JERUSALEM, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Archaeologists digging at a site
near Jerusalem report finding a stone containing the letters of the
Hebrew alphabet in the wall of an ancient building.
After analyzing the ruins, archaeologists concluded the
40-pound stone bears the oldest reliably dated example of an
abecedary -- the letters of the alphabet written in their
traditional sequence -- the New York Times reported.
Experts say the find shows that as of the 10th century B.C.,
the Hebrew alphabet was still in transition from its Phoenician
roots, but recognizably Hebrew.
The discovery is to be reported in detail next week in
Philadelphia during the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical
Literature. It was described during New York Times interviews with
Ron Tappy, the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary archaeologist who
directed the dig.
The discovery is expected to stir the already contentious
debate between biblical skeptics and proponents, who disagree on the
extent to which the Bible represents historical truth.
Proponents of a written biblical history see the find as
validating their contentions that the Israelites could have written
down biblical stories, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said.