JERUSALEM, Israel, January 14, 2003 — A stone tablet, inscribed with details of repair plans for Solomon's Temple, is being examined by Israeli experts to determine its origins. If proven authentic, the tablet will be rare, ancient physical evidence, which confirms biblical narrative.
According to reports from Associated Press, the dark grey, sandstone tablet is about the size of a legal pad. It bears a 15-line first-person account, in ancient Phoenician script, which closely resembles descriptions in the Bible's Second Book of Kings, chapter 12, and refers to King Jehoash, who ruled Judea 2,800 years ago.
AP reports, "the king tells priests to take 'holy money ... to buy quarry stones and timber and copper and labour to carry out the duty with faith.' If the work is completed well, 'the Lord will protect his people with blessing,' reads the last sentence of the inscription."
Exactly where and when the artefact was discovered is unclear. That poses a problem for archaeologists, who depend on knowing such details to help them determine the origins of ancient findings.
One Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, quoted an unidentified source as saying the relic was found in recent years on Temple Mount, during renovations carried out by the Muslim administrators of the mosque compound known as the Haram as-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary.
The daily broke the news of the relic's existence January 13, saying experts from the National Infrastructure Ministry's Geological Survey of Israel, have authenticated the tablet, "following months of examination".
An electron microscope was used to examine the inscription. And experts at the institute say carbon dating confirms the writing goes back to the 9th century B.C. The government research institute is said to be preparing a collection of articles for publication, detailing their findings.
| "the finding is an archaeological sensation that could have global repercussions and that effectively vindicates Jewish claims to the Temple Mount." |
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- Dr. Simon Ilani and Dr. Amnon Rosenfeld
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Dr. Simon Ilani and Dr. Amnon Rosenfeld are reported to be among those at the institute who studied the relic. They told Haaretz, "the finding is an archaeological sensation that could have global repercussions and that effectively vindicates Jewish claims to the Temple Mount."
Muslim clerics insist that despite overwhelming archaeological evidence, no Jewish temple ever stood at the site. AP also reports that Adnan Husseini, the director of the Islamic Trust that administers the Jerusalem mosque compound, denies the tablet was found during renovation work there.
A private antiquities collector from Jerusalem owns the ancient stone tablet. He has declined to reveal his identity, or say how the relic came into his possession.
The Haaretz article also quotes Dr. Gabriel Barkai, a leading Israeli biblical archaeologist from Bar Ilan University's Land of Israel Studies Department, as saying that if the inscription proves to be authentic, the tablet could be the most significant archaeological finding yet in Jerusalem and the Land of Israel.
Speaking to AP, Barkai said the inscription's resemblance to biblical passages, "has far-reaching implications of the historical importance of the biblical text."
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