Post by AuntieSocial on Nov 21, 2003 18:24:25 GMT -5
Scripture found on ancient tomb
Biblical inscription a first-of-its-kind find in Holy Land [/b][/I]
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By Associated Press
As printed in the LA Times on November 20, 2003
JERUSALEM -- A barely legible clue -- the name "Simon" carved in Greek letters -- beckoned from high up on the weather-beaten facade of an ancient burial monument.
Their curiosity piqued, two Jerusalem scholars uncovered six previously invisible lines of inscription: a Gospel verse -- Luke 2:25.
Archaeological finds confirming biblical narrative or referring to figures from the Bible are rare, and this is believed to be the first discovery of a New Testament verse carved onto an ancient Holy Land shrine, said inscriptions expert Emile Puech, who deciphered the writing.
A few Old Testament phrases have been found on monuments, and a passage from Paul's Letter to the Romans (3:13) is laid into a floor mosaic into the ancient Roman city of Caesarea.
Jim Strange, a New Testament scholar from the University of South Florida, said the ancients apparently believed chiseling Scripture into monuments debased sacred words. The widespread use of Bible verses on shrines began only around A.D. 1000, in Europe, said Strange, who was unconnected with the discovery.
The inscription declares that the 60-foot-high monument is the tomb of Simon, a devout Jew who the Bible says cradled the infant Jesus and recognized him as the Messiah.
It's actually unlikely Simon is buried there; the monument is one of several built for Jerusalem's aristocracy at the time of Jesus.
However, the inscription does back up what until now were scant references to a Byzantine-era belief that three biblical figures -- Simon, Zachariah and James, the brother of Jesus -- shared the same tomb.
Earlier this year, an inscription referring to Zachariah, who was John the Baptist's father, was found on the same facade. Puech and Joe Zias, a physical anthropologist, continued to study the monument. Applying a "squeeze" -- a simple 19th-century technique of spreading a kind of papier mache over a surface -- they uncovered the Simon inscription. Now they hope to complete the trio by finding writing referring to James.
The Simon and Zachariah inscriptions were carved around the 4th century, at a time when Byzantine Christians were searching the Holy Land for sacred sites linked to the Bible and marked them, often relying on local lore, said Puech.
Maverick: Added to the news page. Message icon updated.
Biblical inscription a first-of-its-kind find in Holy Land [/b][/I]
Click here to read article on the original site Free membership may be required.
By Associated Press
As printed in the LA Times on November 20, 2003
JERUSALEM -- A barely legible clue -- the name "Simon" carved in Greek letters -- beckoned from high up on the weather-beaten facade of an ancient burial monument.
Their curiosity piqued, two Jerusalem scholars uncovered six previously invisible lines of inscription: a Gospel verse -- Luke 2:25.
Archaeological finds confirming biblical narrative or referring to figures from the Bible are rare, and this is believed to be the first discovery of a New Testament verse carved onto an ancient Holy Land shrine, said inscriptions expert Emile Puech, who deciphered the writing.
A few Old Testament phrases have been found on monuments, and a passage from Paul's Letter to the Romans (3:13) is laid into a floor mosaic into the ancient Roman city of Caesarea.
Jim Strange, a New Testament scholar from the University of South Florida, said the ancients apparently believed chiseling Scripture into monuments debased sacred words. The widespread use of Bible verses on shrines began only around A.D. 1000, in Europe, said Strange, who was unconnected with the discovery.
The inscription declares that the 60-foot-high monument is the tomb of Simon, a devout Jew who the Bible says cradled the infant Jesus and recognized him as the Messiah.
It's actually unlikely Simon is buried there; the monument is one of several built for Jerusalem's aristocracy at the time of Jesus.
However, the inscription does back up what until now were scant references to a Byzantine-era belief that three biblical figures -- Simon, Zachariah and James, the brother of Jesus -- shared the same tomb.
Earlier this year, an inscription referring to Zachariah, who was John the Baptist's father, was found on the same facade. Puech and Joe Zias, a physical anthropologist, continued to study the monument. Applying a "squeeze" -- a simple 19th-century technique of spreading a kind of papier mache over a surface -- they uncovered the Simon inscription. Now they hope to complete the trio by finding writing referring to James.
The Simon and Zachariah inscriptions were carved around the 4th century, at a time when Byzantine Christians were searching the Holy Land for sacred sites linked to the Bible and marked them, often relying on local lore, said Puech.
Maverick: Added to the news page. Message icon updated.
