The Man Who Bought a ResurrectionInteresting. Another illustration of how the historical value of unprovenanced antiquities is tragically reduced because of the loss of their physical context. It isn't obvious why someone would go to the trouble of putting a literary text like this on a stone surface. If the Vision of Gabriel is genuine and if we had the context it was found in, we might be able to say a lot more about its purpose, use, and background.
Tuesday, Jul. 08, 2008 By TIM MCGIRK / JERUSALEM AND DAVID VAN BIEMA / NEW YORK
David Jeselsohn has been an avid collector of Mediterranean antiquities all his life. But 10 years ago, his curiosity was aroused by a mysterious stone tablet with ancient Hebrew writing that appeared in London, offered by a reputable Jordanian dealer. Jeselson bought it and then, distracted by more collecting, forgot it. Today, however, some scholars say that the fractured, three-foot-long sandstone tablet challenges the uniqueness of the idea of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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After the purchase, Jeselsohn stashed the tablet in his Zurich home and moved on to other collectibles. Then, three years ago, he invited an Israeli scholar, Ada Yardeni, to Zurich to examine writings on ancient pottery shells. The expert's eye, however, was drawn instead to the tablet with its 87 lines of Hebrew script. "She was fascinated" says Jeselsohn. "Yardeni said the writing was just like on the Dead Sea Scrolls."
The original dealer was vague about the tablet's origin. But Jeselsohn, who is also an expert on East Mediterranean antiquities, says that the ink writing could only have survived for 2,000 years if it were kept in an extremely dry climate, possibly along the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea. Most likely, says Jeselsohn, the tablet was considered sacred and displayed upright in a public area such as a synagogue.
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UPDATE: More here.
