The mystery of the cave mural could turn Christmas upside down

The fresco, dating back 5,000 years, is considered the oldest Nativity scene ever discovered. The fresco, discovered in the Sahara Desert in Egypt, shows a newborn between his parents, two animals and a star in the east.

This scene reminds us of the Biblical account of the birth of Jesus. However, the fresco was created 3,000 years before the birth of Christ. A group of Italian researchers found the fresco in a cave now called “Parent’s Cave” In the Egyptian desert during an exploratory trip between the Gilf el-Kebir plateau and the Nile Valley.

The unknown artist painted a newborn between his parents, a star in the east, and two animals. According to Seeker.com, the mural was discovered on the ceiling of a small cave in the Sahara Desert. Researchers believe that it dates back to the Neolithic or Stone Age.

It was created 3000 years before the birth of Christ

“It’s a scene that very much resembles, even resembles, the birth of Christ. But it predates it by about 3,000 years.” Geologist Marco Morelli, director of the Planetary Science Museum in Prato, Italy, told Seeker. The website states that Morelli and his team discovered Mural in 2005, but only in 2016 was revealedTheir findings are titled “The Parents’ Cave.”

Although there is not much information about the photography, the discovery certainly raises some surprises and questions. The fresco, done in reddish-brown, has several prominent features, including a headless lion.

One of Jesus’ titles is “Lion Jodha.” Additionally, headless lions were legendary animals of the Neolithic or New Stone Age in this part of the world. The fresco also features a marmoset or monkey, a star in the east and a child raised slightly in the sky. The Seeker website said that the position of the newborn may mean birth or pregnancy.

Morelli and his team did not reveal why they delayed announcing their findings, and decided to do so after 11 years. “This discovery has many implications because it raises new questions about the iconography of one of the most powerful Christian symbols. We only find similar scenes in the early Christian era.” The geologist noted.

What do the Bible and Gospels say about the birth of Christ?

Nativity scene Christmas It is based primarily on the account of Jesus’ birth found in the Gospel of Matthew, which states that three wise men followed a newly rising star, which led them to Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem.

The Gospel of Luke in the second chapter gives details about the birth of Jesus and how his father and mother were turned away from the Bethlehem inn because they were full and had to find shelter in a barn or a cave. There the Bible says that the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus.

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, which is in Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be registered with Mary his fiancée, who was pregnant. And while she was there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him to rest. In the manger, since there was no room for them in the inn.. (Luke 2:4-7)

although The exact month and day of Jesus’ birth Unknown, until the fourth century the Western Christian Church set Christmas on December 25. In contrast, Eastern Christian churches celebrate Christmas on December 25 of the Julian calendar, which falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar.

Comparative religion scholars believe that the chosen date corresponds to non-Abrahamic religious holidays that occurred on the winter solstice, such as the birth of the ancient Egyptian god Horus.