God has in time spoken through events and people. He has spoken in the history of Israel, in the life of Jesus and in the journey of the Church. Indeed, Revelation is always history. If this is so, then understanding Revelation requires an adequate knowledge of the historical, cultural and material contexts in which it took place. Christian archaeology contributes to this knowledge. It illuminates the texts with material evidence. It examines, completes and scrutinizes written sources. In some cases, it confirms the authenticity of traditions. Other times, it places them in their proper context, or even raises new questions. All of this is theologically relevant. If theology is to be faithful to Revelation, it must remain open to the complexity of history....
Those who know their own history know who they are. They know where to go. They know whose children they are and the hope to which they are called. Christians are not orphans: we have a genealogy of faith, a living tradition and a communion of witnesses. Christian archaeology reveals this lineage and preserves its signs, interpreting them, recounting them and passing them on. In this sense, it is also a ministry of hope, for it shows that faith has already survived difficult times and resisted persecution, crises and changes. Faith has been renewed and regenerated, taking root in new peoples and flourishing in new forms. Those who study the origins of Christianity discover that the Gospel has always had a generative force, that the Church is always reborn, and that hope has never faded.
Pope Leo XIV: Revelation is always History
