The lead pages, bound like a ring binder, were first discovered in 2008
The tablets suggest that Christ was not starting his own religion, but restoring a thousand-year-old tradition from the time of King David
They also suggest the God he worshipped was both male and female
New testing said to confirm their age, say authors who have been campaigning since 2009 for the tablets to be recognised and protected
An ancient set of lead tablets showing the earliest portrait of Jesus Christ have proved to be around 2,000 years old, according to experts.
The metal 'pages', held together like a ring binder, were found in Jordan in around 2008 by an Jordanian Bedouin and make reference to Christ and his disciples.
The lead has been analysed and the words and symbols translated and experts say the tablets date from within a few years of Jesus' ministry.
And what they reveal could be enlightening not only for Christians, but also Jews and Muslims.
The tablets suggest that Christ was not starting his own religion, but restoring a thousand-year-old tradition from the time of King David.
And the God he worshipped was both male and female.
Central to the books is the idea that Christ promoted worship in Solomon's Temple where the very face of God was believed to be seen - and this is where the episode with the moneylenders in the Bible came from.
One of the books bears resemblance to how the Book of Revelations is described as it has seven seals.
The books are known as codices - types of bound manuscripts distinct from scrolls - and among them is an image of Jesus himself.
Authors David and Jennifer Elkington have been campaigning since 2009 for the codices to be recognised and protected but say evangelical Christians are trying to brand them fakes.
Link to EXTREMELY interesting article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... chers.html
