Friday, September 24, 2004

The Newark Decalogue

This neato thing is considered a hoax by many but it's still fun. Check out:The Newark Decalogue: Hoax or History?In November of 1860, amateur archaeologist David Wyrick made an interesting discovery. His excavation exposed a small rock, perhaps seven inches long, composed of "black limestone." The stone had been carved so that one side showed a robed, bearded man. Around the man and then along the sides and back of the object were carved what turned out to be a condensed version of The Ten Commandments. The commandments were written in ancient Hebrew with a peculiar form of post-Exilic square lettering. The artifact itself had been contained in a small stone box that had obviously been hollowed out precisely to contain the carved stone. Nearby, a small stone bowl, about the size of a teacup, was also found. The carved stone, which was to become known as the Decalogue, seemed to be designed to fit into the hand, and even showed wear marks where it had come into contact with the owner's fingers and a nub where it might have been tethered to the left arm. Researchers concluded that it was a Jewish arm phylactery or tefilla from the Second Temple Period (20BC-70AD). Such an object would have been used by its owner in his daily prayers. This object would have been an interesting, but not controversial, find if located in the Mideast. The problem was that Wyrick had been excavating an ancient Indian mound near Newark, Ohio, USA. Why was this Hebrew artifact found in the American Midwest?

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