To be honest, I find this only mildly interesting, and I doubt it will shake up the Christian world that much. Those who have already decided that Jesus was just a really great guy whose goal was to legalize gay marriage in ancient Judea will just take this as another piece of evidence against his divinity, and those who accept him as divine will just accept this as proof, that he fulfilled yet another sign people were expecting from their Messiah. Until he either comes back or his grave stone is discovered, this debate ain’t ever ending.
God bless.

Joey you are likely right that, like the Bible, people will see what they want in this.
To me it’s evidence the early Christians even stole the three days dead bit from earlier religions. Here’s a more complete version that makes that clearer.

If this becomes part of a body of evidence suggesting a pre-Christian dying Messiah tradition, there’s no doubt it will have a big impact on current theology, which tends to focus on the disruptive, unexpected character of Jesus’ death. I’ll be interested to follow this story over the next few years.

Gabriel’s Revelation reveals a lot about Boyarin and Knohl. The conclusion they should have drawn from studying the Gabriel Text is that New Testament Christianity comes right out of Post-Malachi and Pre-70′s Judaism.
Boyarin hints at this, but instead of saying ‘Bible Believing Christians were correct all along’, he couches it as an idea that will comfort some Christians. He misses the fact that when we Christians say we ‘believe’ the Bible, we do mean the New Testament and Tanakh! Dear Professor Boyarin, there is nothing new in the Gabriel Text for Tanakh Believing Christians! We’ve been comforted by a close reading of the Jewish history of Jesus’ day for Two-thousand years now; but thank you for the sentiment.
The writer of Matthew and the writer of Hebrews quote from the very same Tanakh sources as the writer of the Gabriel Text, namely, Daniel, Zechariah and Haggai.
As for Knohl, who believes there was no “textual evidence” for a suffering Messiah before Gabriel’s Revelation, he may have over looked the Isaiah Text. The Jews of the First Century didn’t miss what was written in Isaiah, and the New Testament writers used it to argue for a suffering Servant.
Like Boyarin, Knohl’s response is breath-taking! He says the text of the Gabriel Revelation “should shake our basic view of Christianity.” Excuse me Professor, but Christians BASICALLY believe that the death and resurrection of the Messiah WAS PROPHESIED! It was prophesied in Tanakh and later the writers of the Gabriel Text picked up on this. Where do you think the Jews who wrote the Gabriel Text got the concept from? All Jewish sects of the Inter-Testamental Period fell back on the Tanakh to some degree…it’s what made them Jews! What the Gabriel Text should do is shake our basic view of Judaism!
Further, Knohl uses the Gabriel Text to find a “different meaning” for the Last Supper. He argues that the “shed blood is not for the sins of people but to bring redemption to Israel.” In Theological terms, Professor Knohl, this is a synonymous parallelism; it means the same thing!!
Finally, the Professor’s comments and conclusions prove the truth of Philosophic Parallaxism; what one sees depends on where one stands. In the case of the Professors, they are standing on thier heads. They see only how the Gabriel Text reflects on the New Testament and Christianity, but they miss how it is reflective of Tanakh and Judaism in the Inter-Testamental Period.

As has been stated above….folks will believe what they want about this large tablet. Christians will use it to back up their beiefs, and the Jews will use it to back up theirs. Makes life more intersting to have yet more “proofs” debated for years to come for both religions.
Who knows…it might even be a fake!

“Daniel Boyarin, a professor of Talmudic culture at the University of California at Berkeley, said that the stone was part of a growing body of evidence suggesting that Jesus could be best understood through a close reading of the Jewish history of his day.”
This only makes sense. Separating Jesus’ story from the time in which he lived would be silly and allow only magical interpretations of his ministry.
As I wrote in the comments to this piece in the “Pontifications” portion of B’net, I beleive you cannot fathom the expectations of The Messiah without a frim grasp of the Maccabean Revolution. Chanukah is more than a way for Jewish kids ot to be left out at Christmas. Even Jesus’ family celebrated the holiday. The best equivalent is our understanding of 4th of July – independence, freedom – secullar & religious, and national identity.
I think this artifact will fill in some gaps but not change anyone’s Christology or theology. Most people get their theology from Christmas Carols and greeting cards, anyway.

Joseph Gambino I love your post, very accurate, and “synonymous parallelism;” loved it

What the Gabriel Text should do is shake our basic view of Judaism!
Hardly.
Jesus did not fulfill so many of the ancient prophesies that I continue to marvel that anyone can believe he is G-d or Messiah.
Whatever.

Of course the Messiah is prophesied.
It just does not point to Jesus.

eastcoastlady:
Serious question… Is the Messiah still expected to appear someday?

Sis,
Yes, we await the Messiah. Jews wait for him to come and pray for him to come in our time.

Thanks, ECL., I thought that was still something you all prayed for. Just wanted to confirm.

If I am not mistaken, there is a Jewish sect that believes the Messiah has come – and gone – and will be back soon. Rabi Schneerson (spelling?) has died and there is a 24 hour watch on his house and tomb, waiting for his return as the long awaited One. There have been others, too. As C.S. Lewis wrote about sex, often the anticipation is more powerful than the actual event. How many times have we discovered that waiting for Christmas is more energizing than the actual morning when all the gifts are unwrapped too quickly and easily.

Jest,
That would be ultra-orthodox Hassidim among whom some believe Menahem Schneerson to have been the Messiah (while he was alive).
However, as the Messianic era has not yet begun, I am still waiting.