Israeli archaeologist to discuss biblical text fragments

Renowned Israeli archaeologist Gaby Barkay of Bar Ilan University will speak about his discovery of the two oldest fragments of a biblical text ever found at 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23, in Cone University Center, McKnight Hall.

These tiny texts, inscribed on silver “scrolls,” predate the Dead Sea Scrolls by some 500 years. They contain the “Priestly Blessing,” now found in Numbers 6:24-26, used weekly by Jews and Christians worldwide. They also contain the oldest example of the “Divine Name” (YHVH) Yahweh written in paleo-Hebrew characters. Barkay will share the story of this accidental discovery made when he and his team were excavating an Iron Age tomb in the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem.

Born in Hungary in 1944, Barkay immigrated to Israel in 1950. He graduated summa cum laude from Hebrew University where he studied archaeology, comparative religion and geography. His doctorate in archaeology is from Tel Aviv University.

Barkay has been the director of the Israel Excavation Society Sifting Project since 2004, sifting soil from the Temple Mount area. Tens of thousands of finds have revealed human activity on the site of the Temple Mount covering 15,000 years. Previous excavations by Barkay include Megiddo, Lachish, Momshit and Susa in Iran. He has concentrated on sites in Jerusalem since the 1970s, participating and directing on various levels. Barkay is the recipient of the 1996 Jerusalem Prize for Archaeological Research. He has spent more than 30 years teaching at the American Institute of Holy Land Studies.

The Phillips Lectureship Fund and the UNC Charlotte Department of Religious Studies are sponsoring this free, public event.