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Is this the first ever portrait of Jesus?
Daily Mail ^ | 3 Apr 2011 | Nick Pryer

Posted on 04/03/2011 10:23:10 AM PDT by mandaladon

The incredible story of 70 ancient books hidden in a cave for nearly 2,000 years

The image is eerily familiar: a bearded young man with flowing curly hair. After lying for nearly 2,000 years hidden in a cave in the Holy Land, the fine detail is difficult to determine. But in a certain light it is not difficult to interpret the marks around the figure’s brow as a crown of thorns.

The extraordinary picture of one of the recently discovered hoard of up to 70 lead codices – booklets – found in a cave in the hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee is one reason Bible historians are clamouring to get their hands on the ancient artefacts.

If genuine, this could be the first-ever portrait of Jesus Christ, possibly even created in the lifetime of those who knew him. The tiny booklet, a little smaller than a modern credit card, is sealed on all sides and has a three-dimensional representation of a human head on both the front and the back. One appears to have a beard and the other is without. Even the maker’s fingerprint can be seen in the lead impression. Beneath both figures is a line of as-yet undeciphered text in an ancient Hebrew script.

Astonishingly, one of the booklets appears to bear the words ‘Saviour of Israel’ – one of the few phrases so far translated.

Photobucket

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: april2011; codices; epigraphyandlanguage; faithandphilosophy; fake; fakes; fraud; godsgravesglyphs; hoax; jesus; jordan; leadcodices; littlebooks; religion; shroudofturin
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To: Vroomfondel

Show me the pic, please.


41 posted on 04/03/2011 12:46:50 PM PDT by bigheadfred (Beat me, Bite me...Make Me Write Bad Checks)
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To: bigheadfred
here ya go.

Intriguingly, given the lion commentary above, there is also this.

42 posted on 04/03/2011 12:55:08 PM PDT by Vroomfondel
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To: mandaladon
Who benefits from the discovery of yet another marvelous 'Christian' icon in the Middle East? Just over the last 5 years, we have witnessed the amazing Jesus ossuary, the 1st Centuary church mosaic floor, the First Temple ivory pomagranite. Now, the little book of lead sealed until the time of the end.

Regardless, whether fakes, frauds and/or original art. I can see only one beneficiary from the sudden discovery of these marvels.

43 posted on 04/03/2011 12:59:34 PM PDT by STD (Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Imam Barrack Hussein Obama Launches a War in Libya)
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To: SonOfDarkSkies
I looked up Elkington and the other two "scholars" quoted most often along with him on this story.

Their backgrounds and projects currently engaged in came across as pretty flaky to me.

At that point I began to get skeptical about these plates.

44 posted on 04/03/2011 1:02:12 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: Vroomfondel

Ooooohhh...I like the lion motif.

Consider the speculation that the Sphinx was built during the age of Leo.

And why not the face on Mars at the same time the ancient astronaut gods were jump starting us?

Ooooohhhh...


45 posted on 04/03/2011 1:07:20 PM PDT by bigheadfred (Beat me, Bite me...Make Me Write Bad Checks)
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To: Siena Dreaming

Elkington must be a solid source...he’s been a guest on Coast to Coast.;-)


46 posted on 04/03/2011 1:07:54 PM PDT by SonOfDarkSkies
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To: STD

Right.


47 posted on 04/03/2011 1:09:50 PM PDT by bigheadfred (Beat me, Bite me...Make Me Write Bad Checks)
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To: SonOfDarkSkies
Margaret Baker was another fruity who has been quoted.

What's weird is...I looked these people up on Wiki the other day and today I can't find these bio entries. Were they scrubbed because they came across as too wacky? Tin foil hat on.

48 posted on 04/03/2011 1:14:59 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: SonOfDarkSkies
Who benefits beyond the alleged seller? There's only one possible conclusion that educated people can reach. Somebodies stimulating the faith strings of Christian hearts and wallets.

I suspect that as the Middle East continues to become more unstable, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tomb of Jesus and the Temple Treasury will all suddenly re-appear.

After the location of John the Baptist's Cave was announced, we heard that searchers were close to locating the Temple Treasury. I'm waiting for somebody to claim they've located the Ark and the treasury.

