Notes: | Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority. Mariana Salzberg, photographer. ""Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done? says the LORD. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." -- Jeremiah 18:2-6 "The pottery from Qumran ...sheds a great deal of light on the character of the community. It suggests that the inhabitants practiced a deliberate and selective policy of isolation, manufacturing ceramic products to suit their special needs and concerns with purity. It is clear that they chose to manufacture and use undecorated pottery instead of fine wares. The large number of identical, undecorated plates, cups, and bowls found at Qumran contrasts sharply with contemporary assemblages at other sites in Judea, which are richer and more varied in terms of the types represented." (Magness, 89) |
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