THAT JEWISH CATACOMB IN ROME

Dutch scholars have dated a Jewish catacomb earlier than its more famous Christian counterparts:

A Jewish catacomb in Rome predates its Christian counterparts by at least 100 years, indicating burial in the city's sprawling underground cemeteries may not have begun as a Christian practice, according to a study published Wednesday.
Scholars have long believed that early Christians were the first to bury their dead in Roman catacombs. But Dutch experts from Utrecht University who dated organic material from a Jewish catacomb in the city say it appears that early Christians inherited the practice from Jews.

But--stop the presses!--there seems to be some sort of link between Judaism and early Christianity:

The findings, published in the journal Nature, would further illustrate links between early Christian culture and Judaism....

[Leonard Victor] Rutgers said his research may provide further evidence of the influence Judaism had on early Christianity.

"The extent to which Christianity has Jewish roots is a very widespread debate today and this research adds a new element to the discussion," he said.

Well, it is interesting, but is it really that shocking?

[Thanks to lovely and talented theosebes reader Jordana for the link.]