Archaeologists Find 1,500-Year-Old Marble Slab at Site of Miracle of the Swine

Archeologists in Israel unearthed ancient Hebrew inscriptions on a 1,500-year-old slab of marble while excavating near the Sea of Galilee, according to multiple published reports.

Haaretz, a news organization that covers Israel and the Middle East, reported that the discovery is the first evidence that a Jewish community once lived at Kursi, on the sea’s Eastern shore.

Kursi holds some biblical significance. It’s believed to be where Jesus performed the Miracle of the Swine (Mark 5:1-20), in which He healed a man who was possessed by demons by forcing the demons into a herd of 2,000 pigs that ran down an embankment and drowned in the sea.

Archaeologists told Haaretz they found the slab, which measured about 60 inches by 27 inches, in what they believe was a synagogue. They believe the tablet commemorates something — what, exactly, isn’t clear — but the eight-line message begins with the phrase “remembered for good.”

Arutz Sheva, another Israeli news site, reported that the inscription is Aramaic, but written with Hebrew letters. Those behind the discovery were working to translate it, but had already read “Amen” and “Marmariya” — which, depending on who you ask, either refers to marble or Mary.

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