I am Kyle's self-indulgence

I saw this over at Ancient Hebrew Poetry. You may have already read it if you subscribe to my Google Reader shared items (it's a great feature--Sometimes I use it to share posts on other blogs instead of linking to them here).

While I haven't yet had time to read all of the minute details, it seems that researchers recently found a stone tablet, dated to the first century BCE, that contains language predicting that the Messiah would be raised from the dead after three days.

You can get a pdf of a scholarly article about it through this site (or use this direct link). Here are some essential excerpts of the document, translated into English:

By three days you shall know that, thus said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, the evil has been broken by righteousness. Ask me, and I shall tell you what is this wicked branch tzemah...

In just a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth...

By three days, live, I Gabriel command you, prince of princes, the dung of the rocky crevices...

Apparently, the experts say it is authentic.

So what does this mean? If you're a Christian, it's yet another example of details of Jesus' life being predicted by prophets before his birth, which reinforces what you already believe.

If you're an atheist, it's more evidence that the doctrine of the resurrection was in existence before Christ, and was later grafted onto the Jesus story by Christians, which reinforces what you already believe.

Whichever angle you're coming from, it's at least an interesting historical find.