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Wednesday, July 04, 2007
 The different versions, the Aramaic (top) and English (bottom), have a surprisingly similar degree of legibility. JERUSALEM - Stunning the archaeological, political, and entire world, archaeologists discovered the tatters of ancient scrolls that may be the earliest known copy of the US Constitution. Found in several caverns dotting mountains south of Jerusalem, the find baffled researchers. The fragments appear to be genuine. They are dated around 2000 years old and written in Aramaic. This explodes the myth the Founding Fathers of the United States wrote the original Constitution. "This is exciting and will change everything we believe about America," said James S. Snyder, the director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. "The 'Who wrote them' debate is going to rage in the scientific community and the American Congress for years." Who controls the documents is another matter. The Jerusalem Museum currently possesses them. Linguists at the top universities in the world are scrambling to get a peak at the scrolls. A speedy but accurate translation is vital. "We could have had it all wrong the last 200-something years. It could mean 'promote the general welfare,' or it could mean 'immigration'. The words are very similar," said Michael Renard, top linguist at Harvard University. "See this verb? That could change the meaning entirely. And this line, it looks a little like, 'covet thy neighbor's wife'." There were even the fragments of an embryonic Bill of Rights. The First and Second Amendment generated the most interest. "'Duty to keep and bear bronze'? What the hell does that mean?" Renard said. The dating to the 1st Century CE has immediately brought to mind the question of whether Jesus had a hand in them. The place the scrolls were found was an Essenian hiding place. The Essenes being an ascetic sect of Hebrews that many believe Jesus might have belonged to. They also are widely believed to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a similarly earth-shattering discovery in the same region. Other questions bubble up. First, this might not even be the original copy. There may be older versions. Most ancient manuscripts are simply copies of even older ones. What about other major documents concerning the founding of the United States? With this find, there might be other sources for the Declaration of Independence. The United States federal government has not issued a statement about the find. It is expected to within the week. Most expect it to demand possession of the scrolls. Not everyone believes the find is something beyond a novelty. "We have to interpret everything for a new age. We can't just go with the literal translation we've had the past two centuries?" said John Paren, an American Politics professor at University of Chicago. "Look, I like attention to accuracy, but if 'We the People' turns out to mean 'game of badminton', I quit." -OAP Labels: Longer Stuff |
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