“Treasures of the Holy Land”
BUSTLING Manhattan is an unusual setting for a collection of art that corroborates Bible history. Yet, in New York City’s Central Park sits The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which recently hosted “Treasures of the Holy Land: Ancient Art From the Israel Museum.” This exhibition consisted of almost 200 objects on loan from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
The ancient dwellers of the land of the Bible tell their story through these works of art. Come, let us look, listen, and learn. First, though, you must climb the 28 steps leading to the Metropolitan Museum’s columned entrance. Once inside, you are ready to begin your walking tour among several thousand years of Bible history. The following is what you will see:
The Habakkuk Commentary—an almost five-foot-long (1.5 m) parchment scroll, in which the divine name appears several times. This scroll is one of the first discovered and the best preserved of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which have been called “the greatest archaeological discovery of this century.” (The scrolls contain parts of every book of the Hebrew Scriptures except Esther and date back into the second century B.C.E. Thus, except for manuscript fragments, they predate by a millennium the oldest-known Biblical copies.) The Habakkuk Commentary contains nearly two thirds of the book of Habakkuk (1:4–2:20), was copied in Aramaic block script at the end of the first century B.C.E., and was interwoven with commentary. “But the four-letter name of Jehovah, tetragrammaton, is everywhere written in archaic Hebrew script,” states the museum’s information card. Yes, you could plainly see the Tetragrammaton!
“House of God” Ostracon—a pottery fragment on which the divine name appears twice in Tetragrammaton form. This potsherd found in southern Israel was a letter addressed to a man named Eliashib and dates back to the second half of the seventh century B.C.E. “To my lord Eliashib: May Jehovah ask for your peace,” the letter begins. It ends: “He dwells in the house of Jehovah.”—See page 12 of the brochure The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Pontius Pilate Inscription—a unique historical document from the first century, discovered in Caesarea. Prior to 1961 the only mention of Pontius Pilate was in the pages of the Bible and the first-century writings of Roman and Jewish historians. Now, though, you can see written in fragmentary Latin on a limestone block the words “Pontius Pilate Prefect of Judea.” This corroborates the existence of the man who authorized the execution of Jesus Christ.
“Place of Trumpeting” Inscription—once part of the southwest parapet of the temple enclosure in Jerusalem. When the temple was destroyed in 70 C.E., this piece of stone fell to the street below. The words “to the place of trumpeting” are inscribed in Hebrew on this roughly rectangular, three-foot-long (1 m) stone and refer to the place where a trumpeter stood, perhaps when marking the start and the close of the Sabbath with his trumpet blasts. Of the buildings that were situated on the temple grounds, this inscription is the only significant item remaining, thus confirming the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy at Matthew 24:1, 2.
Funerary Inscription of Uzziah, King of Judah—a one-foot-square (0.3 m) stone tablet bearing the Aramaic inscription: “Hither were brought the bones of Uzziah King of Judah. Do not open.” The warning may allude to his leprosy, or it may refer to a general prohibition against opening tombs. (2 Chronicles 26:16-23) This tablet, dating from around the first century B.C.E., was found near Jerusalem and marked the reinterment of the king’s bones centuries after his death, since he was not originally interred in the royal burial field of that city.
Cult Stand With Musicians—an unusual pottery stand about one foot (0.3 m) tall vividly illustrating Philistine cultic ceremonies. The pedestal has five musicians, each playing a musical instrument—cymbals, double pipes, a stringed instrument, and a tambourine. This stand was found in Ashdod and dates from late 11th to early 10th century B.C.E.
Canaanite Cult Stand—a hollow, square stand of clay decorated with human and animal figures. It includes the major Canaanite deities Asherah, personified in the form of a sacred tree or pole, and Baal, in calf form surmounted by a winged sun disk. (Exodus 34:12-14; 2 Kings 23:4, 5) The nearly two-foot-tall (0.6 m) stand, probably intended for offerings or libations, was found near Megiddo and dates from the late 10th century B.C.E.—Compare 2 Chronicles 34:4.
Ivories From Samaria—carvings from Samaria dating from the 9th to the 8th century B.C.E. They remind one of “the house of ivory” Ahab built at Samaria or of the trimmings of the “couches of ivory” characteristic of the spoiled life-style spoken against by the prophet Amos. (1 Kings 22:39; Amos 3:15; 6:4) Since Phoenician artisans specialized in ivory, some of these art miniatures echo the pagan cult of Baal, perhaps introduced by Ahab’s Phoenician wife, Jezebel.
Many of the exhibited objects are beautiful in form and color. But some of them, such as the fertility-goddess statues, illustrate the debased religious practices of the land. Others illuminate how foreign influences shaped its character. The exhibition “Treasures of the Holy Land” and others like it add to one’s understanding of the people, politics, religion, and art of the land of the Bible.
[Pictures on page 24, 25]
The Habakkuk Commentary
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Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
“House of God” ostracon
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Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Pontius Pilate inscription
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Israel Museum, Jerusalem
“Place of Trumpeting” inscription
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Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Funerary inscription of Uzziah
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Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Cult stand with musicians
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Israel Museum, Jerusalem