Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-06-23
"Ehe MonDlte stone.

Capt Renczynski has written an inter
estng book on "The last of the Anakim In
the Land OF Moab" in which he gives
some particulars as to his studies of the in
scripuon on the famous Moabte stone. In
August, 1868, the Rev. +. Klein, OF the
Church Missionary society, while in the
Land of Moab, near Dibon, was informed
by an Arab that near by there was black
Basalt stone inscribed with ancient charac-
tiers. Upon going to the locality indicated
he found lying among the ruins a stone
about three feet ten inches high, two feet
broad and II! inches thick, rounded at top
and bottom, and containing thirty-four
lines of inscription running across the stone.
Mr.. Klein at this time did not appreciate
the importance of the discovery, and he
merely copied few words from the stone.
lie, however, took measures TO secure the
stone for the Berlin museum, but made
little progress with his negotiations. A
few weeks afterward Capt. Warren, the
agent of the Palestine Exploration fund.
was informed of the existence of the stone,
but he took no action in the matter, know
ing that the Prussian consul was endeavor-
ing to secure it. In the beginning Of the
following year Capt. Warren was astonlshed
TO learn, as was also NJ. Clermont Ganneau,
of the French consulate at Jerusalem, that
no copy or "squeze" of the inscription had
been taken. Towards the. close of the year
1859 the latter not only sent men TO obtain
squezes, who quarreled IN the presence Of
the Arabs, but offered 1915 for the stone,
whereas $50 had already been promised
by the Prussian government and accepted
by those who claimed the ownership Of the
stone. At this stage the government of
Nablus demanded the prize for itself,
and the Moabites, exasperated at his rapa-
city, ''soOner than give it up put fire
under il and threw cold water on IL, and
so broke II, and then distributed the bits
among the different families, TO be placed
in the granaries and act as blessings upon
the corp; for they said that without the
stone blight would fall upon their crops. +"
After immense trouble Nj. Clermont-Gan-
neau recovered some twenty Of these frag-
ments, contalng 6l3 letters, while several
small pieces were acquired by the Palestine
exploration fund. These fragments, when
united, were found TO contain 66Y words,
out of total of l, 100 which the complete
stone must have contained The greater
part of the missing letters were recovered
fir IN the squezes taken before the stone
was broken by the ruthless Moabltes, $50
that only thlrty-flve words, fifteen half
words and eighteen letters-less than one
seventh of the whole-rcmain 10 be sup
piled from conjecture" With reference TO
the characters engraved on the stone. the
general opinion is that they are Ph9oician,
also called Samaritan, such as were used
by the Jews before the captivity. DR..
Gidsburg, who has executed translation
Of the inscriptions, says that these charac-
ters were common b. Q. roo to all the
races of western ASIA, and were used In
Nineveh, Phgnicla, Jerusalem, Samaria,
Moab, Cilicia and Cyprus. With reference
TO the inscription on the stone itself, it may
be stated that it records some remarkable
events in the reign of Mesha, King of Moab,
who is mentioned in the second book of
Kings (IiI., +, 81, and who had rebelled
against Israel after the death Of Ahab. The
first part of the inscription narrates the cir
cumstances which led 10 the stone being
erected, while the second part relates to
the public works undertaken by Mesha
after he had overcome his Jewish foes. and
the third part celebrates his victory over
the Edomites. The rendering of Capt.
RencZynski represents the result of ''nine
years toll and labor"