Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls (7th c. BCE)
artifact
Two tiny silver scrolls buried near Jerusalem 2,700 years ago prove the Hebrew Bible wasn't just translated back from Greek.
Who they are
The Ketef Hinnom silver scrolls, small inscribed amulets from the 7th century BCE.
What they do
They're the oldest known biblical text, carrying the Priestly Blessing from the Book of Numbers.
How it works
Discovered in a Jerusalem burial cave in 1979, the paleo-Hebrew inscriptions date centuries before the Greek Septuagint translation.
Why it matters
They disprove the claim that Hebrew scripture was back-translated from Greek, showing the Hebrew text tradition existed long before the Greek version.
The engine's record — word for word
Report #77. Paleo-Hebrew inscriptions on silver amulets discovered 1979 Jerusalem burial cave. Priestly Blessing text (Numbers 6:24-26). Falsifies Hillman's 'Septuagint-primacy' claim (that Hebrew is back-translation from Greek) by demonstrating Hebrew text tradition centuries pre-LXX.
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