Pages

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Who was Palmyra's anonymous god?

PALMYRA WATCH: Warsaw archaeologist solves 100-year-old mystery surrounding identity of anonymous god (Jo Harper, THEfirstNEWS)).
Around 200 [Aramaic epigraphic] texts dated mainly to the 2nd and 3rd centuries contained mysterious references to a deity: "Blessed is his name forever, Lord of the World and Merciful.”

Ever since scientists have been trying to work out which god the specific phrase was directed to and used the stopgap term “Palmyrene Anonymous God.”

Now [Dr. Aleksandra] Kubiak-Schneider says she thinks she has cracked it.

Her answer may surprise you. Hint: it's a trick question.

For many posts on the ancient metropolis of Palmyra, its history and archaeology, the Aramaic dialect once spoken there (Palmyrene), and the city's tragic reversals of fortune, now trending for the better, start here and follow the links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.