file footage (ancient church in Crete) The Oldest known
Christian church Has been found Rihab, northern Jordan, near the
Syrian border. The church Dates to between AD33 to AD70. That is
totally remarkable as no Christian stuff has ever been found
that predates mid century. "We have uncovered what we believe to
be the first church in the world, dating from AD33 to 70," said
the head of the Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies, Abdul
Qader al-Husan. "We have evidence to believe this church
sheltered the early Christians - the 70 disciples of Jesus
Christ." A mosaic found in the church describes them as "the 70
beloved by God and Divine". Mr Husan said they were believed to
have fled persecution in Jerusalem and founded churches in
northern Jordan. He cited historical sources that suggest they
lived and practised religious rituals in the underground church
and left it only after Christianity was embraced by Roman rulers
in the fourth century. There is no clear holder of the title of
oldest Christian church: v