An Ancient Magician’s Jesus Cup

One of my favorite archaeological finds about Jesus involves a cup found in the ancient harbor of Alexandria, Egypt in 2008. It was discovered on the now submerged island that once held Queen Cleopatra’s palace.

The near fully intact cup had the words, “Through Christ the enchanter” inscribed on it.

Known as the Jesus cup, it is dated to the first century. The cup was used in fortune telling ceremonies where oil and water were poured into the cup. The practitioner interpreted the oil as at dispersed on the surface.

The owner was obviously not a Christian but was trying to incorporate what was believed to be Christ’s magical powers into ceremonies.

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