Description

Aaronic Or Priestly Blessing is the Oldest Known Fragment of a Biblical Text. Two small 2,600 year old SILVER SCROLLS were found in a shoulder of the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem in 1979. When the scrolls were unrolled, they were 39mm x 97mm.

Two shorter versions of the Aaronic or Priestly Blessing had been engraved by hand with the ancient Hebrew script on this silver plaques which were then rolled
into scrolls.

The full blessing from Numbers 6:24-26:
“The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His
face shine upon you, And be gracious to you. The Lord
lift up His countenance on you and give you peace”.

The oldest manuscripts of the Bible called the Qumran scrolls date to the third century BC. The Hebrew square script in which the Old Testament was written developed approximately 300 years before the Qumran scrolls.

The silver scrolls with the priestly blessings originated in the 7th century (during the period of the first temple). The priestly blessing, which is meaningful to us, was so significant 2,600 years ago, that it was worn around the neck with a leather strap, close to the heart.