Could this be the biggest find since the Dead Sea Scrolls?
Seventy metal books found in cave in Jordan could change our view of Biblical
history.
For scholars of faith and history, it is a treasure trove
too precious for price.
This ancient collection of 70 tiny books, their lead pages
bound with wire, could unlock some of the secrets of the earliest days of
Christianity.
Academics are divided as to their authenticity but say that
if verified, they could prove as pivotal as the discovery of the Dead Sea
Scrolls in 1947.
Lines
of inquiry: The metal tablets could change our understanding of the Bible
On pages not much bigger than a credit card, are images,
symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly even, to
the Crucifixion and Resurrection.
Adding to the intrigue, many of the books are sealed,
prompting academics to speculate they are actually the lost collection of
codices mentioned in the Bible’s Book Of Revelation.
The books were discovered five years ago in a cave in a
remote part of Jordan to which Christian refugees are known to have fled after
the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. Important documents from the same period have
previously been found there.
Initial metallurgical tests indicate that some of the books
could date from the first century AD.
Hidden
meaning: Scrolls, tablets and other artifacts, including an incense bowl, were
also found at the same site as the tablets
This estimate is based on the form of corrosion which has
taken place, which experts believe would be impossible to achieve artificially.
If the dating is verified, the books would be among the
earliest Christian documents, predating the writings of St Paul.
The prospect that they could contain contemporary accounts
of the final years of Jesus’s life has excited scholars – although their
enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that experts have previously been fooled by
sophisticated fakes.
David Elkington, a British scholar of ancient religious
history and archeology, and one of the few to have examined the books, says
they could be ‘the major discovery of Christian history’.
‘It is a breathtaking thought that we have held these
objects that might have been held by the early saints of the Church,’ he said.
But the mysteries between their ancient pages are not the
books’ only riddle. Today, their whereabouts are also something of a mystery.
After their discovery by a Jordanian Bedouin, the hoard was subsequently
acquired by an Israeli Bedouin, who is said to have illegally smuggled them
across the border into Israel, where they remain.
However, the Jordanian Government is now working at the
highest levels to repatriate and safeguard the collection. Philip Davies,
emeritus professor of biblical studies at Sheffield University, said there was
powerful evidence that the books have a Christian origin in plates cast into a
picture map of the holy city of Jerusalem.
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A 16th
century painting depicting Jesus's death. The metal books contain pages with
images, symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly
even, to the Crucifixion
X marks
the spot: The cave in Jordan where the artifacts were discovered
‘As soon as I saw that, I was dumbstruck,’ he said. ‘That
struck me as so obviously a Christian image. There is a cross in the
foreground, and behind it is what has to be the tomb [of Jesus], a small
building with an opening, and behind that the walls of the city.
‘There are walls depicted on other pages of these books too
and they almost certainly refer to Jerusalem. It is a Christian crucifixion
taking place outside the city walls.’
The British team leading the work on the discovery fears
that the present Israeli ‘keeper’ may be looking to sell some of the books on
to the black market, or worse – destroy them.
But the man who holds the books denies the charge and claims
they have been in his family for 100 years.
Dr Margaret Barker, a former president of the Society for
Old Testament Study, said: ‘The Book of Revelation tells of a sealed book that
was opened only by the Messiah.
‘Other texts from the period tell of sealed books of wisdom
and of a secret tradition passed on by Jesus to his closest disciples. That is
the context for this discovery.’
Groundbreaking
find: A section of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were unearthed in 1947
Professor Davies said: ‘The possibility of a
Hebrew-Christian origin is certainly suggested by the imagery and, if so, these
codices are likely to bring dramatic new light to our understanding of a very
significant but so far little understood period of history.’
Mr Elkington, who is leading British efforts to have the
books returned to Jordan, said: ‘It is vital that the collection can be recovered
intact and secured in the best possible circumstances, both for the benefit of
its owners and for a potentially fascinated international audience.’
*British scientists have uncovered up to eight million
mummified dogs, thought to have been sacrificed to Anubis, the god of the dead,
2500 years ago after excavating tunnels in the ancient Eygptian city of
Saqqara.
Source:dailymail.co.uk
