The Silver Scrolls - Silences the Critics and Affirms the Pentateuch скачать в хорошем качестве

The Silver Scrolls - Silences the Critics and Affirms the Pentateuch

In this video, recorded in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dr. Weaver discusses and shows the Silver Scrolls - the very first, confirmed, and undebated reference to YHWH! It includes the Aaronic Blessing in the Book of Numbers. I am excited to tell you about an incredible discovery, one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time. It both silenced the critics and affirms our confidence in the historicity of Scripture. I will be right back, to tell you more! Your time is precious, so let’s get to today’s Faith Affirming Finding! I am so excited to tell you about an amazing discovery from the field of biblical archaeology, certainly one of the top 10 of all time! I am speaking of none other than the Silver Scrolls. The Silver Scrolls were discovered in 1979, by a team led by Gabriel Barkay. Barkay’s team was excavating a 7th century BC, burial site located in the Hinnom Valley of Jerusalem. A 13-year old boy named Nathan wanted to help with the excavation. To get this young boy out of Barkay’s way, Barkay gave him the trivial task of cleaning an area of the tomb in preparation for pictures to be taken. In Nathan’s boredom, he began banging the “floor” with a hammer. The “floor” cracked and revealed that it was not a floor at all, but rather it was the ceiling that had previously collapsed on top of the floor concealing many priceless treasures. Typically graves like these would have been pilfered by grave robbers. But the collapsed ceiling had concealed this treasure trove for over 2,500 years! That is, until Nathan, by pure chance, stumbled upon them. Over 1,000 artifacts were found in this tomb! But far and away the most significant finding among this treasure trove were two very small scrolls made from silver strips. These Silver Scrolls, prior to being unrolled, were no larger than the diameter of a quarter, and resembled cigarette butts. The scrolls had a hole in the middle where string could be strung and were likely worn around the neck of the owners. The writing on these scrolls was very tiny, also indicating that they were not intended to be read, but rather worn. The inscription included an abbreviated version of the Aaronic blessing recorded in Numbers 6:24-26. The scrolls are dated between 725 and 650 BC. Scroll # 1, once unrolled, was only approximately 1 inch wide and 3.75 inches long. Scroll #2, once unrolled, was approximately 1.5 inches high and half an inch wide. These two discoveries predate the earliest Dead Sea scroll by 400 years and they are the oldest copies of any portion of Scripture! You might recall the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26, which reads, “May the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the LORD turn his face toward you and grant you peace.” The silver scrolls can be viewed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. THE SIGNIFICANCE 1. These scrolls contain the earliest writings recorded in the Bible, predating the Dead Sea scrolls by 400 years. It is the only copy of any portion of Scripture dated prior to the Babylonian exile. 2. The contents of these inscriptions are virtually the same as manuscripts that were copied and distributed over 1500 years later - marking the incredible precision and care that was taken to preserve the Hebrew Scriptures by early scribes. This provides great confidence to the reader of the Bible that Scripture was carefully copied and transmitted even in the earliest years of its history. 3. A pre-exilic dating of these scrolls (c.a. 722 – 650 BC) debunks the Wellhausen documentary hypothesis, which was widely held by critical scholars. These skeptics did not regard Moses as the author of the Pentateuch. Instead, they argued that this portion of the Pentateuch (“Priestly” portion) was written much later, during the post-exilic period. These silver scrolls prove that the writing of the Pentateuch took place very early. This shatters the Documentary Hypothesis which states that this portion of the Pentateuch was written during the Babylonian captivity or afterwards. As Schreiner points out, “As for what this all means for Wellhausen’s ideas, it means that the Ketef Hinnom scrolls contribute to the onslaught against the Documentary Hypothesis, classically defined, making it largely untenable.” The understanding that Moses was the author of the Pentateuch, shortly after the events recorded in them occurred, is still the best explanation for the evidence! 4. These are the first surviving inscriptions of biblical passages to include the tetragrammaton – YHWH – God’s divine and “unpronounceable” holy name (See the Merneptah Stele, which is the first non-scriptural inscription to contain the name). This too debunks the view that the name YHWH was a later development. And that is your Faith Affirming Finding of the Week!