Magdala – By Amy Matthews

Most people think of Magdala as the birthplace of Mary Magdalene. And so it is. An ancient history. But today when we visited Magdala we also discovered new found history. A simple digging accident unearthed a stone from 2000 years ago thought to be covered over by the Romans It contained a menorah inscription leading excavators to determine it may have been part of something bigger. And bigger it was! Soon a whole synagogue was unearthed revealing a mosaic that included 27 different stones and coins dating from year 7-57 inscribed with Tiberius and Herod titles. We wandered through the remainder of the site viewing the bath houses, study rooms, and gardens. Our journey then took us to the church of Mary Magdalene, a very modern Christian house of worship. Floor mosaics copied from the 1st synagogue were present and stunning mosaics lined the walls of 6 chapels. The main church housed a life sized boat used as the altar and the view from the back allows you to feel as if you are on the Galilee. The bottom floor of the church housed a painting titled” Encounter Feet” that hung over the original street that passed through the 1st city. The stark comparison between the modern church and ancient synagogue was striking and I wondered why it took almost 2000 to find it. And by accident. The comparisons of it being found on a Christian site had me asking “ why now, why here”? Was the message to be as hope in building bridges between faiths? Could it be a reminder of holding onto tradition as we move forward? Only time will tell.