What happened to the metal codices that promised Christian revelationsImagine that.
The tiny books have stirred debate over the Christian 'secrets' they could contain and who can sell them. Now, they may never be decoded.
The main new(ish) information is here:
Since the controversy erupted, Saeda has returned to Israel and has refused scholars further access to the codices, while the Jordanians and Elkington have joined efforts to repatriate the texts to Jordan. Since Jordan announced that it will pursue diplomatic channels to "retrieve" the texts, Israeli antiquities officials have expressed willingness to meet with the Jordanian side, although they deny any involvement with the texts. Their previous lack of response was a source of anxiety in Amman rooted in an ongoing legal contest over the Dead Sea Scrolls.I doubt that any private collectors will be as careless in their research as the media have been.
Although Jordan officially severed ties with the West Bank in 1988, it has retained its claims to the scrolls – believed to be the oldest Hebrew Bible ever discovered – alleging that the texts were annexed from sovereign Jordanian territory during the 1967 war, a claim Israel refutes.
According to Moawiyam Ibrahim, archaeologist and Jordan's representative to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, this historical sense of "loss" of the scrolls triggered a sense of "urgency" in Amman when news of the codices emerged.
More than just a matter of national pride, tourism is also at stake. Tourism is a major pillar of Jordan's and Israel's economies, generating $2.1 billion and $4.3 billion, respectively, in 2010, and both countries compete for the lucrative pilgrimage market.
But the looming legal battle may prevent the books from ever reaching a museum. With mounting pressure from the Jordanian government and the media exposure generated by the claims, Elkington and Mr. Saad say Saeda is looking to make a quick and easy sale. "If these books are sold to private collectors, the world will never see them," says Elkington.
The CSM deserves a little credit for following up the story, but the effort is paltry. They did not consult any outside experts (or even re-interview Davies or Barker as far as I can tell); nor take any notice of Thoneman's article in the London Times or the Yahoo article; nor consult any specialist blogs (or give any hint they have a clue which blogs to read); or even do a rudimentary Google search for recent developments. The Media Fail continues.
Background here and here and follow those links.
UPDATE: Mark Goodacre makes a comparison to the coverage of the Hitler Diaries in 1983. How far the media have fallen!