When the Grave Isn't the Final Word: Hope in the Roman Catacombs

Just outside the old city of Rome are miles of narrow tunnels called the catacombs, the cemetery of the early church. Christians weren't hiding there. They weren't allowed to bury their dead inside the city, and they didn't want cremation because they believed the body would rise again. So they dug down and laid their loved ones to rest.

On those walls they carved hope. The fish, ichthys, stood for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. The Good Shepherd carried a lamb on His shoulders. And the anchor came straight from Hebrews.

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast." (Hebrews 6:19)

I also share about losing my mom this year, and the moment in my grief when the Lord said, She's here and she's whole. The early church refused to let the grave have the last word. Because Jesus rose, we don't have to either.

Timestamps

00:34 What the catacombs really are

04:53 The symbols on the walls: the fish

06:44 The anchor and the Good Shepherd

10:31 Refusing to let the grave have the last word

14:39 Losing my mom, and she's here and she's whole

Did early Christians hide in the catacombs?

That's mostly the movie version. The catacombs were burial grounds, though believers did gather there to worship and remember their dead.

Going down into the catacombs is one of the stops on our Rome trip. Tracing a fish carved into the stone with your own finger changes how you think about both life and death.

Bible Study Live is a small-group Bible study trip with Rachael Groll. Study Scripture where it happened in Rome, or slow down for a contemplative Bible study retreat in Maui. Dates and details at BibleStudyLive.org

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