Tomb Inscription May Commemorate Burial Place of Father of John the Baptist
Submitted by Karen on Wed, 2003-07-09 12:17
"This is the tomb of Zachariah, martyr, very pious priest, father of John," says the Greek inscription on a funerary monument at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The inscription likely dates to several centuries after Zachariah's death, and was probably put there by Byzantine Christians. In the fourth and fifth centuries, the Byzantines marked sites in the Holy Land which they thought were linked to Biblical figures. These references are important, according to scholars, because they shed light on the traditions and beliefs of the early Christians.