In a new article published in the journal Hesperia, Matthew Larsen, an archaeologist and associate professor of New Testament at the University of Copenhagen, has identified the remains of a Roman-era prison in Corinth. Discovering Roman prisons is difficult, and only a few have been positively identified. Larsen examined the graffiti at the site and the excavation report from 1901 to make the identification. The prison is 1600 years old, and contains pleas of the prisoners scratched into the floor, including the following (see link below):
- “Lord, make them die an awful death”
- “May the fortune of those who suffer in this lawless place prevail. Lord, do not show mercy on the one who threw us in here"
- “Godbearer, repay [punishment given by] Marinos, the one who threw us in here and made us spend winter” (brackets in the original)
- “Lord God and pure justice, ransom from this place the two brothers. Christ, safeguard both Boudis and John…"
Several game boards were also discovered etched into the floor. There were also the remains of jugs and lamps on the eastern side of the prison, which would have provided water and light for the prisoners. In addition, a small latrine was found in one of the prison’s chambers. The prison likely gives us a picture of those that held the apostles as recorded in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 5:18, 12:5, 16:23)”?
OFF-SITE LINKS:
- https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/lord-make-them-die-an-awful-death-prisoner-s-dark-pleas-found-etched-into-roman-era-prison
Read more BREAKING NEWS articles here: https://biblearchaeology.org/current-events-list
