VERY Ancient Hebrew Text Discovered

The article's title is: "Bible Possibly Written Centuries Earlier, Text Suggests" - and, well, the text doesn't suggest that, actually. The text is apparently from the 10th century BCE, and bears some striking resemblance to several Biblical scriptures. This is earlier than any extant Hebrew writing discovered to date.

The article claims that scholars think Hebrew writing didn't exist before the 6th century, which isn't true. Scholars believe the Hebrew Bible as we have it now was formed more or less in the 6th century, but drawn from and made with already-existing writings under extensive editorial revision. The discovery of the text is definitive proof that Hebrew writing existed centuries earlier, something that couldn't have been proven before - so there is something new. But hardly as revolutionary as the title makes it out to be. It also corroborates what scholars have long believed: that strands of what we inherited as the Hebrew Bible are in fact very ancient and had been in circulation long before the final composition of the definitive texts of the 6th century BCE.

Thanks to blogger Jon for sending this my way!