Posted on 07/25/2006 12:21:17 PM PDT by lunarbicep
IRELAND'S national museum today hailed what it said was one of the most significant discoveries in decades - and perhaps centuries - after an ancient prayer book was found by chance in an Irish bog.
The National Museum of Ireland said fragments of what appeared to be an ancient Psalter or Book of Psalms, written around AD 800, were uncovered by a bulldozer in a bog in the south Midlands.
"In discovery terms this Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls is being hailed by the Museum's experts as the greatest find ever from a European bog," the museum said in a statement.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in the mid 20th century, are considered to be of enormous religious and historical significance since they include some of the earliest known surviving Biblical documents.
The Irish discovery, recovered from bogland last Friday, comprises extensive fragments of what is thought to be an Irish Early Christian Psalter, written on vellum, a fine animal skin parchment.
"In my wildest hopes, I could only have dreamed of a discovery as fragile and rare as this," Museum Director Pat Wallace said, adding it was not so much the fragments themselves, but what they represented, that was of such "staggering" importance.
"It testifies to the incredible richness of the Early Christian civilisation of this island and to the greatness of ancient Ireland," he said.
The museum said it did not know how the manuscript ended up in the bog.
"It may have been lost in transit or dumped after a raid, possibly more than a thousand to twelve hundred years ago."
Part of Psalm 83, a lament to God over other nations' attempts to wipe out Israel, is legible but the museum said the extent to which other Psalms or additional texts are preserved would only be determined by lengthy work by a team of experts.
Bernard Meehan, Head of Manuscripts at Trinity College Dublin, who was invited to advise on the context and background of the manuscript, said he believed it was the first discovery of an Irish Early Medieval manuscript in two centuries.
Initial impressions placed the composition date of the manuscript at about AD 800, a time of Viking raids in Ireland.
This past Sunday the First Reading in the Catholic Mass was from Jeremiah, also stating that Israel would be saved.
---maica at ColdSpringGirl's computer
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VERRRRRRRY INTERESTING.
And folks think they are pulling a snow job over on God.
He shall have them all in derision.
What they did was confirm that our current Bible is --- nigh word-for-word --- the same as then, despite all that hand copying by scribes.
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AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
the Mighty Hand of God and His Awesomeness.
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And, He has hardly begun to even start to commence to begin to get warmed up . . . LOL.
Have tended to think of Moab as Arabia. Seems like it on most in-Bible maps I've seen.
Is that accurate?
What do the DNA studies say?
I've read considerable evidence of such. Jeremiah's . . . daughter? some such.
Thanks glad to know that.
Did a Catholic or a Protestant drop it? ; )
I have read Psalms MANY times, and never has it just about screamed its relevance to the Middle East.
God is really speaking to us through His Word right now (as always, of course), if we'll listen.
I wish everyone reading this would consider getting their Bibles and going through Psalms again. It will affect you.
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EXCELLENT EXHORTATION.
Am trying off and on to memorize Psalm 91. Then I want to do it in Chinese and Spanish. Wheee.
LOL.
now, now . . . there's enough of that without STIRRING IT UP!
My map shows it directly to the east of the Dead Sea, but doesn't specify boundaries, so I'm not sure how far it extends.
Probably a Celtic . . maybe not --- they ended (in name, anyway) at the Synod of Whitby, whenever that was -- 400?
Maybe a Muslim? :P
Agreed. Irish "Dead Bog Scroll" at best ;-)
I strongly suspect alchohol was involved.
From my reading of Psalms, I'd say you'd find much relevant to almost any issue of the day. :-)
What time is that in EST?
Possibly Meade, but let's not get ahead of ourselves...I'm not convinced the Vikings actually dropped this document.
I still need more proof.
11:00 a.m.
Which Amazon is that? Boudicea?
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