Could the 70 little ancient books with lead pages containing crytic engravings and bound in wire be the biggest find since the Dead Sea Scrolls?
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.
Lines of inquiry: The metal tablets could change our understanding of the Bible. The metal books contain pages with images, symbols and words that appear to refer to the Messiah and, possibly even, to the Crucifixion
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.
Groundbreaking find: A section of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were unearthed in 1947
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.
Revelation: Experts speculate that the tablets could be the lost collection of codices referred to in the Bible's Book Of Revelation.
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.
‘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.’
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.
COMMENTARY: I just hope these 70 lead books, like so many ancient painting's and clay vase's discovered in modern times, that were later carbon tested and analyized, are not frauds. An ill conceived practical joke inflicted on historians by a prankster.
I can just see the mass panic and traumatic shock experienced by Christians around the world should these little lead books reveal the real truth about Jesus and Christianity. Maybe Jesus was hung, and not cruxified. Maybe he was just buried, but there was no resurrection. Maybe he was married and had children. Maybe he was just plain crazy. Maybe these 70 little lead books turn out to be Hebrew COOK BOOKS!! Kosher cooking is healthy eating.
You don't suppose that Christian religions around the world would try suppress these shocking truths would you? You bet they would. If something else other than what we now accept as gospel were revealed in these little lead books, all Christianity would be out-of-business literally over night. The Roman Catholic Church would be the laughing stock of Islam. The Pope would be evicted from The Vatican; cardinals, bishops and priests would be ridiculed and disrobed and thrown into the street; all the buildings, rectories, churches, including the Sisteen Chapel would be plundered and razed to the ground, and the property turned into luxury condo's.
Oh my God, what have I said. Lord, please forgive me. (Gulp)
Courtesy of an article dated March 30, 2011 appearing in The Daily Mail Online
It would be Mary Magdolene all over again.
Posted by: Danelle | 04/19/2012 at 08:24 PM
Good stuff as per usual, thanks. I do hope this kind of thing gets more exposure.
Posted by: red bottom | 10/08/2011 at 05:33 AM
That is intence..
Posted by: James D. Bourne | 07/14/2011 at 06:49 AM
Mike, your comments are so true.
Posted by: Tommy | 04/13/2011 at 08:20 AM
The question isn't whether they will destroy christianity, because lets face it. If they verified the new testament, if they were hand written by Peter himself, would that make atheism suddenly fall to its knees and beg for forgiveness? If it verifies Church history does that mean atheists and Muslims and deist will suddenly become followers of Christ? No. they'll just shrug and nod and say, "another piece of unverifiable evidence." Nothing will happen, atheist will still be atheists, and christians will still be christians. Because this debate isn't about "evidence" its about power and doing what each wants to do.
Posted by: mike brown | 04/12/2011 at 08:26 AM
Bible Girl, Ever since the Shroud of Turin controversy, the Catholic Church has gone dark disputing the carbon dating findings.
Posted by: Tommy | 04/09/2011 at 04:14 PM
Tommy Toy: anyone who believes the Bible will obviously not try to use carbon dating to prove their point because if they believe carbon dating were accurate they could not disprove evolution
Posted by: Bible Girl | 04/09/2011 at 02:37 PM
Mike, Don't feel so damn down trodden. I am not trashing Christian Churches. I was having some fun, paraphrasing. I didn't even make reference to Dan Brown's novels or the films. Truth be told, other academics question the authenticity of those 70 little lead books. If the evidence shows they genuinely carbon date back to Christian times, then let's do a thorough translation or meanings of the etchings. If after extensive scientific investigation, the etchings show facts that dispute commonly accepted religious beliefs about Jesus Christ, we should all know about it. According to carbon dating, The Shroud of Turin, which was used to wrap Jesus Christ after the cruxifiction turned out to be of more recent times. I believe 700 A.D., not 2,000 yrs old as claimed by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church refused to believe thos scientific findings, calling the tests inaccurate, and has since refused to allow access to the Shroud. All I am saying, let's just look at the cold, hard facts, look at the truth, and see where it takes us. Tommy
Posted by: Tommy Toy | 04/03/2011 at 09:28 PM
That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, the Christian Churches you so obviously do not care for, went and hid these books for 2000 years, and now that they have been unearthed will shake them to their core and they will have to cover them up. You better read another trashy pulp fiction novel by oh, maybe an author named Dan Brown.....he is an expert at fabricating crap from crumbs....
Posted by: Mike Johnson | 04/03/2011 at 01:32 PM