“Researchers found a bulla
believed to have been created using one of King Hezekiah's seals in one of
these temples just three years ago. Another bulla has been the object of
scrutiny ever since, and now, Mazar is suggesting the possibility that it came about
from a seal belonging to the prophet Isaiah”.
Bob Yirka
An
article dated February 23, 2018, by Bob Yirka, tells of the finding of a Seal
perhaps belonging to the prophet Isaiah:
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-clay-extra-biblical-prophet-isaiah.html
Clay print from seal may be first ever
extra-biblical reference to the prophet Isaiah
….
Credit: Biblical Archaeology Review 44:2, March/April May/June
2018
In her article, she gives a historical overview of both King Hezekiah
and the prophet Isaiah, followed by an overview of the locations in which both
people were believed to have lived and worked—specifically temples in Jerusalem
that have been under excavation for many years.
Researchers found a bulla believed to have been created using one of
King Hezekiah's seals in one of these temples just three years ago. Another
bulla has been the object of scrutiny ever since, and now, Mazar is suggesting
the possibility that it came about from a seal belonging to the prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah was a Jewish prophet who lived approximately 2,700 years ago, and
who has long been linked with King Hezekiah. It was Isaiah, according to the
Hebrew Bible, who encouraged the King to fight the Assyrians who had attacked
Jerusalem in 701 BC, rather than allow them to surrender—he promised that God
would not let Jerusalem be captured. The second bulla under study was found
close to (just 3 meters away) the one believed to be created by the King's seal,
offering some bit of hint at its source. But more important is a word found on
the imprint, "Yesha'yahu," which is Hebrew for Isaiah.
Unfortunately, another important part of the print has been lost. It
starts with "nvy." Nobody knows what it means, but Mazar notes that
if the letters were followed by "aleph," the whole thing would form
the Hebrew word for prophet. Thus, the seal would have been used to make bullas
as a form of receipt from the prophet Isaiah. Mazar does not know if the remaining
parts of the bulla will be found, but notes that nvy by itself could be part or
all of a personal name, one that did not belong to the prophet. On the other
hand, she further notes, there are places in the Hebrew Bible where nvy is used
as an apparent abbreviation for prophet.
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