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

[El Gato]

I don't see that the headline is at all accurate. At most it would indicate that the coming of Jesus, and His resurrection where foretold. The only thing really new about that is the specificity of the 3 days.

[spanalot]

Is that why 2000 years after Christ we have a man on the moon and the internet... and for the 2000 years before Christ we had piles of rocks?

[meowmeow]

So long, fellow Catholics — I’m off to join the pagans. They get laid a lot.

Well based on the number of kids my Catholic friends have produced, I'd say it's not just the pagans... ;-)

[americanophile]

I agree.

[firebrand]

What’s ink doing on a stone tablet?

[dinap]

Hosea 6:2 (New International Version)

Also - Jonah, three days in the belly of the whale.

Short story - The Messiah’s resurrection was not only prophesized, but was also one of the ways the Jews of that day would know the one who was resurrected was in fact the Messiah.

[sazerac]

"On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures."

Well there ya go!

[muawiyah]

"The Great Fish" is very well understood as a Messianic being, but not in Christian or Jewish traditions.

Hinduism actualy identifies "The Great Fish" as the One who saved Noah (Ma-Nu) from being dashed against Mt. Ararat in a storm during the period of the worldwide flood.

The Hindu Messiah returns several times, once as Shiva, another time as Krishna, and maybe other less well understood persons.

So, when you have Jesus drawing down on His infinite understanding and referring to Jonah, you've definitely got some theological problems on your hands.

[SunkenCiv]

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[Androcles]

Interesting. It’s been a long time since I read Lewis and all I remember clearly are Narnia and the Screwtape letters. Have to dig out Mere Christianity aain.

Cheers

[Androcles]

Is that why 2000 years after Christ we have a man on the moon and the internet... and for the 2000 years before Christ we had piles of rocks?

You think Christ was sent to pave the way not for his father and for the salvation of our souls, but instead for a brief series of space launches and a info distribution network which seems to focus proimarily on porn and weird opinions?

[spanalot]

“You think Christ was sent to pave the way not for his father and for the salvation of our souls, but instead for a brief series of space launches and a info distribution network which seems to focus proimarily on porn and weird opinions?”

Yes, notwithstanding the lack of progress in some.