Israeli mathematicians and archaeologists say they have found evidence to suggest that key biblical texts may have been composed earlier than what some scholars think.
Using handwriting analysis technology similar to that employed by intelligence agencies and banks to analyze signatures, a Tel Aviv University team determined that a famous hoard of ancient Hebrew inscriptions, dated to around 600 BC, were written by at least six different authors. Although the inscriptions are not from the Hebrew Bible, their discovery suggests there was widespread literacy in ancient Judah at the time that would support the composition of biblical works.
The findings, released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an American scientific journal, contribute to a longstanding debate about when biblical texts first began to be compiled: did it take place before or after the Babylonian siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC and the exile of its inhabitants to Babylon?
In recent years, many scholars have attributed the composition of a group of biblical texts, from the Book of Joshua to the second Book of Kings, to the period after the siege, according to Israeli archaeologist Israel Finkelstein, who participated in the study. That theory holds that the biblical texts were written as a result of the exile to Babylon, when the composers began to think about their past and put their history to parchment.
Finkelstein, however, said he has long believed those texts were written in the late 7th century BC in Jerusalem, before the siege. He said the study offers support for that theory.
“It’s the first time we have something empirical in our hands,” said Finkelstein.
The team — made up of doctoral students in applied mathematics, math professors, archaeologists and a physicist — examined 16 ink inscriptions on ceramic shards discovered at the site of an ancient military fortress in Arad in southern Israel. It used multispectral imaging to reconstruct Hebrew letters that had been partially erased over time, and then used a computer algorithm to analyze the writings to detect differences in handwriting strokes.
Doctoral student Arie Shaus, who helped develop the algorithm, said it was the first time such technology has been used to reconstruct and perform handwriting analysis on ancient Hebrew inscriptions.
The inscriptions themselves are not biblical texts. Instead, they detail troop movements and expenses for provisions, indicating that people throughout the military chain of command down to the fort’s deputy quartermaster were able to write. The tone of the inscriptions, which suggest they were not written by professional scribes, combined with the fortress’ remote location, indicate a wide spread of literacy at the time, according to the study.
A high level of literacy would support the idea that some biblical texts had already been authored by this time. The Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known collection of certain biblical texts, are believed to date several centuries later.
Shmuel Ahituv, an Israeli bible scholar who did not participate in the study, also believes literacy in ancient Judah was widespread before 586 BC and that the biblical texts in question were written before the siege of Jerusalem. He said he believes this is apparent through a literary analysis of the biblical texts alone.
“I don’t need algorithms,” Ahituv chuckled.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Anything coming out of apartheid Israel is suspect. After all, Israel is a criminal enterprise.
Really? Arab Muslims and Arab Israelis and Christians and Jews all can prosper in Israel.
Take a better look at Gaza. You will see prosperity and also poverty cause their government is starving it’s people.
You make a claim. Back it up.
Del per ee, Did God tell you that?
Troll….
This doesn’t come as a surprise. The Old Testament makes several references to writing. The law which God gave Moses would provide the basis for a society where intelligence was common.
I’m happy with each of these discoveries. They help underscore the reality that the Bible is true.
I didn’t see anything verifying anything about WHAT the Bible says. They’re just trying to decide WHEN certain parts were written, and have concluded that a lot of the military was literate. And given the stupidity of so many Americans (a society that is ultimately based on “the law which God gave Moses”), I would not hold up literate scribes and military as evidence that “intelligence was common.” (“literacy” is not synonymous with “intelligence”)
WENDY DON,T SOUND TOO LITERATE OR INTELLIGENT..
Leave,Wendy alone!
Wendy, Don’t you know that calling people stupid does not prove their arguments are false. It only proves that you do not have one.
A note from God’s corner.
Per your comment about stupid Americans you are partly right, but you are mostly wrong. America has never been under the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses at mount Sinai. Throughout my life I have watched as this country has gone down hill in its principles (standard’s of morality) in front of the rest of the world. From the beginning of time there have been several accounts throughout history about the immorality of different cultures, nations, their people, and their downfall, and or destruction. The fall of Rome is one good example also Sodom and Gomorra is another. I have also been correlating this with America and its increasing desegregation of our Principles, Society, and Ethical Values with the Bible, and its description of (prophecies) the end of the age, in other words, the end of the world, called the second coming of Christ! We fall right into line with what the Bible has prophesied about the end. The Sociological dictate of the government rule of our society, they call it “political correctness”, has been one of the major caused of the divisions between the deferent ethnic groups, cultures, and races, in this country, “Americas” and the destruction of our Principles and Morals as a society. We use to have fairly high standards, Principles and moral in this country, that’s if you don’t count the slaughter of countless hundreds of thousands of Native Americans that, were here before we came and took it away from them by force! I once heard the wife of a minister with a large ministry reply, when she was ask about the history of the slaughter of the Native Americans by the u. s. government and what she thought about it, I was blown away by her answer. She state that “we (America) had to do that to them (the Native Americans) in order for the progress of this country”. Can you believe that? You see, Biblically speaking this country, along with the rest of the world was destined to fall; it started going down hill a long time ago, and it has been continually gaining speed from its inception. (Read Luke 4:1 to 412) I might add here that at the end of the Vietnam War, about 1964 or 1966 when the military started to bring home the soldier’s, that the deterioration of the Principles and moral standards of this countries went into overdrive from that point to this time. We have witnessed the total deconstruction of the rights of people, and of the morality of this country, not counting the murders of countless thousands of unborn children, caused by the immoral government laws that we have in control of us now! It has even reached into the church world with its control, and their 503c3 corporate controls. (a literal contract with the Devil for money. See the first amendment to the U. S. Constitution.) The churches by joining into a 501c3 contract with the corporate government have stated that they will not say any that the government has told them, that is not allowed by that contract! Also we now have a lot of the mainstream churches that have compromised with the world, and are not only promoting, but have ordained homosexuals into their ministries and