World's Oldest Jewish Prayer Book Arrives in Jerusalem

Raphael Poch : Sep 19, 2014
Breaking Israel News

"It is a connection between our past and present and that is something of great value." -PM Benjamin Netanyahu

The oldest Jewish prayer book in the world was presented to the Bible Lands Museum on Thursday. The book is over 1,200 years old and was presented to the general public in Jerusalem during a closed ceremony. (Photo: Chaim Tzach)

The prayer book, which is around 50 pages long and originates from the Middle East, is written in Hebrew and is still in its original binding. Using sophisticated carbon-test dating methods, it was discovered that the Jewish prayer book dated to the first half of the Ninth Century [AD], making it the oldest in existence. The study of the text is ongoing and is only due to end in 2015.

The prayer book contains three main parts: the morning service, liturgical poems and the Haggadah, read during the Passover Seder.

The rare book was first presented to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by its owner Steve Green [of Hobby Lobby], owner of one of the world's largest private collections of rare Biblical artifacts, known as the Green Collection.

The prime minister was one of only a few people to ever have held and read from the prayer book as well as the first person in Israel. Netanyahu is said to have read from the familiar Hebrew text in great excitement.

In a statement from his office, the prime minister said, "This prayer book is a most important find. It is written in Hebrew and contains the prayers that the people of Israel say to this very day. It is a connection between our past and present and that is something of great value."

In addition, Green presented Netanyahu with a rare parchment from his collection of religious texts as a gift. The parchment, originally found in the Cairo Geniza from the 12th to 13th Century, contains a dialogue written in Arabic about the relationship between man and his Creator.

The prayer book was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Speaker of the Knesset, MK Yuli Edelstein, Speaker of the Knesset, Amanda Weiss, the executive director of the Bible Lands Museum, and Father Gabriel Nadaf, who was presented with an award to honor his work in fostering closer ties between the Jewish and Christian communities in Israel, specifically supporting increased Christian enlistment to the IDF and national service. (Photo: Ardon Bar Hama)

"Not only are we the 'People of the Book', we are the people of the same book, the same language and the same prayers," Edelstein said. "These are the exact same words millions of Jews say every morning and this is the best example of Jewish continuity."

Upon presenting Father Nadaf with the award, Edelstein stated, "Father Nadaf is someone who is faithful to his religion, but also respects other regions. This is what it means to be a real man of faith."

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