In Biblical times, this vessel might have held
ointments or perfumes, or perhaps an offering of
wine or honey. As we hold it in our hands today,
admiring its simple beauty, we are aware of the
touch of other hands long ago. Who might have
held it when it was new? Were the dreams and
emotions that guided their lives so very different
from our own? The vessel's graceful unadorned
shape appeals as much to the contemporary eye
as it did to the culture that created it. Such
artifacts, ordinary enough in their own age,
connect us in an intimate way with the world of
the past. In its presence, the centuries melt away
and the imagination sets out on a journey of
discovery.
- (SP.298)
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