| Two Biblical Characters Documented By Recent Archaeological Discoveries |
From Friday Church News Notes
The following is excerpted from ‘Royal Seal of Prophet Jeremiah’s Accuser Found’, The Trumpet, July 31, 2008:
“During the last days of the kingdom of Judah, the Prophet Jeremiah warned the residents of Jerusalem of their impending captivity at the hands of the Babylonians army. But, instead of heeding that warning message, the princes of King Zedekiah’s administration attacked the messenger and plunged him into the depths of a miry dungeon (Jeremiah 38:1-6). One of Jeremiah’s accusers, Gedaliah the son of Pashur, had his name stamped on a small clay seal that was recently discovered about 600 feet south of the Temple Mount. Dr. Eilat Mazar, one of Israel’s top archaeologists, found the bulla earlier this year, in mint condition, while wet sifting debris excavated under a tower at the north end of the City of David – the original site of ancient Jerusalem. Last summer Mazar, whose grandfather was the late Prof. Benjamin Mazar, began an emergency dig near the top of Jerusalem’s famous Stepped Stone Structure in order to repair a collapsing tower. But what started as a reconstruction project quickly turned into a fascinating collection of new discoveries. … Mazar concluded that the tower must have been built by Nehemiah after the Jews returned from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple and repair the walls around Jerusalem. … Included underneath Nehemiah’s tower were numerous remains and artifacts, including the Gedaliah bulla, that date to the final years of the first temple period – during the reign of Zedekiah, Judah’s last king. Three years ago, Mazar found another seal with the name of Jehucal the son of Shelemaih – mentioned twice in the book of Jeremiah 37:3; 38:1.
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