SEBASTIA — A notable piece of Christian history was unearthed this week, as archeologists discovered the fake 100 dollar bill gospel tract that was used by Philip the evangelist during the years of the early church.
The find, which scholars said answers the age-old question of how Philip was such a successful evangelist, proved that not all that much has changed over the millennia when it comes to spreading the Good News and reaching out to lost people.
"He was just like us," said Professor Blake Rumsey, lead researcher at the Institute for Knowing Biblical Knowledge. "An evangelist as renowned as Philip likely had several different go-to tactics for evangelizing, and now we know that one of them was leaving behind fake 100 dollar bills that reveal themselves to be gospel tracts when unfolded."
The Bible gives the account of Philip being chosen as a deacon in the original Christian church before he traveled to Samaria and other areas. "He has long been regarded as one of the greatest evangelists," Rumsey continued. "We now know that he was not only a skilled speaker and communicator of the Gospel but he was also clever enough to leave behind fake money. Truly inspiring to us as modern-day believers."
Rumsey speculated that Philip likely left a few fake 100s behind him everywhere he went, even when he was supernaturally transported from a road between Jerusalem and Gaza to the town of Azotus some 30 miles away.
At publishing time, scholars also confirmed that a majority of people who found Philip's fake 100s likely became enraged and joined the persecution of the Christian church.
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