An ancient set of books found in Jordan eight years ago has passed rigorous tests of authenticity recently conducted by scholars, officially making them the oldest written reference to Jesus Christ.
Professor Roger Webb and Professor Chris Jeynes from the University of Surrey in England conducted high-technology tests on one of the ancient tablets, notably held together by metal ring binders, the Mirror reported.
Both experts, who work at the Nodus Laboratory at the Ion Beam Centre, concluded that one book is compatible with a comparative sample of ancient Roman lead unearthed in Dorset, bolstering the authenticity of the artefact.
The scholars also confirmed earlier beliefs that the ancient set of books dates back to almost 2,000 years ago.
The ancient tablets also reaffirmed the authenticity of some of the verses in the Holy Bible. For instance, the story on how Jesus Christ cleansed the temple of money lenders told in the Gospel of Matthew was found to be inscribed in this set of books.
A portion of the books also reportedly resembles how the Book of Revelation in the Holy Bible's New Testament is described as it has seven seals.
Some of the inscriptions in the ancient tablets, however, are more controversial. For example, Jesus Christ was portrayed in the set of books as someone who was not attempting to form his own religion but only trying to restore a thousand-year-old tradition from the time of King David.
Also among the books' central thoughts is how Jesus was supposedly promoting Solomon's Temple where the very face of God was believed to be seen.
The ancient books, also known to experts as "codices," also proposed that Jesus worshipped a God that was both male and female when he lived in ancient Israel.
