early Christianity.

This aligns perfectly with what the New Testament, early church writings, and Jewish thought already confirm: Jesus was worshiped as God from the very beginning.

The Megiddo Mosaic Is Devastating to Skeptics

The Megiddo Mosaic proves that belief in Jesus’ deity was not a later invention but a core Christian doctrine from the beginning.

The New Testament, early church writings, Jewish “Two Powers” theology, and now archaeology all confirm that Jesus was worshiped as God long before Constantine.

For skeptics, this discovery is devastating. The evidence is overwhelming: Jesus has always been God, and early Christians knew it.

(You can read more about this at the Museum of the Bible linked here)