Silver Scrolls

The oldest portion of the Bible so far discovered was found inscribed upon silver scrolls taken from a tomb in the Hinnom Valley. Found in 1979 by Gabriel Barkay, the tiny silver scrolls contained a text of Scripture from the Pentateuch (the Aaronic benediction of Numbers 6:24-26 - The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: 25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace), which predated the Judean exile. This find posed a problem to critical scholars, who argued that priests had authored most of the Pentateuch after the Judean exile. As a result, critical scholars must now adjust or reformulate their theory concerning the authorship of the Pentateuch.

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