Posted on 04/02/2019 5:48:15 AM PDT by SJackson
The seal was deciphered by Dr. Anat Mendel-Geberovich of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for the Study of Ancient Jerusalem
A 2,600-year-old seal from the Kingdom of Judah bearing the inscription “(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King” was recently discovered in the City of David, according to an announcement Sunday.
The seal was deciphered by Dr. Anat Mendel-Geberovich of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for the Study of Ancient Jerusalem. ADVERTISING Read More Related Articles
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Recommended by “Although it is not possible to determine with complete certainty that the Nathan-Melech who is mentioned in the Bible was in fact the owner of the stamp, it is impossible to ignore some of the details that link them together,” Mendel-Geberovich said.
The statement notes that the name Nathan-Melech appears once in the Hebrew Bible, in II Kings 23:11, where he is described as an official in the court of King Josiah.
The clay bulla (seal impression), along with other artifacts, was discovered inside a public building that was destroyed during the destruction of the First Temple and was uncovered during the archaeological excavation of the Givati parking lot in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem. The dig was conducted by archeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and Tel Aviv University (TAU).
The bulla “(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King,” discovered March 31st, 2019. (Credit: ELIYAHU YANAI/CITY OF DAVID)The bulla “(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King,” discovered March 31st, 2019. (Credit: ELIYAHU YANAI/CITY OF DAVID)
“Since many of the well-known bulla and stamps have not come from organized archaeological excavations but rather from the antiquities market, the discovery of these two artifacts in a clear archaeological context that can be dated is very exciting,” Prof. Yuval Gadot of TAU and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the IAA said in a statement.S
“They join the bullae and stamps bearing names written in ancient Hebrew script, which were discovered in the various excavations that have been conducted in the City of David until today. These artifacts attest to the highly developed system of administration in the Kingdom of Judah and add considerable information to our understanding of the economic status of Jerusalem and its administrative system during the First Temple period, as well as personal information about the king’s closest officials and administrators who lived and worked in the city.”
They added the discovery helps provide a window into the era.
“The discovery of a public building such as this, on the western slope of the City of David, provides a lot of information about the city’s structure during this period and the size of its administrative area,” they said. “The destruction of this building in the fire, apparently during the Babylonian conquest of the city in 586 BCE, strengthens our understanding of the intensity of the destruction in the city.”
A second artifact was also located during the dig. A stamp-seal was also in uncovered, made of “bluish agate stone, engraved with the name – ‘(belonging) to Ikar son of Matanyahu,’” according to the release.
The stamp-seal “(belonging) to Ikar son of Matanyahu,” discovered March 31st, 2019. (Credit: ELIYAHU YANAI/CITY OF DAVID)The stamp-seal “(belonging) to Ikar son of Matanyahu,” discovered March 31st, 2019. (Credit: ELIYAHU YANAI/CITY OF DAVID)
Both artifacts will be presented in the Israel Exploration Journal, the archaeological journal published by the Israel Exploration Society.
Were they gluten free, too? /thread slide>
Paleo Hebrew is mentioned in the Talmud as still in use during the 2nd Temple period, though not as widespread as it once had been. I’ll have to find the source, but I remember it from Tractate Megillah.
Paleo was in general personal use in the first century AD.
That is the script that all of the NT letters were first written in, as witnessed by their presence in the Vatican archives.
The Aramaic style text was chiefly used by Masorite scribes in copying their scrolls. (this was a good thing!)
Thanks SJackson.
It was far from the nearest ocean...............
How many Nathan-Melechs who were 'servant of the king' could there have been????.....
They have physical extant letters? Pretty awesome. Every bit of the Dead Sea finds that I’ve seen facsimiles of were written in Aramaic script of some sort, but I haven’t seen all of it.
They do not want to confirm the Bible in any shape or form, do they?
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I would guess that they have hand copied MS of the original letters in Hebrew.
You would have to ask Nehemia Gordon for a better answer. He is the guy that found them.
Solid proof of Paul’s declaration to the Romans that the word (”oracles of Yehova”) are committed to the House of Judah!
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I read the first lines of your post and immediately thought it was you, LOL.
This ring means a LOT to me, because Josiah was Manasseh’s grandson. Manasseh was the first Judean king to sacrifice his son and he was taken prisoner to Babylon. He repented while there and was forgiven by God, went back to Jerusalem and tore down the altars.
Josiah was the one who lead the nation to a great revival. The Babylonian conquest of Judah was not complete until a couple of kings after Josiah when they started sacrificing their babies again.
Because invasion and conquest is the Biblical consequence of child sacrifice, I am hoping the finding of this ring NOW means that God will allow a revival (world wide) before the Great Tribulation. Just a sign to me. :)
Did you know that there is a Bible in the works that will translate directly from the Aramaic and not the Greek? I keep waiting for it.
The history of the Kurds is intriguing but I will chat with you about that in a bit.
OK, yes I know about Manasseh and his son.
These are truly interesting times.
More proof the Jews were never in the land of Palestine [sarcasm/]
I think the Muslims are still holding to that story.
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