then putting them in their pulpits! I might add here that most of the members of the government and those churches are involved in Free Masonry and /or the Illuminati. (both of them satanic organizations.) The above brings me to this, its a real shame the way that this country has lost the sight of its original Principles, its Morales, and its ethics, not counting the “church” and the so-called Christian community, as they for the most part have excepted the liberalism of this Sociological movement with open arms as they have been lulled to sleep by the liberalism that has now taken over the church! I know this because as a Bible believing (Bible thumping) man of God, having worked in the evangelistic field I have been ask to leave and not come back when I tried to show some of the church leaders (ministers) what the word of God actually stated in reference to what they had been teaching to their congregations! Or I got too loud with an, Amen or a Hallelujah when worshiping the Lord during the “worship service”. Its really sad that those supposed men of God are taking their congregations along with themselves strait to Hell with them, you know, the ones that God was suppose to have oriented to the ministry! They don’t have a clue as to the true word of God or his calling to preach his gospel, if they happened to be in a service where the sprit of God was allowed and really moving, and they just happened to get a touch form Him (God), it would frighten them to death, they wouldn’t know what to do or know how to handle it. It’s a shame that they are only after money, fame, big homes, and fancy cars, because eternity is forever, and there is no second chances after death for them to change their mind. It would be interesting to see what most of today’s Christians” response would be if it were possible to take them back in time into the presence of the Apostles of Christ, and watch what happened under there ministries, I wonder if it would change their harts or if they would keep on kipping on with their apostasy’s just as the Sadducees and the Pharisees did, in Matthew, look at what the Lord told them “Mat 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Mat 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Mat 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Mat 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. Mat 23:16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! Mat 23:17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? Mat 23:18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. Mat 23:19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Mat 23:20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. Mat 23:21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. Mat 23:22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Mat 23:24 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Mat 23:25 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Mat 23:26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Mat 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Mat 23:28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” Strong language, you bet, Jesus didn’t hold anything back he told them just what He thought about them. Try to tell the leaders of the organized mainstream churches of today’s “churches” and you will be treated just like He was, I have been. The Lord told His followers, His true followers that we would be hated for his names sake, guess what we are. There was a song years ago that had a verse in that stated “what the world needs now is love” sad to say it, but what the world needs now is the Lord, and Him taught to them in no uncertain terms, its true, even so I’m not sure that even that would be enough to overcome the brainwashing that Satan has spread throughout the world, let alone the church. True that’s what we are called to do. I would love to see what the “church” of today would think if they were to be placed in a place where, they, (it the church) could see how the people that came to this continent, the Puritans, were endowed by Spirit of God to preach the Gospel on there mission to this the people here. They came here for the purpose of religious freedom, and to spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ and of His salvation to the Native Americans that lived here. Do you think that the modern day Christians would accept it? Probably not. That was the begging (start) of Christianity on this continent. Then came the “Founding Fathers” from England, and the establishment of “The New World” you know the “New England Colonies” again this was done for England. The “Founding Fathers” then started the ball rolling to take over the total control of this continent for the King of England. Believe it or not, it is historical fact. (Do you remember a few years ago, when the Queen of England anchored her ship of the coast of San Francesco California? When ask about Her visit here She stated that She had come to visit Her Colonies!) From that point this country was brought under the control of what is called the U. S Government, and the (our) so-called Constitution of the United States of America. Now for the elephant in the room, the, “our government” moved itself to a foreign country, its called the “District of Columbia” an they run this, the united states of america, under contract law not the “our” “u. s. construction”. Through it “they have under-minded, and controlled this country (for) through at least two satanic organization called the Free Masonry and the Illuminati using their governmental contract law on us. Did you ever stop to think about the fact that every thing you do or say is scrutinized by the government, and that everything that you do, be it driving a car, putting a small out building on your property, drilling a well, to buying a shovel, or anything else you do, you have to have a license, by a permit, or pay a tax in order to do it! That land that you think you own, don’t pay your land tax and see just how long you own it! You probably didn’t know that you and all of us here in america are slaves to the government(s) in this country just like the “Native Americans” we are just on a larger reservation! Think about it, you have to have the government’s permission to leave this country, and you or anyone else has to have the government’s permission to come into or back to this country.
Actually Wendy, literacy IS synonymous with intelligence…..
Whether one is atheist, Christian, or pick-a-religion; this at least supports the historical validity of the Old Testament. Believing in the doctrine is up to the individual.
AS a one-time moron/atheist, I never knew about all of the historical facts in the Bible, it really is an amazing Book. It’s a shame that the church/eklesia has been so inept at defending the truth of the Bible.
Granted, this article is NOT about the Holy Scriptures, but it does cast doubt on the claim that the society from which the Bible came were a bunch of illiterate chuckleheads.
I must add, that when I read comments that disparage earlier generations, I’m quite appalled at the arrogance, like we’re SOOO much more intelligent because we have indoor plumbing and TV…..
ZERUBBABEL, You are so correct. The church has failed to promote the truth of scripture just like Israel who were God’ chosen people who were from to bring Go,d’ s truth to the world but instead under the prophetamuel they wanted a king like the rest of the world. GOD Gave them King Saul who was big tall dude.God told Samuel, Don’ t feel bad, they haven’t rejected you. They have rejected me. The church today preaches the lie that men can choose Jesus as their personal savior to be saved from going to hell when they die. The truth of the Bible is that God chose all men to be saved. No mention of Jesus as personal savior. JESUS IS savior of all creation. God is no respectoral of persons
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