“I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.”
Jonathan Swift
The content of this Appendix, originally published courtesy of International Times (‘The Great Intellectual Fraud of our Time’: 9 January 2014), are the words of various ‘Bibliobloggers’ commenting on the discovery of the Lead Codices and its implications, and they are reproduced here to be read in conjunction with Jennifer Elkington’s essay in Chapter V, ‘A Right to Reply’.
We recognize that the content of this Appendix is distasteful. Consideration was given before it was deemed necessary to include a selection of the below commentary, which is not based upon fact. Ad hominem attacks have long been unfairly used by those attempting to discredit discoveries that threaten the status quo, and unless we expose this iniquitous tactic, others are likely to not only suffer the unpleasantness, but more importantly to be impeded in coming forward with new discoveries.
All of the following quotations from the Bibliobloggers are reproduced with thanks, courtesy of International Times.
‘Most pastors are dreadfully boring human beings. I know I’m supposed to like them, and I do like some. But most are just tiresome souls who care more about themselves and their reputations than they do the Gospel or the truth. If more pastors blogged, more misinformation would be spread…God willing this will be the last time anyone, anywhere, mentions these feckless codices.’
Dr. Jim West, ‘The Blogging Pastor’, Media Director ASOR, Prof. at Quartz Hill School of Theology, zwingliusredivivus blog site.
‘Ignorance and prejudice are the handmaidens of propaganda. Our mission, therefore, is to confront ignorance with knowledge, bigotry with tolerance, and isolation with the outstretched hand of generosity. Racism can, will, and must be defeated.’
Kofi Annan
‘Chill, dude. Take a breath. OK, I know that you need to puff public interest in support of your efforts to obtain possession of these items (which he alleges were illegally taken out of Jordan into Israel), and I know that you also want to get as much publicity out of this as possible for your institution, but these comments only make you look silly.’ Prof. Larry Hurtado, Edinburgh University, on Prof. Ziad Al Saad, Former Director General of the Department of Antiquities, Amman, Jordan.
‘Mr. Saad is getting way ahead of himself by invoking international law here. He has spent the last month setting himself up to be embarrassed.’
Prof. Jim Davila, University of St Andrews, paleojudaica blog site.
‘I can only hope for two things: That Elkington and his ignorant cohort (Jennifer Elkington) will just disappear into silence so that the whole subject rightly dies off as it so richly deserves.’
Dr. Jim West, zwingliusredivivus, blog site.
‘Take heed, be wary how you place your words; talk like the vulgar sort of market men that come to gather money for their corn.’
William Shakespeare
‘I just threw up in my mouth: on David Elkington and the lead codices. Seriously, I have to go brush my teeth now.’
Dr. Robert Cargill, The University of Iowa, Media Chair ASOR.
‘The Codices are modern trinkets and everyone but those with a financial interest in pimping them realizes this. Nevertheless, since they, like a continuously returning bad penny, have arisen again, like a piece of excrement that just won’t flush.’
Dr. Jim West, Zwinglius Redivivus blog site.
‘I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left.’
Margaret Thatcher
‘I believe that you are right and ridicule at each and every opportunity. They (the codices) are of such poor quality I’m surprised that anyone bought the story. On the other hand it’s always the biblical scholars who fall for this stuff as dirt archaeologists, museum curators, and dealers can usually spot these items as forgeries a mile away. Moreover, look at the names of those involved, at times it’s a dead giveaway.’
Joe Zias, former employee of the IAA (Israeli Antiquities Authority), associate, Media Board of ASOR on zwingliusredivivus website.
‘The BBC has known for a long time that the codices are fake. It looks to me as though they are trying to squeeze the last dregs out of the story, while laying the groundwork for eventually correcting it with the truth. They should have done that months ago and their conduct has been reprehensible.’
Prof. Jim Davila, University of St Andrews, paleojudaica blog site.
‘Philip Davies should know better… Margaret Barker should get her head out of the clouds…and David Elkington, whoever you are, should never try to pull a stunt like this again.’
Prof. Jim Davila, University of St Andrews, paleojudaica blog site.
‘David Elkington knew they were fakes when he started all this hoopla a month ago. Want to take any bets on whether he showed Thonemann’s letter to Davies and Barker?’
Prof. Jim Davila, University of St Andrews, paleojudaica blog site.
That was fun! But I do hope that the next major “find” turns out to be, you know, real.’
Prof. Jim Davila, University of St Andrews, paleojudaica blog site.
‘Bloggers rule.’
Prof. Jim Davila, University of St Andrews, paleojudaica blog site.
‘Now I’m feeling a bit guilty, as mocking the fakes is as easy as stealing sweeties off a child … but that’s not going to stop me adding this image from a Lead Codex which was for sale on eBay, and which David Meadows kindly pointed us to … (alas, too late to snap it up for a bargain $13,000) … LOL – amazing how many are amusing ourselves by posting in the Fake Jordan Codices Group, to see how long posts last.’
Dorothy Lobel King, King’s College London, PhDiva blog site.
‘Slander, slander and some of it will stick.’
J. Goebbels
‘Let us not forget that these are the metallurgical tests that Elkington himself altered in order to obscure doubts expressed therein… I for one am disappointed that Barker has thrown her lot in with Elkington and his manipulative methods.’
Graduate student, Trinity Western University.
‘Excellent damning analysis by my friend/former student Dan McClellan on the fraudulent Jordan Codices.’
Timothy Michael Law, Wolfson College, Oxford.
‘Hi everyone. Tom Verenna has put together an excellent video summarizing the case that the Jordan Codices are fakes — see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGw0orL7814. Enjoy!’
Prof. Mark Goodacre, Associate Professor, Duke University, North Carolina, ASOR.
‘Please feel free to send me a list enumerating the incidents of slander, misrepresentation, and plagiarism on the ASOR blogsites — evidence required, not just allegations. I would be happy to inquire of the ASOR media officers about such instances in an attempt to rectify them if they are substantiated. … I do not approve of any instances of slander, misrepresentation, or plagiarism.’
Dr. Christopher A. Tuttle, Associate Director, ASOR (American School of Oriental Research), Amman, Jordan.