Abraham's Gate Open For Viewing

Photo from the blog israelnotes.wordpress.com

Archeologists, historians and the merely curious have sought proof of Biblical events in artifacts and locales. Every now and then something is turned up -- like a supposed burial box for Jesus's brother -- and then is dismissed as wishful thinking when there's no real evidence of a connection.

A stone gate to an ancient city uncovered in 1979 recently had its restoration completed and now has opened to the public. Biblical experts call it Abraham's Gate because they think it may be the entrance to the city of Dan, where Abraham's nephew Lot was kidnapped and held. Whether it is or not, it is a 4,000-year-old city that's representative of that sort of city, the oldest evidence of civilization in Israel.

The location of many miracles in Israel have been noted and preserved, especially those from the time of Jesus. However archeologists never expected to find an example of anything from Abraham's era.

Amazingly, archeologists continue to find new signs of the holy past, including the depiction of the Lion of Judah and a menorah in a mosaic on a synagogue floor in Western Negev dated 1,500 years ago, or in the 5th and 6th centuries. The Byzantine-era design is described as one of the most spectacular of its kind.