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| DATE | 2015-12-03 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [Hangout-NYLXS] It was some other guys in Jerusalem at that time...
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Jerusalem: Incredible archaeological find brings Bible to life
Archaeologists unearth seal of King Hezekiah of Judea near Temple Mount
- shedding new, exciting light on the Bibilical narrative.
By Ari Soffer
First Publish: 12/2/2015, 1:26 PM / Last Update: 12/2/2015, 7:26 PM
Seal impression of King Hezekiah unearthed in Jerusalem
Seal impression of King Hezekiah unearthed in Jerusalem
Ouria Tadmor
Archaeologists digging just south of Jerusalem's Temple Mount have made
a historic discovery, unearthing the first-ever seal impression of an
Israelite or Judean king ever exposed in situ in a scientific
archaeological excavation.
The discovery, made by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of
Archaeology under the direction of Dr. Eilat Mazar during Ophel
excavations at the foot of the southern wall of the Temple Mount, is an
impression of the royal seal of the Biblical King Hezekiah, who reigned
between 727–698 BCE.
Measuring 9.7 X 8.6 mm, the oval impression was imprinted on a 3 mm
thick soft bulla (piece of inscribed clay) measuring 13 X 12 mm. Around
the impression is the depression left by the frame of the ring in which
the seal was set.
The impression bears an inscription in ancient Hebrew script reading:
"לחזקיהו [בן] אחז מלך יהדה"//"Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king
of Judah."
The script is accompanied by a two-winged sun, with wings turned
downward, flanked by two ankh symbols symbolizing life.
Watch - King Hezekiah's seal: what does it tell us?
Video: Copyright Eilat Mazar and Herbert W. Armstrong College
Experts identified several other subtle details about the artifact,
surmising that it was originally used to seal a document written on a
papyrus scroll which was then rolled and tied with thin cords, leaving
their mark on the reverse of the bulla.
The bulla was discovered in a refuse dump dated to the time of King
Hezekiah or shortly after, and originated in the Royal Building that
stood next to it and appears to have been used to store foodstuffs. The
building, one of a series of structures that also included a gatehouse
and towers, was constructed in the second half of the 10th century BCE
(the time of King Solomon) as part of the fortifications of the Ophel -
the new governmental quarter that was built in the area that connects
the City of David with the Temple Mount.
The bulla was found together with 33 additional bullae imprinted from
other seals, some bearing Hebrew names, their reverse also showing marks
of coarse fabric and thick cords that probably sealed sacks containing
foodstuffs.
"Although seal impressions bearing King Hezekiah's name have already
been known from the antiquities market since the middle of the 1990s,
some with a winged scarab (dung beetle) symbol and others with a winged
sun, this is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or
Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological
excavation," said Dr. Eilat Mazar, a leading Jerusalem archaeologist
whose landmark discoveries include an ancient golden treasure at the
foot of the Temple Mount.
The seal impression was found during the wet-sifting of earth layers
from the excavation in the Emek-Zurim wet-sifting facility, directed by
Dr. Gabriel Barkai and Zachi Dvira, under the auspices of the Nature and
Parks Authority and the Ir David Foundation. The bulla was discovered by
Efrat Greenwald, a member of the Ophel expedition, who supervised the
wet-sifting of the excavation material. Reut Ben-Aryeh, who prepared the
Hebrew bullae from the Ophel excavations for publication, was the first
to identify it as a seal impression of King Hezekiah. Students and
alumni of Herbert W. Armstrong College from Edmond, Oklahoma
participated in the excavation.
The discovery of King Hezekiah’s Royal Seal impression in the Ophel
excavations vividly brings to life the Biblical narratives about King
Hezekiah and the activity conducted during his lifetime in Jerusalem's
Royal Quarter.
King Hezekiah is considered one of Judea's most righteous kings, and is
described favorably in the Bible (II Kings, Isaiah, II Chronicles) as
well as in the chronicles of the Assyrian kings - Sargon II and his son
Sennacherib - who ruled during his reign.
Hezekiah is depicted as both a resourceful and daring king, who
centralized power in his hands. Although he was an Assyrian vassal, he
successfully maintained the independent standing of the Judean Kingdom
and its capital Jerusalem, which he enhanced economically, religiously,
and diplomatically.
The Bible relates of Hezekiah that "there was none like him among all
the kings of Judah after him, nor among those before him" (II Kings 18:5).
The symbols on the seal impression from the Ophel suggest that they were
made late in his life, when both the Royal administrative authority and
the King's personal symbols changed from the winged scarab (dung beetle)
- the symbol of power and rule that had been familiar throughout the
Ancient Near East, to that of the winged sun - a motif that proclaimed
God's protection, which gave the regime its legitimacy and power, also
widespread throughout the Ancient Near East and used by the Assyrian Kings.
This change most likely reflected both the Assyrian influence and
Hezekiah’s desire to emphasize his political sovereignty, as well as
Hezekiah’s own profound awareness of the powerful patronage given his
reign by the God of Israel.
While the changed Royal administrative symbol imprinted on the King's
jars used the motif of a sun with wings extended to the sides,
Hezekiah's personal changed symbol had a sun with sheltering wings
turned down and a life-symbol at the end of each wing. This special
addition of the symbol of life may support the assumption that the
change on the King's personal seal was made after Hezekiah had recovered
from the life-threatening illness of shehin (II Kings 20:1-8), when the
life-symbol became especially significant for him (ca. 704 BCE).
--
So many immigrant groups have swept through our town
that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological
proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998
http://www.mrbrklyn.com
DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002
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