The fancy word for the find is abecedary, but what that basically means is an inscription of the alphabet. The New York Times reports that it may be "the earliest known specimen of the Hebrew alphabet," "an important benchmark in the history of writing," and "the oldest reliably dated example of an abecedary."
There are artifacts of Semitic writing that predate the 10th century B.C., which is the date that Pittsburgh Theological Seminary's Ron E. Tappy (who led the dig) puts on the find. But here's what may be even more controversial than the date:
The inscription was found in the context of a substantial network of buildings at the site, which led Dr. Tappy to propose that Tel Zayit was probably an important border town established by an expanding Israelite kingdom based in Jerusalem.
A border town of such size and culture, Dr. Tappy said, suggested a centralized bureaucracy, political leadership, and literacy levels that seemed to support the biblical image of the unified kingdom of David and Solomon in the 10th century B.C.
"That puts us right in the middle of the squabble over whether anything important happened in Israel in that century," Dr. Stager said.
A vocal minority of scholars contend that the Bible's picture of the 10th century B.C. as a golden age in Israelite history is insupportable. Some archaeological evidence, they say, suggests that David and Solomon were little more than tribal chieftains and that it was another century before a true political state emerged.
It's sure to be a hot topic at the meetings of the American Schools of Oriental Research and the Society of Biblical Literature next week, the Times notes.
Baylor dismisses gay alumnus from advisory board | University had gladly accepted his donations of time and money, until now (Inside Higher Ed)
Students say religion research hampered by school's Web filter | Dalai Lama, Buddhism sites among those blocked (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
Cross 'publisher' off to-do list | Christian Gators Magazine, launched Wednesday with 7,500 copies and is being distributed by Christian student groups in high traffic areas on campus (The Gainesville Sun, Fla.)
Abstinence-only programs tell half-truths about sex | Statistics reflecting the sexual activities of U.S. teenagers underline the need for comprehensive sex education. (Martin L. Haines, Asbury Park Press, N.J.)
Can you believe it? | Many schools are afraid of religious education, but when taught creatively it can be exciting for students (Sonia Blandford, The Guardian, London)
Evolution & Intelligent Design:
Dover soul | A town reconsiders religion (Jason Zengerle, The New Republic)
Designed to please | God in the science classroom? What's next? (David Galef, Inside Higher Ed)
Evolutionists are wrong! | Where are the copyright liberals when right-wing conservatives need us? (Jennifer Granick, Wired)
Dover ID backers on school board lose election:
'Intelligent design' backers lose in Pennsylvania | The court verdict in a landmark lawsuit on "intelligent design" is weeks away, but voters in Dover, Pa., delivered their judgment this week by sweeping out eight of nine school board members who decided that ninth-grade science students must be told the concept is an alternative to evolution (USA Today)
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