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Dead Sea tablet 'casts doubt' on death and resurrection of Jesus
The Times of London ^ | July 9, 2008 | Sheera Frenkel

Posted on 07/09/2008 1:56:21 PM PDT by americanophile

The death and resurrection of Christ has been called into question by a radical new interpretation of a tablet found on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea. The three-foot stone tablet appears to refer to a Messiah who rises from the grave three days after his death - even though it was written decades before the birth of Jesus. The ink is badly faded on much of the tablet, known as Gabriel’s Vision of Revelation, which was written rather than engraved in the 1st century BC. This has led some experts to claim that the inscription has been overinterpreted. A previous paper published by the scholars Ada Yardeni and Binyamin Elitzur concluded that the most controversial lines were indecipherable. Israel Knohl, a biblical studies professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, argued yesterday that line 80 of the text revealed Gabriel telling an historic Jewish rebel named Simon, who was killed by the Romans four years before the birth of Christ: “In three days you shall live, I, Gabriel, command you.” Professor Knohl contends that the tablet proves that messianic followers possessed the paradigm of their leader rising from the grave before Jesus was born. He said that the text “could be the missing link between Judaism and Christianity in so far as it roots the Christian belief in the resurrection of the Messiah in Jewish tradition”. Professor Knohl defended his theory at a conference at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem marking 60 years since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. He said that New Testament writers could have adapted a widely held messianic story in Judaism to Jesus and his followers. “Resurrection after

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Israel; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: deadseascrolls; epigraphyandlanguage; gabrielsrevelation; godsgravesglyphs; jesus; letshavejerusalem; ressurection; tablet
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1 posted on 07/09/2008 1:56:24 PM PDT by americanophile
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To: americanophile
radical new interpretation

That's all I needed to see. . .those three words = trouble any way you slice it.
2 posted on 07/09/2008 1:58:00 PM PDT by ninergold3 (Don't like my attitude? Then get one of your own!)
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To: americanophile
Notice how the headline says "Tablet casts doubt" but then the story starts off with "The death and resurrection of Christ has been called into question by a radical new interpretation More "interpretation" equals news from the media.
3 posted on 07/09/2008 1:58:56 PM PDT by Slapshot68
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To: americanophile

Well, that’s it for me. Two thousand years of scholarship and tradition, negated by a stone tablet. So long, fellow Catholics — I’m off to join the pagans. They get laid a lot.

9_9


4 posted on 07/09/2008 1:59:06 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: americanophile

B.S. alert!


5 posted on 07/09/2008 2:00:25 PM PDT by TommyDale (I) (Never forget the Republicans who voted for illegal immigrant amnesty in 2007!)
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To: americanophile
refer to a Messiah who rises from the grave three days after his death - even though it was written decades before the birth of Jesus

Duh... It's called prophecy!

6 posted on 07/09/2008 2:00:34 PM PDT by SolidWood (Stop the Muslimarxist Obama.)
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To: americanophile

The idea of sacrificing a son came long before as well. Yawn...


7 posted on 07/09/2008 2:00:40 PM PDT by icwhatudo
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To: americanophile

Bwahahahahahahahahah!!!!!


8 posted on 07/09/2008 2:00:40 PM PDT by Skooz (Any nation that would elect Hillary Clinton as its president has forfeited its right to exist.)
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To: americanophile
How stupid and Biblically illiterate are the reporters and editors at the Times (UK)? Don't answer that question; it's rhetorical. Don't they realize that there were Old Testament prophets who predicted the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Why should a new tablet that says the same thing as ancient texts and prophecies say, have any different effect on the status of Christianity? Only the ignorant would say that a new statement of old ideas has any new meaning.

Congressman Billybob

First in the series, "American Government: The Owner's Manual"

9 posted on 07/09/2008 2:00:56 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob ( www.ArmorforCongress.com)
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To: americanophile
Bosh.
10 posted on 07/09/2008 2:01:50 PM PDT by BibChr ("...behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them?" [Jer. 8:9])
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To: americanophile

Does no such thing!


11 posted on 07/09/2008 2:02:12 PM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (Friends with umbrellas are outstanding in the rain.)
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To: B-Chan
Yeah, I believed in Jesus Christ too, bummer.
Thanks a lot scholars!
Guess I'll go join a cult...
12 posted on 07/09/2008 2:02:12 PM PDT by evets (beer)
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To: americanophile

Well folks, nothing at all to worry about, I was praying to Jesus just this morning and I can assure you all that He is alive and well and will be returning just as He promised, most likely sooner than anyone expects!


13 posted on 07/09/2008 2:02:18 PM PDT by mkjessup (Jesus said it, I believe it, and that settles it.)
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To: SolidWood

That’s what I was thinking -

Jesus’ birth, crucifixion, and rising from the dead were prophecied in great detail centuries before they occurred.

Why should it be a surprise that some tablets dated decades before His birth said the same?


14 posted on 07/09/2008 2:02:45 PM PDT by MrB (You can't reason people out of a position that they didn't use reason to get into in the first place)
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: americanophile

Wait! Don’t tell me! It’s dated “July 27, 44 BC”, right?


16 posted on 07/09/2008 2:03:20 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: B-Chan

Yeah, but have you seen them...

And I recommend a gas mask for the smell...


17 posted on 07/09/2008 2:03:32 PM PDT by ejonesie22 (Haley Barbour 2012, Because he has experience in Disaster Recovery.)
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To: americanophile
I don't need the Dead Sea Scrolls to confirm the prophecy of Jesus. I can read Isaiah and Jeremiah as well as Daniel and the rest of the Law and the Prophets.
18 posted on 07/09/2008 2:03:53 PM PDT by normy (Don't take it personally, just take it seriously.)
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To: americanophile

Don’t see how this “casts doubt” in any way. His coming was predicted, even expected, that some may have become enthralled into believing that they, themselves, and their followers were capable of emulating Him the expected one; don’t see how this is a problem.

That some were wrong about who He would be does not detract from who He became.


19 posted on 07/09/2008 2:03:58 PM PDT by kjo
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To: normy
I don't need the Dead Sea Scrolls to confirm the prophecy of Jesus. I can read Isaiah and Jeremiah as well as Daniel and the rest of the Law and the Prophets.

This story is retarded, as the stone predicting the coming of the messiah in no way undermines the messiah. I would say the opposite. But, I must take issue with your comment. Are you saying that your views on religion (does this expand to other areas, too?) will be impacted by writings that you already agree with, but you will refuse to read or be impacted by writings that you already disagree with?

20 posted on 07/09/2008 2:07:01 PM PDT by Ron Jeremy (sonic)
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