Handwriting Analysis Sheds Light on Biblical Timeline

A research study from Tel Aviv University has used handwriting analysis to shed new light on the mysteries surrounding just when Old Testament texts were written.

The Torah, the Hebrew bible that is also shared by Christians, is thought to have been penned in large part around the seventh century BCE. The precise date is still unknown however, and other scholars have long wondered whether some of the texts that make up the Old Testament date to prior to the Babylonian Exile in 586 BCE, when the Kingdom of Judah ceased to be independent. 

The key in making this determination, according to the researchers involved in the study, is the level of literacy that existed in Judah prior to its fall. A high number of literate Judahites would have been necessary to provide the framework of several Old Testament texts, according to research team co-leader Professor Israel Finkelstein, from Tel Aviv University’s Archaeology Department.

In order to understand just how literate the ancient Judahites were, the research team subjected 16 ancient inscriptions to computer image processing. The inscriptions, which were found during excavations at the ancient fort of Arad; east of the central city of Be’er Sheva, are thought to have been penned by a minimum of six different individuals.