Posted on 08/03/2008 11:10:36 AM PDT by ScaniaBoy
(IsraelNN.com) Archaeologists have unearthed proof of another Biblical story at Jerusalem's ancient City of David, this time corroborating the Book of Jeremiah.
A completely intact seal impression, or "bula", bearing the name Gedaliahu ben Pashur was uncovered. The bula is actually a stamped engraving made of mortar.
Gedaliahu ben Pashur's bula was found a bare few meters away from the site where a second such seal, this one belonging to Yuchal ben Shlemiyahu, an elder in the court of King Tzidkiyahu, was found three years ago, at the entrance to the City of David.
According to Professor Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, who led the dig, the ancient Hebrew letters "are very clearly preserved." The seal impression was found in clay, she said.
In the Book of Jeremiah (38:1-4), both men were ministers to King Tzidkiyahu, who reigned from 597-586 BCE. The two, along with another pair demanded the death penalty for the prophet Jeremiah in response to his plea for the king to surrender the city to the oncoming hordes of the Babylonian conqueror Nebuchadnezzer.
Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashur, Yuchal son of Shelemiah and Pashur son of Malchiah heard the things that Jeremiah was speaking to the people saying:
"Thus said Hashem: Whoever remains in this city will die by the sword, by the famine or by the pestilence, whereas whoever goes out [in surrender] to the Chaldeans will live; he will have his life as a booty, and he will live.
"Thus said Hashem: This city will surely be delivered into the hand of the army of the king of Babylonia, and he will capture it."
And the[se] officers said to the king, "Let this man be put to death now, because he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking to them such things. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but rather [their] detriment."
“How absolutely fantastic and special this find is, can only be realized when you hold in your hand this magnificent one-centimeter piece of clay and know that it survived 2600 years in the debris of the destruction, and came to us complete and in perfect condition,” said Mazar.
The team of archaeologists led by Mazar focused its efforts on the layer of artifacts from the First Temple period located just outside the walls of the Old City, near the Dung Gate.
The seal impression that was found three years ago was uncovered inside a stone structure that Mazar said she believed was the Palace of David. Gedaliahu's seal impression was unearthed at the foot of the external wall of the same structure, under a tower that appeared to have been built in the days of Nechemia in the fifth century BCE.
Mazar has been excavating the site since 2005. She is a senior fellow at the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem-based research and educational institute, and heads its Institute of Archaeology. The Ir David (City of David) Foundation was the principal sponsor of the excavation, together with the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Hebrew University, and the Shalem Center.
Seal of King Zedekiah's minister found in J'lem dig
First Temple seal found in Jerusalem
Archaeologist uncovers Scriptures' famed wall
No wonder the Waqf is doing everything they can to destroy all historical sites at the Temple Mount.
I have no doubt that the Bible is a good historical text. It is to throw the baby out with the bath water to say “Well, none of these miracles could have happened, so all of it is junk”.
ping
Together with the Greek sources like Herodotus, the Bible is one of the supreme sources on ancient Middle Eastern history. It is unique however, unlike the Greek sources, which are outsiders, as it also shows the world and soul of n oriental people.
It must be fascinating to be so closely involved with history that no one has seen for thousands of years until you un-Earthed it. Cheers to the archeologists.
read later
Me: ?????
I used to bus tables at wedding receptions in those days. If I hear the first two notes, I have to reach for a barf bag.
Every single one of the miracles in the Bible happened and miracles greater than those are still happening today.
God said it, that settles it.
For without controversy - great is the mystery of Godliness that God was manifest in the flesh.
The baby and the bathwater are both good. The baby grows up to be a responsible and compassionate adult and the bathwater washes the baby clean for a day.
Well maybe a few hours of the day.
Well, *I* believe they happened, I was kind of mocking the atheists view of the Bible as a historical text.
Of course this Gedaliah must not be confused with the Gedaliah in Jeremiah 40, who was the son of Ahikam.
More credibility for the Bible’s historical accuracy.
|
|
|||
Gods |
Thanks DJ MacWoW. |
||
|
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists · |
|||
Sound/smell association: The music triggers an olfactory memory of the catered "food", leading to nausea?
With me, it's "Cherry Pink, Apple Blossom White"...my name notwithstanding.
Bad bands and endless repetition. The song is junk anyway.
I wonder if these two ministers got drunk on wine one day and decided to use their seals to make impressions in the clay outside the gates... Kind of like official graffiti. Or maybe their kids were friends who borrowed their respective fathers’ seals for a day after a bit of rain and stamped the impressions into the clay outside the gate...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.