Dura-Europos church

=== Religious significance ===
The finding of the church gives an important window into the early spread of Christianity throughout Syria, and lends truth to apostolic legends which claim that Jesus' first generation of followers originated Christianity in Syrian cities.{{sfn|Peppard|2016|p=20}} There is ongoing scholarly debate about the greater significance of Christian presence in Dura-Europos specifically, and the reason for the church's construction. Some scholars have attempted to draw a connecting line between the existence of the church and the Jewish synagogue excavated nearby, claiming the church may have branched off from the synagogue or emerged as a counter to it, evidenced by a piece of Hebrew writing found within the church which "resembles not only a Jewish prayer, but also a mealtime blessing passed down in the Didache, an early Jewish-Christian liturgical manual likely from Syria."{{sfn|Peppard|2016|p=20}} Others have associated the tradition of Christianity in Dura-Europos with the spread of [[Valentinianism]]; a school of thought originated by the mid-second century Christian theologian [[Valentinus (Gnostic)|Valentinus]] whose ideas were preserved in texts and circulated throughout the eastern world. Due to the similarity in traditions documented in Dura-Europos specifically and by Valentinian teachings, some scholars believe Valentinian presence and influence in Dura-Europos is what led to the construction of the church.{{sfn|Peppard|2016|pp=20-21}} Another theory is that Christianity arrived in Dura-Europos with the Roman army who made up "as much as 50 percent" of the city's population during the time in which they occupied it.{{sfn|Peppard|2016|pp=20-21}} The church was excavated near the city wall, which was the frontier of the city's expansion during the time in which they were under Roman control.{{sfn|Gates|1984}} Considering many nearby houses were known to be occupied by members of the army, and graffiti was found inside the church containing Latin-originated names, Roman involvement in the church is more or less confirmed, though how much their presence directly led to its formation is still debated.{{sfn|Peppard|2016|pp=21-22}}