july 28, 2006
Ancient Book of Psalms Found in Ireland -- Open to a Prayer for the Protection of Israel
It was a find of biblical proportions -- on Tuesday, Irish archaeologists anounced the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker who spotted something while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.
According to AP News, the 20-page book of Psalms, dated back to the years 800-1000, was found open to Psalm 83, in which God hears complaints of other nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.
The remarkable coincidence associated with this discovery is the fact that on Monday, Jerusalem's Chief Rabbinate called for worldwide prayer on behalf of Israel, to begin on Tuesday; one of the texts given to pray was Psalm 83.
Irish archaeologists confirmed the incredible find by a construction worker who was digging up a bog near Ireland's midlands, last week, when "just beyond the bucket of his bulldozer, he spotted something."
"This is really a miracle find," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland, which has the book stored in refrigeration and faces years of painstaking analysis before being put on public display. "There are two sets of odds that make this discovery really way out. First of all, it's unlikely that something this fragile could survive buried in a bog at all, and then for it to be unearthed and spotted before it was destroyed, is incalculably more amazing."
Crucially, he said, the bog owner covered up the book with damp soil. Had it been left exposed overnight, he said, "it could have dried out and just vanished, blown away."
Wallace said several experts spent Tuesday analyzing only that page -- the number of letters on each line, lines on each page, size of page -- and the book's binding and cover, which he described as "leather velum, very thick wallet in appearance."
It could take months of study, he said, just to identify the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them. He ruled out the use of X-rays to investigate without moving the pages.
Ireland already has several other holy books from the early medieval period, including the ornately illustrated Book of Kells, which has been on display at Trinity College in Dublin since the 19th century.
Other archaeology finds from ChurchWatch:
Has Noah's Ark Finally Been Found?
Ancient Seal with Image of Jesus Found in Israel
Ruins of 'Oldest Church' Uncovered Beneath Israeli Prison
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