NELC 150 |
Introduction to the Bible |
Slide 56 |
Amulet containing priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). This is one
of two such amulets found in Jerusalem and dating to ca. 600 BCE,
probably just prior to the Babylonian exile. Both quote a form of the
Priestly Benediction, using it as part of a magical spell to protect the
amulet's owner from harm (see Slide 59). Although it is not a verbatim
quotation, it is nevertheless the oldest known quotation of a Biblical
passage, older than the Dead Sea Scrolls by at least three centuries.