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Forum: Stones Forum
Moderated by : Andy B , TimPrevett , coldrum , Klingon , MickM , TheCaptain , bat400 , davidmorgan , Runemage , SolarMegalith , sem
Respond to: Most ancient Hebrew biblical inscription deciphered
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davidmorgan
Joined:
23-11-2006
Messages: 1603
from The New Forest
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|  New Message Posted!2010-01-24 10:45
Thanks, for that, Runemage.
Looks like it came from Phoenician:
http://www.ancientscripts.com/old_hebrew.html
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Runemage
Joined:
15-07-2005
Messages: 2412
from UK
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| New Message Posted!2010-01-23 23:41
This any good, David?
"EurekAlert! is a public service project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., and is administered within the Office of Public Programs."
http://www.eurekalert.org/aboutus.php#additional
and some ancient Hebrew characters here, which look nothing like the modern-day ones and a little like some of the ones on the pottery.
http://www.ancientscripts.com/images/old_hebrew.gif
Rune
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davidmorgan
Joined:
23-11-2006
Messages: 1603
from The New Forest
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| New Message Posted!2010-01-17 20:09
It doesn't look like Hebrew characters to me. I wonder whose script that is, in the 10thC BCE?
from Eurekalert.org (who should have a "Who are we" page on their website, really.
[ This message was edited by: davidmorgan on 2010-01-17 20:10 ]
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bat400
Joined:
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Messages: 1332
from South Central Indiana, US
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| New Message Posted!2010-01-17 06:19
Submitted by coldrum ---
Prof. Gershon Galil of the University of Haifa who deciphered the inscription: "It indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in the 10th century BCE and that at least some of the biblical texts were written hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research."
A breakthrough in the research of the Hebrew scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible was written. Prof. Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription dating from the 10th century BCE (the period of King David's reign), and has shown that this is a Hebrew inscription. The discovery makes this the earliest known Hebrew writing. The significance of this breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the biblical scriptures were composed hundreds of years before the dates presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at that time.
The inscription itself, which was written in ink on a 15 cm X 16.5 cm trapezoid pottery shard, was discovered a year and a half ago at excavations that were carried out by Prof. Yosef Garfinkel at Khirbet Qeiyafa near the Elah valley. The inscription was dated back to the 10th century BCE, which was the period of King David's reign, but the question of the language used in this inscription remained unanswered, making it impossible to prove whether it was in fact Hebrew or another local language.
Prof. Galil's deciphering of the ancient writing testifies to its being Hebrew, based on the use of verbs particular to the Hebrew language, and content specific to Hebrew culture and not adopted by any other cultures in the region. "This text is a social statement, relating to slaves, widows and orphans. The content itself was also unfamiliar to all the cultures in the region besides the Hebrew society: The present inscription provides social elements similar to those found in the biblical prophecies and very different from prophecies written by other cultures postulating glorification of the gods and taking care of their physical needs," Prof. Galil explains. He adds that once this deciphering is received, the inscription will become the earliest Hebrew inscription to be found, testifying to Hebrew writing abilities as early as the 10th century BCE.
Prof. Galil also notes that the inscription was discovered in a provincial town in Judea. It can be assumed that those inhabiting the central region and Jerusalem were even more proficient writers. "It can now be maintained that it was highly reasonable that during the 10th century BCE, during the reign of King David, there were scribes in Israel who were able to write literary texts and complex historiographies such as the books of Judges and Samuel." He adds that the complexity of the text discovered in Khirbet Qeiyafa, along with the impressive fortifications revealed at the site, refute the claims denying the existence of the Kingdom of Israel at that time.
The contents of the text express social sensitivity to the fragile position of weaker members of society. It appeals to care for the widows and orphans and that the king be involved. This inscription is similar in its content to biblical scriptures (Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, Exodus 23:3, and others), but it is clear that it is not copied from any biblical text.
For more, see http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-01/uoh-mah010710.php
[ This message was edited by: bat400 on 2010-01-17 06:20 ]
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