The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus
A scrap of Hebrew papyrus recording wine sent 'to Yerushalayim', seized from looters and hotly debated
Found 2012 — Seized by the Israel Antiquities Authority Theft Prevention Unit (Amir Ganor and Eitan Klein) from antiquities dealers; published by Shmuel Ahituv, Klein and Ganor in 2016
Where Reportedly from a cave in the Judean Desert (Nahal Hever area); exact findspot unknown (Israel / West Bank (unprovenanced))
Dates from Claimed 7th century BCE; radiocarbon range c. 800–400 BCE · Claimed Iron Age IIC · Late kings of Judah, if genuine
Now at Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem
How The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus was found
The papyrus had been on the antiquities market, reportedly looted from a cave in the Judean Desert; images reached epigrapher Christopher Rollston in 2013–2014 before the IAA recovered it. The IAA announced it in October 2016 with a radiocarbon date.
What it is
A strip of papyrus about 11 by 2.5 cm with two lines of Paleo-Hebrew: '[From the maidserv]ant of the king, from Naarat, two jars of wine, to Yerushalayim.' If genuine it would be the earliest non-biblical Hebrew text naming Yerushalayim, and one of only two Hebrew papyri from the First Temple period.
Why it matters for the Bible
The text reads like a shipping label from the biblical world: Naarat is a town in Ephraim's territory (Joshua 16:7), the 'maidservant of the king' would be a royal official, and wine goes up to the capital. But the papyrus fibres are old while the ink cannot be dated, forgers are known to write on ancient blanks, and Rollston flagged a grammatical form (nblym yyn instead of nbly yyn) that an ancient scribe would be unlikely to write. Readers should treat it as a possibly genuine, possibly forged text.
The Hebrew word: ye-roo-shah-LAH-yim
יְרוּשָׁלִַם
יְרוּשָׁלִַם is pronounced ye-roo-shah-LAH-yim and means Jerusalem, spelled on the papyrus as yrshlm (Strong's H3389).
Places
- Jerusalem — יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (ye-roo-shah-LAH-yim) — foundation of peace
- Naarah / Naarath — נַעֲרָה (nah-ah-RAH) — girl, young woman (place name)
Events
Royal supply shipments to Jerusalem
The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus in Scripture
Joshua 16:7 Naarath on Ephraim's border, the town named as the wine's source.
1 Chronicles 7:28 Naaran among Ephraim's settlements.
Questions people ask
What is The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus?
A strip of papyrus about 11 by 2.5 cm with two lines of Paleo-Hebrew: '[From the maidserv]ant of the king, from Naarat, two jars of wine, to Yerushalayim.' If genuine it would be the earliest non-biblical Hebrew text naming Yerushalayim, and one of only two Hebrew papyri from the First Temple period.
When was The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus discovered?
It was found in 2012 by Seized by the Israel Antiquities Authority Theft Prevention Unit (Amir Ganor and Eitan Klein) from antiquities dealers; published by Shmuel Ahituv, Klein and Ganor in 2016, at Reportedly from a cave in the Judean Desert (Nahal Hever area); exact findspot unknown.
Where is The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus today?
Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus relate to?
Joshua 16:7, 1 Chronicles 7:28.
Is The 'Jerusalem' Papyrus authentic?
Unprovenanced. The papyrus itself is ancient (radiocarbon 800–400 BCE), but the ink cannot be dated, and Christopher Rollston and others suspect a modern forgery on an ancient blank because of the grammar and the market origin. The IAA and publishers Ahituv, Klein and Ganor defend it as authentic.
Related discoveries
- נִקְבָּהSiloam InscriptionHebrew record of the moment two tunnelling crews met under Jerusalem
- הַסֹּפֵרBaruch son of Neriah Bulla (unprovenanced)'Belonging to Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe' — Jeremiah's secretary, if genuine
- דְּבָרִיםOxyrhynchus Papyri and the Gospel of Thomas FragmentsA rubbish-heap of Roman Egypt yielding the earliest 'Sayings of Yeshua' and dozens of New Testament pieces
- אִגֶּרֶתPapyrus P46 (Chester Beatty II)The oldest collection of Paul's letters, a single codex from about 200 CE
- גֵּרוּשׁLetter of Claudius to the Alexandrians (P.Lond. 1912)Papyrus decree of 41 CE on Jewish–Greek strife — context for Claudius' expulsion of Jews from Rome
- אֱמֶתPapyrus P52 (Rylands Greek 457)The earliest surviving scrap of the New Testament — John 18 on a card-sized fragment
Sources
- Ahituv, Klein and Ganor, '"To Jerusalem": A Seventh Century BCE Shipping Certificate', New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region 10 (2016)
- Christopher Rollston, 'The New "Jerusalem" Papyrus: Not so Fast'
- Biblical Archaeology Society, 'The King of Judah, Jars of Wine, and the City of Jerusalem'