BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Discarded History

Cambridge University Library OR. 1102, Courtesy of the Syndics of Cul

Cambridge University Library OR. 1102, Courtesy of the Syndics of CUL

Through October 28, 2017
Cambridge University Library
Cambridge, United Kingdom
www.lib.cam.ac.uk
For more than a thousand years, the Jews of Cairo would preserve every piece of writing that contained Bible verses or references to God. The rationale was that Yahweh’s name is too sacred to be tossed out. These worn-out writings had been faithfully deposited in a genizah, or a synagogue storage chamber. Alongside the expected copies of the Bible, prayer books and works of Jewish law, the casual collection grew with the most mundane documents, such as personal letters, legal and business papers and shopping lists, which offer an intimate portrait of a vibrant Jewish community in the center of an Islamic empire.
When the Cairo Genizah, located in the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo (medieval al-Fusṭāṭ), was thoroughly explored by Solomon Schechter of the University of Cambridge in 1896/7, it revealed itself to be the world’s largest and most important collection of medieval Jewish manuscripts, including the handwritings of Maimonides and other famous rabbis. Schechter then acquired more than 140,000 of these unwanted writings (mere snippets, at times) and shipped them back to Cambridge.
Spanning a millennium between the ninth and 19th centuries, some of these treasured scraps are on display in the exhibit Discarded History: The Genizah of Medieval Cairo at the Cambridge University Library that runs until October 28, 2017. Included is the above copy of the original Hebrew version of the Book of Ben Sira (also called the Book of Sirach and the Book of Ecclesiasticus), which was thought lost until this 10th-century fragment surfaced in Cairo.

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5 Responses

  1. Kandie Rosales says:

    The truth: finally! The use of God’s name, Yahweh–YHWH, or in English, Jehovah–is found in these Scriptural pieces they’ve found. There are many gods, each has a name, yet the name Jehovah has been removed from the Scriptures and replaced with LORD. Thanks to ‘so-called’ Christian religious leaders, the Bible was once banned, and they taught man made doctrines rather than the Word of God. The Rightful Sovereign Lord of the Universe, Jehovah God! Today, many no longer have faith in God over the many lies these men have spread. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls constantly used YHWH (Yahweh) as the name of the God of the early Hebrews, the Jews.. Jehovah is the One who inspired His Word to be written down and protected for our benefit. Think what kind of world it would be had no explanation of creation been given, nor God’s Laws set down to guide mankind? Cheating, hating, lying, stealing, sexual immorality, murder, etc.?
    However, isn’t the majority of the world already acting like this? And sadly, Jehovah God is blamed for the woes of the world instead of blaming the real instigator, Satan and his demons.

  2. Trish says:

    Agreed! Curious if you could point a seeker and budding history buff in the direction of more resources re the 14 books the Vatican removed from the Bible? Almost finished with “The Bible as History “, which I found fascinating. TIA!

  3. Tamara Potts says:

    These documents and scraps of writings may have been preserved for us simply because they are ready to reveal their secrets. There are so many places in our Bible that have had words changed, names changed, messages changed or omitted, or even whole chapters or parts of chapters omitted to pacify a ruler and/or rulers or a ruler’s wife or mistress, that a person needs to do comparison with their Bible and Bible of perhaps centuries old to receive the correct message. Most people think and use the King James version of the Bible. If you notice that he uses the same name for father and son and perhaps grandson. If you read the English translation of the Greek texts, you will discover over that the men had different names. King James also removed several chapters of the Bible that meant the removal of 400 years of Jewish history. The Bible is not only God’s word, but it is also a history book. King Henry VIII removed several books of the Bible and parts of books to fit his idea of the belief for his new idea of the Anglican church. In 1684, the Vatican removed 14 books from the Bible. King Phillip changed the words in several books to fit his idea as to what he believed. Perhaps some of these documents may clear up these additions or omissions from our most loved book.

    of the Bible

Write a Reply or Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


5 Responses

  1. Kandie Rosales says:

    The truth: finally! The use of God’s name, Yahweh–YHWH, or in English, Jehovah–is found in these Scriptural pieces they’ve found. There are many gods, each has a name, yet the name Jehovah has been removed from the Scriptures and replaced with LORD. Thanks to ‘so-called’ Christian religious leaders, the Bible was once banned, and they taught man made doctrines rather than the Word of God. The Rightful Sovereign Lord of the Universe, Jehovah God! Today, many no longer have faith in God over the many lies these men have spread. Even the Dead Sea Scrolls constantly used YHWH (Yahweh) as the name of the God of the early Hebrews, the Jews.. Jehovah is the One who inspired His Word to be written down and protected for our benefit. Think what kind of world it would be had no explanation of creation been given, nor God’s Laws set down to guide mankind? Cheating, hating, lying, stealing, sexual immorality, murder, etc.?
    However, isn’t the majority of the world already acting like this? And sadly, Jehovah God is blamed for the woes of the world instead of blaming the real instigator, Satan and his demons.

  2. Trish says:

    Agreed! Curious if you could point a seeker and budding history buff in the direction of more resources re the 14 books the Vatican removed from the Bible? Almost finished with “The Bible as History “, which I found fascinating. TIA!

  3. Tamara Potts says:

    These documents and scraps of writings may have been preserved for us simply because they are ready to reveal their secrets. There are so many places in our Bible that have had words changed, names changed, messages changed or omitted, or even whole chapters or parts of chapters omitted to pacify a ruler and/or rulers or a ruler’s wife or mistress, that a person needs to do comparison with their Bible and Bible of perhaps centuries old to receive the correct message. Most people think and use the King James version of the Bible. If you notice that he uses the same name for father and son and perhaps grandson. If you read the English translation of the Greek texts, you will discover over that the men had different names. King James also removed several chapters of the Bible that meant the removal of 400 years of Jewish history. The Bible is not only God’s word, but it is also a history book. King Henry VIII removed several books of the Bible and parts of books to fit his idea of the belief for his new idea of the Anglican church. In 1684, the Vatican removed 14 books from the Bible. King Phillip changed the words in several books to fit his idea as to what he believed. Perhaps some of these documents may clear up these additions or omissions from our most loved book.

    of the Bible

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