Who's ? Right: Ancient Book of Psalms Found in Irish Bog

Monday, May 21, 2012

Ancient Book of Psalms Found in Irish Bog

Back in July, 2006 a 1,200 year old Book of Psalms was unearthed by a construction worker in a peat bog known as Faddan More, in central Ireland. One of the most significant discoveries since the Dead Sea Scrolls, the remarkably well preserved ancient tome may date back to the country's early Christian monasteries. The book, which was written around 800 A.D. according to the National Museum of Ireland, was dated back to the time of the Viking raids in Ireland.

http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/VikingRaids.html

Many stories and theories are revolving around the Christian Psalter and how it ended up in an Irish bog. Some believe it was lost in transit or dumped after a raid, while others attest that monks hid the book in a secret ceremony to preserve its contents from non-Christians. Whatever the story, the book remains a great and rare find.

The Dead Sea Scrolls, found in 1947, are considered to be of enormous religious and historical significance since they included some of the earliest known surviving Biblical documents. The Irish book of Psalms, written on vellum (a fine animal skin parchment) is considered an unveiling of "staggering" importance according to the museum's director, Pat Wallace.

"It testifies to the incredible richness of the Early Christian civilization of this island and to the greatness of ancient Ireland." Wallace said.

When the book was found a part of Psalm 83 (a lament to God over other nations' attempts to wipe out Israel) was visible and still legible. The museum said the extent to which other Psalms or additional texts are preserved would only be determined by a lengthy study by a team of experts, including Bernard Meehan, Head of Manuscripts at Trinity College Dublin.

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/chronicle/v6/ja29/meehan.html