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  • From: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] "the Silver Scrolls"
  • Date: Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:45:21 +0200

Just so that everyone here understands what Lloyd and Harold are talking about: while excavating a tomb in Jerusalem in 1979, Barkay found two tiny silver amulets, which, when unrolled, contained two slightly different versions of the "Priestly Benediction" of Num. 6:24-26. The tomb, and the amulets, are dated to about 600 BCE, just prior to the destruction of the First Temple, and indeed, this is the first time that something similar to a biblical quotation has been found in a First Temple Period inscription. I write "something similar to a biblical quotation" because there are actually severl differences between the exact text of Num. 6:24-26 and the versions found on the two amulets, but they are similar enough.

Does this spell "the death of minimalism", or "the triumph of maximalism"? Well, that depends on how you define "minimalism" and "maximalism". If a "minimalist" is someone who believes that the entire Hebrew Bible was composed out of nothing in the Second Temple Period, well, this find would seem to disprove that claim. But I know of NO "minimalist" who actually would go that far. On the other hand, if a "Maximalist" is someone who beleives that the Bible is entirely inerrant, well, this does NOT go anywhere near proving that either.

What DOES this find prove? It proves that a forumla very similar to Num. 6:24-26 was used as a blessing in late Iron Age Jerusalem. It does NOT prove that the entire text of the Torah was already known. It does NOT prove that Num. 6:24-26 was recited by priests in the Temple. It does not even prove the existance of Solomon's Temple. All it DOES prove is that the author of whatever source Num. 6:24-26 was taken from knew of a blessing-formula and used it as part of his composition.

"Minimalism" and "maximalism" are relative terms, usually used by people when describing someone else. Such titles do little to further scholarly debate.

Yigal Levin


----- Original Message ----- From: "Harold Holmyard" <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>
HH: Here is an article on the silver scroll:

http://www.crystalinks.com/scrollsilver.html

HH: I will try to see the program you mentioned.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard




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