"With gratitude to Jesus blessed".
Extremely rare discovery in Anatolia (Turkey). Five loaves of bread for the Eucharist dating back to the VII-VIII century, one of which depicting a Jesus sower.
A very original and extremely rare discovery, especially for the image of the Lord as a farmer, different from the well-known known Christ Pantocrator. A reason related to agriculture that could indicate the intention to turn to the local community where faith coexists with the work of the land.
It could also reflect the parable of the sower cited in the Gospels, a strong allegory of faith as a seed that takes root in the human heart and bears spiritual fruit.
The charred loaves date back to the Byzantine period, one in particular has an engraving depicting Jesus as a sower, accompanied by the Greek inscription: "With gratitude to Jesus blessed".
The other communion breads bear imprints of a Maltese cross, reinforcing the hypothesis that they were destined for the liturgy and the Eucharist.
Circular loafs have survived 1300 years thanks to carbonization, which has protected the surface details, combined with burial in conditions of low oxygen and the stability of temperatures. The next goal will be tomographic tests to identify cereals and cooking techniques useful for understanding the local diet.
.The presence of a production center of quality Eucharistic breads and with this iconography confirms the existence in Irenopolis of an active Christian community, endowed with resources and a distinct theological identity.
In fact, it must be considered that present-day Turkey hosted the first Christian communities, starting with the travels of St. Paul and the Council of Nicaea that gave shape to the Creed recited even today. Soon it will be the destination of the first apostolic journey of Leo XIV.
Another underlining that we would like to make regarding the discovery concerns the centrality of the Eucharist which, as Catholic Catechism teaches, has in its heart "bread and wine, signs of the goodness of creation, which become the Body and Blood of Christ" (CCC 1333).
This find testifies to how, already in the VII-VIII century, Christian communities celebrated the Eucharist in a similar way to how we still celebrate it today, at least in Catholicism.
A third interesting aspect is highlighted observing that on the back of one of the charred loaves, among the motifs that emerge, a multi-square design with traces of radial crosses appears.
It is suggested that this reason could be linked to the famous Sator Square, the Latin inscription palindromaSATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS found in various archaeological contexts linked to early Christianity.
According to the authors, the association would not be accidental: "Sator" means "sower", which is directly connected to the image of the agricultural Christ imprinted on one of the loaves. Remembering the writing of the Square of the Sator, it is hypothesized that "Arepo" was a necessary name for the palindrome, while "tenet opera rotas" would refer to the gesture of driving the wheels of the plow, in an allegory that connects earthly work and divine action.
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