Lead Codices Could Be Major Discovery in Christian History

[LuvNewcastle]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110330/ts_yblog_thelookout/could-lead-codices-prove-the-major-discovery-of-christian-history





British archaeologists are seeking to authenticate what could be a landmark discovery in the documentation of early Christianity: a trove of 70 lead codices that appear to date from the 1st century CE, which may include key clues to the last days of Jesus' life. As UK Daily Mail reporter Fiona Macrae writes, some researchers are suggesting this could be the most significant find in Christian archeology since the Dead Sea scrolls in 1947.
The codices turned up five years ago in a remote cave in eastern Jordan—a region where early Christian believers may have fled after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE. The codices are made up of wirebound individual pages, each roughly the size of a credit card. They contain a number of images and textual allusions to the Messiah, as well as some possible references to the crucifixion and resurrection. Some of the codices were sealed, prompting yet more breathless speculation that they could include the sealed book, shown only to the Messiah, mentioned in the Book of Revelation. One of the few sentences translated thus far from the texts, according to the BBC, reads, "I shall walk uprightly"--a phrase that also appears in Revelation. "While it could be simply a sentiment common in Judaism," BBC writer Robert Pigott notes, "it could here be designed to refer to the resurrection."
But the field of biblical archaeology is also prey to plenty of hoaxes and enterprising fraudsters, so investigators are proceeding with due empirical caution. Initial metallurgical research indicates that the codices are about 2,000 years old--based on the manner of corrosion they have undergone, which, as Macrae writes, "experts believe would be impossible to achieve artificially."

[aquart]

1. Oh, dear. Revelation which is attributed to JOHN?

John who came what? 100 years post-crucifixion?

He could talk about it all day long. Didn't know a damn thing about it.

[old mark]

2. The dead sea scrolls were discovered 63 years ago, and are still being studied

after decades of squabbling and bickering wbout who should be studying them...I hope this 5 year old discovery proves valid, that it will be
more accessable to actual scholars, and that information will be released to the public as it is discovered.

mark

[dimbear]

3. Too early to judge whether or not these are forged, but

there were at least two groups in the area that wrote encrypted texts. There are several scholarly examples from Qumran, but the more likely group IMHO is the people who produced magic charms for the amulet market.

These pieces are the right size for that, and are obviously not intended to be read.

If that turns out to be so, their historical value will be small.

[struggle4progress]

4. "... According to the Elkingtons, Mr Saeda received the artefacts from a Jordanian Bedouin who

discovered them in a cave at some stage between 2005 and 2007, in much the same way the Dead Sea Scrolls were found 64 years ago. Mr Saeda denies the claim, saying the codices have been in his family's possession since they were found by his great-grandfather, an assertion challenged by the Jordanian government, which said it would "exert all efforts at every level" to get the artefacts repatriated. In slightly unclear circumstances, Dr Elkington's team was allowed access to a small portion of the artefacts ..."
Jordan fights for return of new 'Dead Sea Scrolls
By Adrian Blomfield, The Daily Telegraph March 29, 2011
http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Jordan+fights+return+Dead+Scrolls/4522597/story.html

A group of 70 or so "books", each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was apparently discovered in a remote arid valley in northern Jordan somewhere between 2005 and 2007. A flash flood had exposed two niches inside the cave, one of them marked with a menorah or candlestick, the ancient Jewish religious symbol ... The Israeli Bedouin who currently holds the books has denied smuggling them out of Jordan, and claims they have been in his family for 100 years ...
29 March 2011 Last updated at 01:30 ET
Jordan battles to regain 'priceless' Christian relics
By Robert Pigott BBC News religious affairs correspondent
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421

"... But the mysteries between their ancient pages are not the books’ only riddle. Today, their whereabouts are also something of a mystery ..."
"... But the mysteries between their ancient pages are not the books’ only riddle. Today, their whereabouts are also something of a mystery ..."

So outsiders have not seen them all, and nobody really knows where they are. Moreover, it's not known whether they were discovered between 2005 and 2007 -- or a hundred years ago. In short, this is (at present) a vague and ill-documented story, subject to dispute

[GoneOffShore]

5. I read Lead "something else" - Sorry n/t

[skepticscott]

6. Shouldn't that be

"lead codpieces"? A much more important innovation...

[LuvNewcastle]

8. I saw "codeine" when I first read it.

"Codices" is a clumsy word to use, especially in a heading.

[dimbear]

7. Rogue Classicism tears this up.........

http://rogueclassicism.com/2011/03/30/lead-codices-silliness/


Not to blow my own horn, being an humble guy, note he suggests that not only are they magic texts, they are forged magic texts.

You read it here first. :)

[LuvNewcastle]

9. Thanks for the link.

That's an interesting site -- lots of good articles there.

[dimbear]

10. For the final nail in the coffin, go to Paleojudaica.com

http://paleojudaica.blogspot.com/2011_03_27_archive.html#7454369078247746754

The search leads to an obvious and rather clumsy forgery originating from the same source.

Edit: can't make link work for some ungodly reason. April Fools Day perhaps.

[GKirk]

11. Hmmm...

...how is easy is it to tell 2,000 years of corrosion from 1500 years of corrosion?



"Initial metallurgical research indicates that the codices are about 2,000 years old--based on the manner of corrosion they have undergone"