Archaeologist discovers parts of New Testament verse on funeral monument

AP ^

[Dallas]

Archaeologist discovers parts of New Testament verse on funeral monument

The Associated Press - JERUSALEM

A barely legible clue _ the name Simon carved in squiggly Greek letters _ beckoned from high up on the weather-beaten facade of an ancient burial monument.

Their curiosity piqued, two Jerusalem scholars applied a squeeze _ a simple 19th century technique of spreading paper mush over a surface _ and uncovered six previously invisible lines of inscription, most of it a verse from the New Testament (Luke 2:25).

The inscription _ believed to be the first New Testament passage found on an ancient shrine in the Holy Land _ declares that the 60-high monument is the tomb of Simon, a devout Jew who the Bible says cradled the infant Jesus and recognized him as the Messiah.

Its actually unlikely Simon is buried there; the monument is one of several built for Jerusalems aristocracy at the time of Jesus.

However, the inscription does back up what until now were scant references to a Byzantine-era belief that three biblical figures _ Simon; Zachariah, father of John the Baptist; and James, brother of Jesus _ shared the same tomb.

Earlier this year, an inscription referring to Zachariah was found on the same facade. The two scholars, physical anthropologist Joe Zias and inscriptions expert Emile Puech, continued to study the monument. Having discovered the Simon inscription, they hope to complete the trio by finding writing referring to James.

Zias presented his find Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research in Atlanta. The conference, which began Wednesday and runs through Sunday, presents the latest archaeological findings in Turkey, Arabia, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan and Syria.

Archaeological finds confirming biblical narrative or referring to figures from the Bible are rare. Puech says the Simon inscription is the first New Testament verse found carved into an ancient shrine in the Holy Land. A few Old Testament phrases appear on facades and mosaics.

Jim Strange, a New Testament scholar from the University of South Florida, said the ancients apparently felt chiseling Scripture into monuments debased sacred words. The widespread use of Bible verses on shrines began only around 1,000 A.D. in Europe, he said.

The Zachariah and Simon inscriptions were carved around the 4th century, at a time when Byzantine Christians were searching the Holy Land for sacred sites linked to the Bible and marked them, often relying on local lore.

The monument is in the Kidron Valley, between Jerusalems walled Old City and the Mount of Olives. The Bible says James was hurled off the Jewish Temple, bludgeoned to death in the Kidron Valley below and buried nearby. The historian Josephus refers to a Temple priest named Zachariah being slain by zealots in the Temple and thrown into the valley. There is no word on Simons death.

There have been historical references to a Byzantine belief of joint burial of the three, although there is no evidence of a joint burial.

But even the new confirmation of the existence of such a belief gives us a window into what was happening in ... Byzantine Jerusalem, the deep dedication and belief systems of people living in that landscape, said Shimon Gibson of the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem.

The six lines in the Simon inscription run vertically. The letters run together, are of different height, a little crooked and relatively shallow.

They were clearly carved by laymen, said Gibson, who was present when Puech and Zias applied the squeeze during the summer, working on a 30-high scaffold.

These were folks who knew their Greek and their Luke, but didnt know how to be masons, added Strange.

The inscription reads: The tomb of Simeon who was a very just man and a very devoted old (person) and waiting for the consolation of the people.

The passage describing Simon is identical to that in a 4th century version of the Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus, which was later revised extensively.

This (the inscription) shows there were different versions of the Old and New Testament going around, said Zias.

The Zachariah and Simon inscriptions were chiseled into what is known today as Absaloms Tomb, one of three large funerary monuments in the Kidron Valley built for the citys rich.

It is unlikely Absalom, a son of King David, is buried there; the monument was built several hundred years after his death.

The name was assigned to the tomb in Medieval times, along with a custom to stone the facade as a show of disdain for Absalom, who murdered his half-brother for raping their sister and later incited to rebellion against his father.

Jews, Christians and Muslims participated in the ritual, badly scarring the facade and all but erasing the inscriptions.

Zias, a member of the Science and Archaeology Group, a team of scholars affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found the Zachariah inscription by chance _ in a photograph of the facade taken just before sundown.

