In 1979 Gabriel Barkay was excavating an area on the outskirts of Jerusalem in the backyard of St. Andrews church. He had a group of 12 and 13 year old kids helping him. They discovered some tombs, but they were empty—having been looted long ago.
One boy, Nathan, was given the task of cleaning out the dirt from the nooks under the burial benches. Like a true boy, he started banging the nook with a hammer. It broke, revealing an entrance to a secret chamber containing more than 1000 objects. There were 125 objects of silver, 40 iron arrowheads, gold, ivory, glass, bone, 150 semi-precious stones, and skeletons. The objects dated to the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC. Among the objects were two, tiny rolled-up silver scrolls 1” long.
It took three years to develop a process to unroll them without breaking them to bits. Once opened, it was discovered that they contained ancient Hebrew writing. Amulet I (3.8” x 1.1”) reads:
[…]YHW…the grea[t…who keeps] the covenant and [g]raciousness toward those who love [Him] and those who keep [His commandments…]. The Eternal? […]. [the?] blessing more than any [sna]re and more than Evil. For redemption is in Him. For YHWH is our restorer [and] rock. May YHWH bles[s] you and keep you. [May] YHWH make [His face] shine…”.
Amulet II (1.5” x .4”) reads: “[First line almost completely illegible.] May h[e]/sh[e] be blessed by Yahweh, the warrior [or “helper”] and the rebuker of [E]vil: May Yahweh bless you, keep you. May Yahweh make His face shine upon you and grant you p[ea]ce”.[1]
Both amulets contained the same inscription: “May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause his face to shine upon you and grant you peace.” This is a near quote of the priestly benediction in Numbers 6:24-26.
Significance:
- This is the oldest copy of any portion of Scripture.
- This is good evidence against the liberal critics who said the Pentateuch was a late, post-exilic creation. It’s difficult to maintain that the Pentateuch was written in the 5th century BC when it is being quoted in the late 7th or early 6th century BC.
- It contains the second-oldest reference to “YHWH.” It’s amazing to think that someone was using this scroll in their worship to YHWH right next to Solomon’s temple!
August 23, 2011 at 2:08 pm
When did the Jews start using the Tetragrammaton and stop using the proper name of God?
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August 23, 2011 at 2:42 pm
The proper name of God is YHWH, which is called the Tetragrammaton.
Jason
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February 23, 2014 at 3:37 pm
The jews were forbidden to use Gods true name because of the share power of knowing, and therefore YHWH were set in its place
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December 30, 2020 at 5:56 am
That’s a load of crap! God gave his name so that they would get to know him personally. Moses was given the name by Jehovah (YHWH) (Yahweh) himself. This text was a few centuries later in which shows they use the name as we do today.
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February 1, 2021 at 7:23 am
Ray, I would recommend not using expletives when defending your beliefs. Jehovah would not appreciate it. YHWH is the revealed name of God in ancient Hebrew writings. While its true pronunciation is not known, in English it is usually pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah, which Jehovah being the most widely known and accepted name for the God of Israel. Variations of the personal name of God, Jehovah, can be found all over the world in hundreds of languages. The fact that the name is found over 7000 times in the original manuscripts of the Bible writers is a clear indication that the name was known and used by the ancient Jews and Christians.
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March 27, 2022 at 11:44 pm
In the other article, “About the Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls,” from the DIRECT account of Prof. Gabriel Barkay, he said the Holy Name is YHVH or Yod He “Vav” He, and nothing more! The 6th Hebrew alphabet is called “Vav” whose initial letter transliteration is “single V,” and not, “double VV,” nor “double UU.” Therefore, YHWH is an erroneous tetragram and the vocalization YaHWeH is but a spurious one!
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