Erroneous Ancient 'Prayer of David' Text Unearthed in West Bank Monastery

A remarkable discovery has been made in the West Bank, as archaeologists have uncovered a 1,500-year-old text containing a section of Psalm 86, also known as "A Prayer of David." This ancient relic was found at the site of a former monastery located approximately 11 miles southeast of Jerusalem.

The inscription, written in Koine Greek, a language often used in early copies of the New Testament, was engraved on a building block that lay on the floor of the monastery. Interestingly, a cross was also drawn on the same block. However, it turns out there is an error in the text.

"Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am faithful to you."

The text reads, "Jesus Christ, guard me, for I am poor and needy," which differs from the actual words of Psalm 86:1, which say, "Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am faithful to you."

Furthermore, the researchers noted that the writer, despite using Greek, made grammatical errors that suggest their native language was Semitic in origin.

This important discovery was made at the ancient site of Hyrcania, where a monastery was built in the year 492. The location was formerly a 2,100-year-old fortress constructed by the Hasmoneans, a Jewish dynasty that once ruled the region. In the Byzantine Empire era, the monastery was established and named "Kastellion" or "Little Castle" in ancient Greek.

Remarkably, even after the Islamic conquest of the region by the Rashidun Caliphate in 635, the monastery continued to function, as evidenced by the recent archaeological findings.

This excavation is the first large-scale scientific investigation of the monastery, although there had been some previous limited archaeological inquiries in the past.

In addition to the ancient text, archaeologists unearthed a gold ring adorned with a turquoise stone, likely designed for a child due to its small size (just over 0.4 inches or 1 centimetre in diameter). The ring bears an Arabic inscription, "Mashallah," which translates to "God has willed it." The style of writing suggests that this inscription dates back to approximately 1,300 years ago, but it remains a mystery as to who the wearer of this intriguing ring might have been.

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