Had the photograph been taken at any other time of day, he might not have seen the worn inscription. Using a squeeze, Puech deciphered the words: This is the tomb of Zachariah, martyr, very pious priest, father of John.

Strange said he had little doubt that the inscriptions were genuine. If fake, then it was forged by someone who failed because nobody noticed (the inscriptions), Strange said.
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[BlackVeil]

The most recent news that I heard, was that the box is an authentic burial box from the era, but doubts are held about the inscription - it may be a recent addition.

[george wythe]

Thanks for the update on the burial box.

[weps4ret]

Add me to it!

[djf]

Here is the translation from the Syriac Peshito version, translated James Murdock, 1851. This version is from the original Aramaic:

"And there was a certain man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon. This man was upright and just, and was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him."

I have an original copy of this work, signed by Murdock, printed 1879. The Aramaic scrolls predate the oldest known Greek versions.

[whizzer]

great stuff.please add me to your list.

[DollyCali]

Thanks for the ping Saber.. interesting. I find it comforting that archeology continually reaffirms what we have accepted by faith for so long...

farmfriend.. I would be interested in that "specialized" ping list. thanks

[madison10]

Please add me to the Gods, Graves & Glyphs list.

[Lurking Libertarian]

From the article:

The passage describing Simon is identical to that in a 4th century version of the Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus, which was later revised extensively. This (the inscription) shows there were different versions of the Old and New Testament going around, said Zias.

Dan, is this garbled, or what? I'm not familiar with the Codex Sinaiticus.

[BibChr]

I really can't tell from the translation; I'd have to see the Greek.

My quick look indicates that the original hand of Sinaiticus had eusebes, other mss. have eulabes (basically synonymous). Otherwise I don't seen great textual variances. Maybe that is what the AP is burbling about.

Dan

[texas booster]

Drop me in on the list. I catch most of these, but not all.

It's amazing the struggles that we put 2,000 year old history though to prove its exactness. Most people don't know that many fairly current beliefs are less accurate than biblical history.

Interestingly, most historical revisionism comes from the left. Mao's 10,000 km Long March was much shorter, Stalin's reign has been forgotten, and we can't even discover the truth about Saddam. The Holocost was initially denied by socialist skinheads, incorrectly called "right-wing", and now is denied by many more of the left.

It seems to me that Christians require more truth from themselves than any other group. Simply a higher standard.

[DallasMike]

...a Byzantine-era belief that three biblical figures -- Simon; Zachariah, father of John the Baptist; and James, brother of Jesus -- shared the same tomb.

Hey, I thought that it was always believed by the church until the 15th century or so that Jesus had no earthly half-brothers.

[ruoflaw]

to the best of my memory, it wasn't deemed authentic but I forget why

[DallasMike]

Most people don't know that many fairly current beliefs are less accurate than biblical history.

Correct-a-mundo!

There are many, many more documents referencing Jesus within a few decades after his crucifixion than there are documents referencing Julius Caesar. When I entered a period of doubt in my early twenties (which wasn't a bad thing), the sheer amount of historical evidence for Jesus convinced me that He really was who He said He was.

[k2blader]

Fascinating.

[U S Army EOD]

I have no mind, the Army took it.

[djf]

Yup. The amount of historical evidence is quite large. There is even a prophet named "Issa" who was crucified mentioned in the ancient Hindu Buddhist scripts.

[farmfriend]

I have no mind, the Army took it.

Hahaha, wonder what my excuse is?

[Verginius Rufus]

Luke was originally written in Greek...only Matthew is said to have been originally written in Aramaic. The Peshitta is a Syriac translation from the Greek--I'm not sure of the exact age but my Greek NT puts the Syriac versions in general from the Fourth to the Seventh Centuries, and divides them into "Old Syriac" and "Peshitta and Later Syriac."

[billbears]

bump

[djf]

"Those who attempt to trace back the existence of this version, by means of historical proof, tell us that the Peshito version certainly existed, and was in common use, by the middle of the fourth century. For, at that period, Ephraim Syrus composed his voluminous writings which abound in quotations and expositions of the sacred books as they are found in this version"

From Appendix II.

Other parts of the same appendix trace it back to the middle of the second century, if not the end of the first.