Ancient psalm book found in Irish bog
DUBLIN, Ireland, July 26 (UPI) -- The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin has announced the discovery of fragments from a Book of Psalms that may be up to 1,200 years old.
The museum said the discovery of the fragments, which were uncovered Thursday by a bulldozer in a bog in the south midlands, is comparable to the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Irish Times reported Wednesday. It said the book could date back as far as the year 800 A.D.
Many experts have described the find as one of the most important discovery in European and world archeology in decades, the Irish Examiner said.
Museum officials said the fragments include a partially legible printing of Psalm 83, and experts will be examining the work to attempt to make out additional blocks of text.
"In my wildest hopes, I could only have dreamed of a discovery as fragile and rare as this. It testifies to the incredible richness of the early Christian civilization of this island and to the greatness of ancient Ireland," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland.
And now a personal note from me (Shoshana):
since the beginning of the war in Israel all the rabbis united and requested that everyone recite 3 Psalms: Psalm 83, Psalm 130 and Psalm 142. For over a week now these are the three Psalms that everyone has been reciting as they are under attack and elsewhere. Yesterday at 18:00 israeli time (11:00 your time) there was a worldwide recitation of these three Psalms and many that I know here in Germany also recited these three Psalms at that time.
The book of Psalms that was found in Ireland on that same day was open to Psalm 83, the same one that we have been reciting.
Here it is as a direct translation from the Hebrew:
A song, a psalm of Asaph.
God, do not hold Your silence;
be not silent and be not still almighty.
For behold, your enemies are in an uproar
and those who hate you
have lifted up their head.
Against your people they plot deceitfully,
and they conspire against
those sheltered by you.
They say
"Come, let us cut them off from nationhood,
let Israel's name be remembered no more."
For they conspire together
with a unanimous heart,
against you they make a covenant.
The tents of Edom and the ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites.
Gebal, and Ammon and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.
Even Assyria is joined with them,
they become a supporting arm
to the children of Lot. selah.
Do unto them as with Midian;
As to Sisera, as to Jabin,
at the river bed of Kishon.
They were destroyed at Ein Dor;
they became dung for the soil.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
and like Zebach and Zalmuna, all their princes.
Who said, " Let us inherit for ourselves
the pleasant habitations of God."
My God, make them like whirling chaff,
like straw before the wind.
Like fire that burns the forest,
and like a flame that ignites the mountains.
So pursue them with your tempest,
and terrify them with your storm.
Fill their faces with shame,
then they will seek your name, Adonoy.
Let them be ashamed and terrified, forever;
and let them be humiliated and perish.
Then they will know that You,
whose name is Adonoy, are alone,
The Most High over all the earth.
DUBLIN, Ireland, July 26 (UPI) -- The National Museum of Ireland in Dublin has announced the discovery of fragments from a Book of Psalms that may be up to 1,200 years old.
The museum said the discovery of the fragments, which were uncovered Thursday by a bulldozer in a bog in the south midlands, is comparable to the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Irish Times reported Wednesday. It said the book could date back as far as the year 800 A.D.
Many experts have described the find as one of the most important discovery in European and world archeology in decades, the Irish Examiner said.
Museum officials said the fragments include a partially legible printing of Psalm 83, and experts will be examining the work to attempt to make out additional blocks of text.
"In my wildest hopes, I could only have dreamed of a discovery as fragile and rare as this. It testifies to the incredible richness of the early Christian civilization of this island and to the greatness of ancient Ireland," said Pat Wallace, director of the National Museum of Ireland.
And now a personal note from me (Shoshana):
since the beginning of the war in Israel all the rabbis united and requested that everyone recite 3 Psalms: Psalm 83, Psalm 130 and Psalm 142. For over a week now these are the three Psalms that everyone has been reciting as they are under attack and elsewhere. Yesterday at 18:00 israeli time (11:00 your time) there was a worldwide recitation of these three Psalms and many that I know here in Germany also recited these three Psalms at that time.
The book of Psalms that was found in Ireland on that same day was open to Psalm 83, the same one that we have been reciting.
Here it is as a direct translation from the Hebrew:
A song, a psalm of Asaph.
God, do not hold Your silence;
be not silent and be not still almighty.
For behold, your enemies are in an uproar
and those who hate you
have lifted up their head.
Against your people they plot deceitfully,
and they conspire against
those sheltered by you.
They say
"Come, let us cut them off from nationhood,
let Israel's name be remembered no more."
For they conspire together
with a unanimous heart,
against you they make a covenant.
The tents of Edom and the ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites.
Gebal, and Ammon and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.
Even Assyria is joined with them,
they become a supporting arm
to the children of Lot. selah.
Do unto them as with Midian;
As to Sisera, as to Jabin,
at the river bed of Kishon.
They were destroyed at Ein Dor;
they became dung for the soil.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
and like Zebach and Zalmuna, all their princes.
Who said, " Let us inherit for ourselves
the pleasant habitations of God."
My God, make them like whirling chaff,
like straw before the wind.
Like fire that burns the forest,
and like a flame that ignites the mountains.
So pursue them with your tempest,
and terrify them with your storm.
Fill their faces with shame,
then they will seek your name, Adonoy.
Let them be ashamed and terrified, forever;
and let them be humiliated and perish.
Then they will know that You,
whose name is Adonoy, are alone,
The Most High over all the earth.
