The Israel Museum
Holly and I love museums and art galleries. The finest treasures of history are gathered into these places. The Israel Museum ranks as world class with treasures galore for those who love the holy scriptures. Wonderful things – like the Dead Sea Scrolls. Accidentally discovered in a cave by a Bedouin shepherd in 1946, these scrolls rolled back the earliest copies of the Hebrew Scriptures by a thousand years! Wonder of wonders they found the complete scroll of the book of Isaiah, the only one in existence! I saw the original in the mid-eighties. Today a facsimile is in its place so it can be completely protected for the ages to come.
There are many testimonials to the veracity of our scriptures in this Museum. The earliest reference to the dynasty of David outside the bible was found on a piece of stone chiselled a hundred years or so later by Hazael, the King of Aram (1Kings 19:15).
Israel’s prophets repeatedly warned them against the idolatry of the nations around them. The museum had some wonderful examples of Canaanite idol worship.
Today certain Muslims are denying that the Temple of Solomon ever existed on the Temple Mount. The museum has a letter referring to the Temple, written on pottery in the 6th century BCE, while the Temple was still standing.
One of the richest and most moving parts of this Museum was the area devoted to Jewish life and culture. There is treasure indeed in clothing, photographs, and worship materiel – including four complete Synagogues that have been imported from around the world.
We only had five hours here at the end of a long day and I can tell you it was not enough!
Click the photos below to view them full-size…
A Torah Cover
Canaanite Shrine Idolatry
The Shrine of the Book, Isaiah Scroll
The White Synagogue from Suriname
Copy of a Torah scroll – not used for one defect!