The Way To Yahuweh
I am Yahuweh – That is My Name
Isaiah 42:8

Oldest Hebrew Text from around 1200 BCE found

March 27th, 2022

A team of archaeologists have claimed to have found the oldest-dated Hebrew text in Israel, including two instances of YHW (a shortened form of YHWH/Yahuweh), in the proto-Hebraic script. This information was announced Thursday 24th March 2022, at a press conference in Houston, Texas, USA.

Albeit it has yet to be independently verified, so as with all “early announcements”, it’s probably best to be a bit sceptical as to the exact age (see, for instance, the hubbub around “first-century Mark”). This does not mean however that it isn’t the oldest; we just require confirmation. Of further interest is the fact this is not the result of a new excavation, but the re-checking of finds from an earlier one in the 1980s. Archaeology isn’t known for its speed.

If this turns out to be as old as stated, the question of “Hebraic literacy” effectively pushes it further back than scholars have been ready to admit.

You may read more about this in the following news articles: Times of Israel | Ha Aretz.