Bellarmino Bagatti
Encyclopedia
Bellarmino Camillo Bagatti (November 11, 1905 - October 7, 1990) was a controversial 20th century archaeologist
and ordained priest (Roman Catholic
).
Among his writings was the book Excavations in Nazareth. Vol. II. From the 12th century until Today.
Among the discoveries Bagatti made are:
His thesis of the Church of Zion, Jerusalem
(1976) gained the support of Emmanuel Testa but is not generally accepted by majority of archeologists.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and ordained priest (Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
).
Among his writings was the book Excavations in Nazareth. Vol. II. From the 12th century until Today.
Among the discoveries Bagatti made are:
- that the town now known as NazarethNazarethNazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
was no more than a small hamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in the 1st century. John Dominic CrossanJohn Dominic CrossanJohn Dominic Crossan is an Irish-American religious scholar and former Catholic priest known for co-founding the Jesus Seminar. Crossan is a major figure in the fields of biblical archaeology, anthropology and New Testament textual and higher criticism. He is also a lecturer who has appeared in...
remarks that looking at the plans drawn up by Bagatti...one realizes just how small the village actually was - that Saint Peter was buried in the necropolisNecropolisA necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
under the modern Dominus Flevit ChurchDominus Flevit ChurchDominus Flevit is a Roman Catholic church located on the Mount of Olives immediately facing the Old City of Jerusalem.- History :Dominus Flevit, which translates from Latin as "The Lord Wept", was fashioned in the shape of a teardrop to symbolize the tears of Christ...
, in Jerusalem; this conclusion was based on an ossuaryOssuaryAn ossuary is a chest, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years the skeletal remains are removed and placed in an ossuary...
found there, which proclaims the occupant to be Simon bar Jonah (corresponding to the Biblical Simon Barjonas, and which statistically is an extremely rare combination of names). This was at a similar time as the PopePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
claiming to have found evidence for Saint Peter's burial under the VaticanVatican CityVatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
.
His thesis of the Church of Zion, Jerusalem
Church of Zion, Jerusalem
The Church of Zion, Jerusalem, also known as the Church of the Apostles on Mount Zion, is the thesis of a presumed distinct Jewish-Christian congregation continuing at Mount Zion in Jerusalem in the 2nd-5th Century, when it was the Roman colony of Aelia Capitolina, distinct from the main Gentile...
(1976) gained the support of Emmanuel Testa but is not generally accepted by majority of archeologists.