Moses is an important religious figure in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Now, a recent archeological discovery has found what might be the oldest known reference to him.
Referenced several times in the Torah – and by extension, the Christian Bible – as well as the Quran, Moses is a central figure and an important prophet in all three major religions.
Recently, archeologists made a rather significant discovery that, if confirmed, would be the oldest written references to Moses, dating back 3,800 years.
Findings Pre-Date the Bible
Archeologists found two etchings in an ancient turquoise mining site in the Sinai Desert in Egypt, where Semitic laborers once worked during the Middle Bronze Age.
The inscriptions date back to between 1800 and 1600 B.C., which is centuries before even the earliest parts of the Bible were written between the 10th and 7th centuries B.C.
What Do the Inscriptions Say?
The inscriptions are currently reanalyzed by an American-Israeli epigraphist named Michael S. Bar-Ron, who believes that the inscriptions make reference to Moses.
According to Bar-Ron, the inscriptions read “Zot M’Moshe” and “Ne’um Moshe,” which can be translated to “This is from Moses” and “Declaration of Moses,” respectively, he told Fox News Digital.
Given that these inscriptions predate the oldest parts of the Bible by centuries, this would make these the oldest-known references to Moses, if confirmed.
Translation Was Not Easy
As you might imagine, translating an ancient inscription like this was not exactly an easy task, even for an expert.
“I spent eight years actively involved in the painstaking, oft-frustrating reconstruction of some 23 wordy Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions,” Bar-Ron told Fox News Digital.
“That is, based on the principles of the foremost greats in the field, and informed by the work of my distinguished colleagues in the field.”
Other Discoveries Related to Moses
Given Moses’ historical and religious significance, archeologists have long been searching for evidence of Moses, with those searches mostly coming in vain. However, there have been some recent discoveries linked to Moses.
Last summer, an ancient sword from the era of the Book of Exodus was uncovered in Egypt, and a French expert recently identified ancient “propaganda” praising Ramesses II, the Egyptian leader who was said to have challenged Moses in the Book of Exodus.
While none of these findings are related to Moses or his life directly, they are certainly interesting and are relevant to the Mosiac stories in religious texts.
