Posted on 07/30/2017 4:19:45 AM PDT by NYer
The mummified remains of an Egyptian woman, discovered in a cemetery near the bank of the Nile. revealed a surprising discovery: she bore a tattoo of the Archangel Michael.
The Telegraph | YouTube
CAT scans performed by the British Museum revealed that the woman, who lived in Sudan around 700 AD, had the tattoo on her inner thigh (whether it was meant to be seen remains unknown).
The tattoo features a cross on top of a symbol representing the Archangel Michael. It combines in one symbol the letters forming the name Michael (MIXAHΛ) in Greek or Coptic (both languages use a very similar alphabet).
The Telegraph | YouTube
According to the British Museum, the tattoo suggests that the Sudanese woman was of Christian faith, and may have hoped to place herself under the protection of the Archangel – one of the patron saints of Nubia.
The monogram of Saint Michael has been discovered in Nubia, where it was found on the walls of churches and on pottery, but researchers were surprised to find it on a tattoo.
The use of tattoos to indicate one’s faith continues to be popular among Copts today, many of whom have a small cross tattooed inside the wrist.
The mummy was part of an exhibit at the British Museum that showed CAT scan images of mummies found along the Nile. In preparation for the exhibit, which opened in 2014, the mummies were taken at night to hospitals for CAT scans and x-rays, according to a report in the Telegraph.
Catholic ping!
Sudan and Nubia were Christian before the Muslims got there.
Michael was from the Old Testament. Therefore only Christian as he comes to Christianity through the Hebrew Scriptures.
My FIRST thought was; Christian? ... Saint ?
Because SCRIPTURE teaches the born again are saints (not a denominational election)
Bible Verses About Saints
Bible verses related to Saints from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance
Romans 1:7 - To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called [to be] saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 2:5 - For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Revelation 5:8 - And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
1 Corinthians 14:33 - For God is not [the author] of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Revelation 14:12 - Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Romans 12:2 - And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Psalms 30:4 - Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Revelation 8:3 - And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
So I went looking at the source; Aleteia.org and read;
The second sentence under "Who We Are" states;
"The Aleteia site offers a Christian vision of the world by providing general and religious content that is free from ideological influences."
Except it is almost completely influenced if not controlled by the Catholic church organization;
"Created through the passion and professional expertise of lay Catholics, since its launch Aleteia has been accompanied by the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization. In communion with the Church’s Magisterium, Aleteia is open to working with the dicasteries of the Holy See, and also collaborates with bishops conferences and religious orders, congregations and communities, some of which are directly involved in the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Evangelization through the Media (FEM)."
Now, according to church history;
"The canonization of Saint Udalric, Bishop of Augsburg by Pope John XV in 993 was the first undoubted example of Papal canonization of a saint from outside of Rome; some historians maintain further that the first Papal canonization was of St. Swibert by Pope Leo III in 804."
Which is almost a century beyond the writings of the scriptures that clearly defined the born again as "saints", thus;
It's OK to ping Catholics about this article but misleading to suggest it is a Catholic occasion.
How? there are no photos,statues or anything depicting Michael.
The typical maps of the growth of early Christianity show it being limited (in Africa) to mostly the northern coast, as well as Egypt and Ethiopia, the first Christian nation. This would make sense, as south of the coast, for a long way, there is almost empty desert, the Sahel.
http://i.imgur.com/GPbKu0d.png
So the question becomes did she get the tattoo in Sudan (directly South of Egypt, up the Nile River), or did she get it in Egypt?
Granted, the symbol is Sudanese, and widely found in Sudan, yet its hidden location suggests that she might have needed to keep it a secret from casual observers. It might also have had a spiritual meaning, indicating her virtue.
Likewise, she might have been brought north to become the wife of a wealthy Egyptian.
Don't get superficially hung up on words. They're symbols, nothing more and nothing less.
"Saint Michael" (i.e., "Holy Michael") can be a misleading nomenclature to some people. Michael is an Archangel, not a redeemed human being.
It’s a monogram or symbol, not a picture.
As I understand it, Sudan is the first place the Gospel went to after it left the Holy Land, when Philip of Samaria encountered the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. “Ethiopia” at that time referred to the headwaters of the Nile (Sudan) rather than the modern-day country.
“Ethiopia” can mean “land of the burnt faces,” not to be confused with the “land of 1000 dances”.
Had she known of “The Law” however, she would have known that it precludes tattoos:
“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.” —Leviticus 19:28
All very correct.
But you are wasting your time if you think you can reason with Catholic cultists.
I use the word “cultist”, not as a pejorative, but as a way to describe how many, not all, Catholics practice their “religion” (not faith, but religion).
You may as well be talking to Scientologists or Jehovah Witnesses. Islamists come to mind, but I didn’t want to go there.
Looks like someone’s “package”
How do we know it is not a tattoo of a butterfly. Lots of women get those on their leg.
Interesting...
Ping to post 16
I don't buy the story.
You mean the culture that produced the Forum, the Pantheon, Hadrian’s Wall, Basilica of San Vitale & Hagia Sophia as well as others. I can see why a bunch of straight lines would be too hard for them.
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