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One of the biggest and best preserved hoards of ancient sealed books, which
had been secretly hidden for centuries, has been discovered in Jordan. Early
indications are that some of the books could date from the first century CE/AD
and may be among the earliest Christian documents, predating the writings of
St Paul. Leading academics consider that the find might be as pivotal as the
discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947.
However, legal advice has confirmed that the find qualifies as treasure trove
under Jordanian law, and is rightly the property of the Kingdom of Jordan. The
Jordanian Government is now working at the highest levels to repatriate and
safeguard the collection. The British team leading the work on the discovery
fears that the present Israeli ‘keeper’ may be looking to sell some of the books
on to the black market, or worse - destroy them.
Sealed books were used by early Christian writers as a code for secret
teaching; they were heavily persecuted and needed to protect their
knowledge. Until now, no such book has ever been found. The codices were
discovered in an area to which Christian refugees are known to have fled after
the fall of Jerusalem in 70CE/AD, and where important documents from the
same period have previously been found. The existence of a significant,
hidden collection of sealed codices is mentioned in the Christian Bible’s Book
of Revelation and in other biblical books.
1
The team involved in bringing the find to the world’s attention has been led by
David Elkington, a British scholar of the early Christian period and of ancient
religious history. David has been supported by his wife Jennifer and a small
team of leading international academic experts, including Dr. Margaret Barker,
Co-founder of the Temple Studies Group and former President of the Society
for Old Testament Study, and Professor Philip Davies, Emeritus Professor of
Biblical Studies at Sheffield University and an authority on the Dead Sea
Scrolls.
David and Jennifer Elkington informed the Kingdom of Jordan about the find
at an early stage and, following more recent briefings, are now working with
the Department of Antiquities in Amman in order to safeguard its future.
Preparations are being made for a documentary film about the discovery, in
conjunction with a leading television network, and the publication of a book.
Professor Philip Davies said: “My own scrutiny suggests to me and to several
of my colleagues that the form of the archaic Semitic script corresponds well
to what was used in the era 200BCE-100CE. The codex format of the
documents is also known to have been adopted by Christians from about the
first century CE. However much of the writing appears to be in code and many
of the images are unfamiliar. The possibility of a Hebrew-Christian origin is
certainly suggested by the imagery and, if so, these codices are likely to bring
dramatic new light to our understanding of a very significant but so far little
2
understood period of history”. ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. David Elkington has been shown many of the artefacts by the current
possessor of them, who wished to understand their significance, and was
allowed to photograph some of them in their present location for research
purposes. But he makes no claim of ownership, which, based on the legal
advice he has received, rightly rests with the Kingdom of Jordan.
David has worked to date entirely on a voluntary basis, with the support of
many friends, alongside the generous help of many leading experts in this
field.
• There are clear images of the menorah (the seven branched lamp), leafy
branches and etrogim, the large citrus fruits used at Tabernacles.
• There are also fruiting palm trees, well known from coins of the late
second temple period and the time of the Bar Kochba war.
Further information will be released in due course once the security of the
artefacts has been assured.
David Elkington is the author of ‘In the Name of the Gods’, the highly
acclaimed academic thesis on the resonance and acoustical origins of
religion. David is primarily an Egyptologist, specializing in Egypt-
Palestinian links that have inevitably drawn him into the field of Biblical
studies. He has lectured at universities all over the world and written many
papers on ancient history and linguistics.
3
Dr. Margaret Barker is an independent Old Testament scholar, a former
President of the Society for Old Testament Study, co-founder of the
Temple Studies Group and author of 14 books in this field. The
Archbishop of Canterbury created her a Lambeth Doctor of Divinity for her
temple research, which illuminates the origins of Christianity.
Hilary Baker
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