49 posted on 04/03/2011 1:15:21 PM PDT by STD (Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Imam Barrack Hussein Obama Launches a War in Libya)
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To: STD
I suspect that as the Middle East continues to become more unstable

Actually, I've long thought that the WOT will ultimately bring MORE stability to the ME. And, if conservatives achieve some of their long-term goals in drilling domestically and the result of that is less dependance on foreign oil, the ME countries may have to find alternative sources of western dollars.

Working for a revived fascination for biblical sites and our historical Judeo-Christian heritage would be to the benefit of the ME countries. A surge in tourism would provide new jobs and revenue in the ME. Yes, and along with this will be a plethora of fakes and forgeries.

50 posted on 04/03/2011 1:38:31 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: STD
Actually a Russian explorer recently claimed to have seen the Ark in Axum, Ethiopia. I think there was even a post on FR.

As to cui bono, there is great profit to be made from such antiquities. That said, I don't think the various Christian Churches would find them valuable. Having faith requires a heck of lot more than a relic.

51 posted on 04/03/2011 1:40:51 PM PDT by SonOfDarkSkies
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To: FReepaholic

I kind think it looks like Caesar. Before Christ wasn’t Caesar called the Saviour of Judea or something like that. Basically it would be propaganda to bring the Jews under control by the Romans who knew the Jews were waiting for a/the Saviour.


52 posted on 04/03/2011 1:46:40 PM PDT by This I Wonder32460
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To: SonOfDarkSkies
Who benefits beyond the alleged seller? There's only one possible conclusion that educated people can reach. Somebodies stimulating the faith strings of Christian hearts and wallets.

I suspect that as the Middle East continues to become more unstable, the Ark of the Covenant, the Tomb of Jesus and the Temple Treasury will all suddenly re-appear.

After the location of John the Baptist's Cave was announced, we heard that searchers were close to locating the Temple Treasury. I'm waiting for somebody to claim they've located the Ark and the treasury.

53 posted on 04/03/2011 1:46:50 PM PDT by STD (Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Imam Barrack Hussein Obama Launches a War in Libya)
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To: mandaladon

Looks like the face of those lions that you hang on your door with a knocker. At least the lips do. Nobody knows what Yashua looked like. At least He didn’t look like something on a burnt piece of toast or on a cheese pizza.


54 posted on 04/03/2011 1:56:34 PM PDT by SkyDancer ("If You Don't Read The News You're Uninformed, If You Do Read The News You're Misinformed")
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To: Siena Dreaming

I read some of her work and listened to her youtubes, why do you find her fruity?


55 posted on 04/03/2011 2:07:46 PM PDT by Sophia777
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To: Sophia777
Here's a synopsis of one of her books:

In this groundbreaking book, Barker claims that pre-Christian Judaism was not monotheistic and that the roots of Christian Trinitarian theology lie in a pre-Christian Palestinian belief about angels derived from the ancient religion of Israel.

Pre-Christian Judaism not monotheistic? Quite fruity.

56 posted on 04/03/2011 2:19:09 PM PDT by Siena Dreaming
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To: Publius6961

Big business in fake religious “antiquities”. Would be interesting to see if the supposed metallurgy report on the lead had a comparator sample of lead with the same trace elements. The “corrosion” of lead would not generally be uniform as a result. If the corrosion is uniform it might be due to the composition of the lead. Impure lead would corrode less uniformly. That said,the most damning evidence is the repeated use of the same non-sensical segment of Greek sentence on a known artifact, as stated by the good Professor. This is a fake.


57 posted on 04/03/2011 2:35:03 PM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: George Varnum
Not buying it. Christ didn't have a potato nose. The History Channel did a computerized reconstruction of Christ's face using the Shroud of Turin. The face from the Shroud is consonant with the depictions of Christ in art throughout the centuries.
58 posted on 04/03/2011 3:38:25 PM PDT by GOPBlonde
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To: Siena Dreaming

I thought she was interpreting.


59 posted on 04/03/2011 4:34:36 PM PDT by Sophia777
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To: Sophia777

make that interesting,


60 posted on 04/03/2011 4:35:12 PM PDT by Sophia777
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