An archeological discovery in Ethiopia is helping uncover more history on the spread of Christianity.

In Beta Samai, a team of archaeologists discovered a 1700-year-old church with Roman based architecture. The team suspects that the church was built during Constantine's reign and that it is the oldest discovered church in Sub-saharan Africa.

Emperor Constantine's reign was a large catalyst for the spread of Christianity by the third century A.D. With the discovery of the church, "researchers now feel more confident in dating the arrival of Christianity to Ethiopia to the same time frame," says a report on the find.

The area it was found is part of the Aksumite civilization which according to Professor Michael Harrower from John Hopkins University, is "one of the world's most influential ancient civilizations, but remains one of the least widely known," he says to CBN.

“It is reliable evidence for a Christian presence slightly northeast of Aksum at a very early date.”

Romans actively persecuted Christians forcing them to practice their beliefs in private, which did not leave much behind for historians to date and learn from. This discovery highlights and fills some of those gaps by showing such an early depiction of Christian artifacts.

“It is reliable evidence for a Christian presence slightly northeast of Aksum at a very early date,” Harrower says. He hopes this will lead to more discoveries along the way.

Today, 64 million Christian live in Ethiopia despite the ongoing persecution they receive. This discovery and their courage show that faith has historically survived through adversity.