Dead Sea tablet 'casts doubt' on death and resurrection of Jesus

The Times of London ^ | July 9, 2008 | Sheera Frenkel

[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

[zeestephen]

The only thing new here seems to be the citation for “three days.”

I don’t recall that being in the Old Testament.

Scholarly corrections on that point are welcome if I am mistaken.

[the_Watchman]

I’ll bet these are some of the same folks that stay up late nights figuring out how to “prove” the book of Isaiah was written hundreds of years after Isaiah was dead because it’s “clear that the author had prior knowledge of the events which it predicts, therefore, he must have written AFTER the events”.

For some people there is no such thing as circular reasoning as long as you are “disproving” something you don’t want to believe.

[Lakeshark]

Heh.

You've got to hand it to these reporters. They even solved the issue before Dan Brown came up with a new earth shattering novel..........

[gallaxyglue]

Jesus was a “trouble maker.” He was a great Jew, but created a lot of problems between the Jewish sects and the Romans. If you want an example, he denigrated the money lenders at the Temple, chastising them for dealing with earthly affairs. The truth is that the money lenders facilitated Jews who came from different locations to pay for their sacrifices at the temple.

Additionlly. the communities at Qumran were waiting for the Messiah—but the name of Jesus of Nazarath is NEVER nemtioned.

Jesus was not the Messiah. (How about Menacham Schemsin?)

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

Such reports shake what little faith I had - in journalists.

[americanophile]

Agreed. I don’t see how it casts doubt either...

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Somebody notify the Pope.

The house of cards has fallen.

:^P

[windsorknot]

Does the tablet confirm the Da Vinci Code and the Gospel of Judas?

[Hatheos]

Damn, I need a new keyboard and monitor after I spit my soda when I read that! LOL

[normy]

I am not quite sure what you're getting at but if the numerous books of the Bible prophecy of Jesus, why would one artifact cancel or be more important than those just because it's different.

[TXnMA]

I suppose that it is too much to ask that these “intellectual” critics to consider the obvious likelihood that the recorders of the New Testament merely recorded events as they happened — without following some trumped-up, mythical “model”...

[airborne]

Bull$#!t !!

[Dr. Sivana]

Of course the prophecy was known; why was Pilate asked to put a guard at the tomb?

[Jim Scott]

Every few years we get articles proclaiming that Jesus' existence or his crucifixion and especially his resurrection have been 'called into question' by some artifact or other. The purported 'evidence' is usually some 'scholars' opinion on some illegible writing on something or other from the ancient world. Most are quickly exposed as a hoax, totally unsubstantiated or simply far too inconclusive to 'prove' anything (like this one) and quickly forgotten, except to the more active atheists prowling the internet who thrive on anything that helps them sustain their unbelief.

Much ado about very little, as usual.

[Doomonyou]

...the most controversial lines were indecipherable.

So that makes it perfecty clear.

[nikos1121]

...even though it was written decades before the BIRTH of Jesus.... I think that sums it up, doesn't it?

[Ron Jeremy]

I am not quite sure what you're getting at but if the numerous books of the Bible prophecy of Jesus, why would one artifact cancel or be more important than those just because it's different.

It wouldn't. First, I don't even think this artifact negates what is in the bible.. I think it supports it. But, let's say this artifact does run counter to the bible. I would consider it as relavent in an overall analysis. You seem to have th attitude that you will ignore anything and everything that doesn't fit to a pre-conceived view.. well, that is what I thought you were saying.. perhaps I misinterpreted what you were saying. carry on.

[TomServo]

LOL!!!

[AliVeritas]

It was only found years ago. Sigh... let me dig through discs to find the stuff from the biblioarchs.