Five years removed from his controversial "Jesus Tomb" documentary, UNC Charlotte archaeologist James Tabor announced Tuesday that he has helped uncover perhaps the earliest Christian image ever found.

One of the designs etched on a bone box found within a 1st-century Jerusalem tomb suggests the biblical story of Jonah and the fish, which held significant symbolism for early Christians.  -------------------------------->

The discovery, in Jerusalem, took place in 2010, Tabor told The Charlotte Observer.

Using technology specially created for the task, Tabor and his team explored a first century underground tomb less than two miles south of the old city walls. It's 200 feet away from another burial site that Tabor, in 2007, said may have held the remains of Jesus and his family.

In the recent discovery, which relied on a remote-control camera mounted on a robotic arm, the team found seven bone boxes, known as "ossuaries."

One of them is engraved with an image that Tabor says depicts "Jonah and the Whale." Another features a Greek inscription calling on God to "raise up" someone.

He and his team believe this is the earliest evidence ever found of belief in the Resurrection, therefore making it Christian. Read more: