The finding stands in contrast to the prevailing approach in research, according to which the main parts of the Torah were written in the days of the Second Temple
Amiram Barkat
Drawing of the two amulets. Photo: Gabriel Barkai
Researchers in the USA and Israel claim that they have found the first evidence that the Pentateuch of the Torah existed already in the days of the First Temple. The researchers' conclusion is based on tests using advanced techniques made on two small silver amulets, which were discovered in a burial cave in Jerusalem in the late 70s. The researchers' conclusion stands in contrast to the prevailing approach in research, according to which the main parts of the Torah were written in the days of the Second Temple. The research findings, published last week in a scientific journal in the USA, were extensively reported yesterday in the "New York Times" newspaper and other media outlets in the USA.
The amulets discovered in Jerusalem are written in ancient Hebrew script. They include a number of blessings, the most important of which is the "Blessing of the Priests", a number of verses in Deuteronomy Chapter 1979 that are recited to this day by the descendants of the priests during the prayer. The amulets were discovered as early as 600, but their age was disputed, and large parts of the text were not deciphered until recently. The tests, conducted in NASA laboratories in the USA, showed that these are amulets from the end of the First Temple, around XNUMX BC.
The Israeli archaeologist, Dr. Gabriel Barkai from Bar-Ilan University, who uncovered the amulets in 1979, said last night that during the deciphering of the amulets, additional important passages were discovered, one of which is identical to the verse of several verses.
Barkai uncovered the amulets during salvage excavations in the Hinnom shoulder, above the Ben-Hannom Gorge in Jerusalem, in the area where the Menachem Begin Heritage Center now stands. Excavations revealed a system of burial caves that were used by the wealthy residents of Jerusalem, starting from the end of the First Temple period (seventh century BC). In one of the caves, a cache containing about a thousand items was discovered in its entirety. The two most important items discovered in the cache were a seal with the name "Plate" engraved on it, and two small amulets made of pure silver. The scrolled amulets were opened in the laboratories of the Israel Museum, but the researchers were only able to decipher part of the writing. Even after the publication of the discovery, it was not clear whether the amulets are from the First Temple or from a later period.
Biblical scholar, Prof. Menachem Haran from the Hebrew University, says that the question of the age of the amulets is of "critical" importance from a theological point of view and in terms of biblical research. According to religious belief, the five Pentacles of the Torah were given to Moses at Mount Sinai, however, according to biblical scholars, they were created from a combination of four different sources. The largest and most important source is called by biblical scholars "the priestly source", because it was written by priests. Nearly half of the Torah text, including the chapters to which the verses discovered in the amulets belong, are attributed to this source. The dominant knowledge in biblical studies in the world since the end of the 19th century is that the priestly source is from the time of the Second Temple. The minority of researchers and Prof. Haran among them, claim that the source was already created by the priests in the first temple.
"Judaism, as an established religion that defines a people, was born after the destruction of the First Temple," says Prof. Haran, "and therefore the question in the 'Ha' news is whether it is a creation of the Judaism of the Second Temple or of the ancient people of Israel of the First Temple." Haran says that the research findings in the US provide important scientific support for the view he supports.
Bible scholar - history or myth
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