Israeli archaeologists discover ancient seal from Bethlehem

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a 2,700-year-old seal that bears the inscription "Bethlehem," in what experts believe to be the oldest artefact with the name of Jesus' traditional birthplace.

Pottery found nearby also dated back to the same period.

Experts state the tiny clay seal's existence and age provide vivid evidence that Bethlehem was not just the name of a fabled biblical town, but also a bustling place of trade linked to the nearby city of Jerusalem.

Eli Shukron, the Israel Antiquities Authority's director of excavations, said the find was significant because it is the first time the name "Bethlehem" appears outside of a biblical text from that period.

Shukron said the seal, 1.5 centimetres (0.59 inches) in diameter, dates back to the period of the first biblical Jewish Temple, between the eighth and seventh century B.C., at a time when Jewish kings reigned over the ancient kingdom of Judah and 700 years before Jesus was born.

The seal was written in ancient Hebrew script from the same time. Pottery found nearby also dated back to the same period, he said.

Archaeologists discover new language

 

Evidence for a forgotten ancient language which dates back more than 2,500 years, to the time of the Assyrian Empire, has been found by archaeologists working in Turkey.

---

Researchers working at Ziyaret Tepe, the probable site of the ancient Assyrian city of Tušhan, believe that the language may have been spoken by deportees originally from the Zagros Mountains, on the border of modern-day Iran and Iraq.
In keeping with a policy widely practised across the Assyrian Empire, these people may have been forcibly moved from their homeland and resettled in what is now south-east Turkey, where they would have been set to work building the new frontier city and farming its hinterland.
The evidence for the language they spoke comes from a single clay tablet, which was preserved after it was baked in a fire that destroyed the palace in Tušhan at some point around the end of the 8^th century BCE. Inscribed with cuneiform characters, the tablet is essentially a list of the names of women who were attached to the palace and the local Assyrian administration.
The tablet is currently being stored in Diyarbakir, Turkey, where it is hoped that it will eventually go on public display. Dr MacGinnis’ report on its decipherment is published in the April issue of the Journal of Near Eastern Studies.

In brief...

• Archaeologists have been working at Ziyaret Tepe since 1997 and the site, in western Turkey, is widely thought to be the original site of the Assyrian frontier city of Tušhan. Zirayet Tepe, literally “pilgrimage mound”, consists of a central mound about 30 metres high, and a surrounding lower town of about 30 hectares.
• The tablet studied by John MacGinnis was found in what may have been the governor’s throne room in the remains of the palace on the site. It was written in Neo-Assyrian script (Cuneiform), and lists women attached to the palace. There are about 60 names and most belong to an unidentified language.
• The most plausible explanation is that this language is from Western Iran. We already know that the Assyrians deported people from the Zagros Mountains area of modern-day Iran, but we don't know anything about the language that they spoke. It has also been speculated that a language referred to by the Assyrian King, Esarhaddon, called Mehkranian, may be what we are seeing here.
• Deportation was a common practice in the Assyrian Empire. It was an approach which helped the Assyrians to consolidate power, by breaking the control of the ruling elite in newly-conquered areas. The deportees were set to work building cities or labouring in the agricultural hinterland of these new settlements.

Ordinariate Pilgrimage to Walsingham

The first official pilgrimage of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham to Walsingham itself. Led by Mgr Keith Newton. All are very warmly invited.

Timetable
Priests will be available to hear confessions from 11.00 a.m.
12.00 p.m. Angelus & Solemn Mass at the... National Shrine
2.30 p.m. Holy Mile & Rosary Procession to Anglican Shrine
3.15 p.m. Sprinkling at the Anglican Shrine

Pilgrims are invited to bring a picnic lunch. Parish Banners welcome. Concelebrants please bring alb and diocesan vestment, and cassock and cotta/surplice for the afternoon.

News of a new Ordinariate in Australia

The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Denis Hart, announced today that Pope Benedict XVI intends to announce the establishment in Australia of a Personal Ordinariate for former Anglicans to commence on 15th June 2012. This new community will be known as the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross under the patronage of St Augustine of Canterbury.

New CTS leaflet asks 'What is the Ordinariate?'

The Catholic Truth Society has published a short leaflet explaining the purpose and development of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. The leaflet, to be sold at just 25p, gives a simple explanation of the events leading up to the establishment of the Ordinariate, and also the Ordinariate's structure and day-to-day running. It is designed for those with little or no knowledge of the Ordinariate project, and is specifically to provide better information about Pope Benedict's generous outreach to Anglicans. Copies are available to order from the CTS website.