10 Days of Archaeology: Day Nine – Silver Scrolls

This day’s archaeological discovery the Silver Scroll or Ketef Hinnom Valley Scrolls by Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

Find Hinnom Valley, south of the old city of Jerusalem in 1979. Written in biblical Hebrew Numbers 6:24-26 which is the priestly blessing. Words appear on two small, silver amulets and dates to around 600 BC, hundreds of years before the oldest known copy of any biblical manuscript.

Contains Numbers 6:24-26. Known as the “Priestly” blessing saying, “May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause his face to Shine upon you and grant you Peace.” First, they are the oldest copy we have of Scripture. The amulet scroll is older than the Dead Sea Scrolls by more than 400 years. Second, the amulet scroll powerfully shows the Old Testament being used before, not after, the exile. The amulet scroll disproves decades of liberal biblical studies in one small discovery. Third, the scroll is the oldest mention of the name Yahweh outside of the Bible.

Here is a short video about them: