Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Seminary to offer public lecture on early alphabet

Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will offer a lecture that promises to be fascinating on December 8, 2005 at 7:30 in the Hicks Memorial Chapel Auditorium, according to this press release. The lecture by Prof. Ron Tappy and Dr. P. Kyle McCarter will tell about the discovery and study of a stone engraved with what may be the oldest known securely datable abecedary, the letters of an alphabet in their traditional order.

It may not be about the holy grail, but the discovery of this stone "may be the most important find in the Holy Land in a decade" according to Lawrence E. Stager, a Harvard University archaeologist quoted in this article.

One of the reasons this find is significant is that some have challenged the accuracy of Biblical histories. This discovery is evidence of a literate society in Israel in the 10th century B.C.E.

There is more information about the dig here.

The Advent season is a very busy time for the churches, but this free lecture sounds like it will be a wonderful early Christmas present to the community from the Seminary.

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