A Missing Link

When reading the Gospels, one of the objections to the authenticity of Jesus and his messages and deeds is their supposedly being pulled out of thin air. With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls we can see that much of what Jesus taught actually fits in quite well with the Jewish culture of his day. Much of what he said can be shone to be in line with the development of Jewish rabbinical thought and not simply importations from later Christian enthusiasts.

One such piece is a tablet, apparently recently discovered, which contains a resurrection story. Gabriel tells a dude named Simon that he would be resurrected in three days. The tablet has been dated to the 1st Century BC.

Here is a link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article4295804.ece.

Notice that the title of the article interprets the finding as "casting doubt" on Jesus's Resurrection. While some might be disturbed to hear of this tablet or other pre-Jesus Jesus-like-teachings ... because in their eyes they might take away from the uniqueness of Jesus ... this tablet actually becomes a part of a larger stream of confirmation of the authenticity of Jesus. It confirms that Jewish thought prior to Jesus did think about resurrection ... and that resurrection was not simply a Greek-Christian importation into Jewish thought.

Be encouraged: John 11:25.