In find of biblical proportions, seal of Prophet Isaiah said found in Jerusalem
Chanced upon near a seal identified with King Hezekiah, a tiny clay piece may be the first-ever proof of the prophet, though a missing letter leaves room for doubt
By Amanda Borschel-Dan 22 February 2018,
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-fin...ved-unearthed/
The hand of the Prophet Isaiah himself may have created an 8th century BCE seal impression discovered in First Temple remains near Jerusalem's Temple Mount, according to Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar.
"We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, in a scientific, archaeological excavation," said Mazar this week in a press release announcing the breathtaking discovery. ....
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Is This the Prophet Isaiah's Signature?
Biblical Archaeology Review 44:2, March/April May/June 2018
Biblical Archaeology Society Online Archive
By Eilat Mazar
https://members.bib-arch.org/biblica...-review/44/2/7
King Hezekiah is one of the most important kings in the history of Israel. While scholars debate the historicity and literary embellishment of the reigns of David and Solomon, the reign of Hezekiah witnessed the defining event that engendered the tradition of Jerusalem as the inviolable city of God—an event corroborated by the extra-Biblical account inscribed on the Sennacherib Prisms. Despite the conflicting details, Sennacherib's inability to destroy Jerusalem confirmed both Hezekiah and Jerusalem as God's chosen. And it was the prophet Isaiah's participation in the episode, and Hezekiah's trust in his counsel, that is credited with the salvation of Jerusalem from the Assyrian menace.
When King Hezekiah was crowned king of Judah, in 727 B.C.E., he maintained the policy of his father, A?az, who had asked the Assyrian king to come and save him from Peqa? ben Remaliyahu, king of Israel, and Re?in, king of Aram-Damascus. These two kings had attacked Judah in concert and besieged Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 15:36–37). Hezekiah stayed loyal to the Assyrian king Sargon II (727–705 B.C.E.), who ruled during most of Hezekiah's reign, while the surrounding kingdoms of Israel, ?amat, and those of the Philistines—one after the other—rebelled, were defeated, and became Assyrian vassals. It was only after Sargon II's death, in 705 B.C.E., that Hezekiah rebelled fully against Assyria. Yet according to the Assyrian annals, in 712 B.C.E. Hezekiah also had been involved in a rebellion— led by the Philistine city of Ashdod—against Sargon II, which resulted in the conquest of Ashdod and its transformation into an Assyrian vassal. However, only a heavy tax payment was seemingly imposed on Hezekiah, who probably paid on time, thus saving himself and his kingdom from a similar fate. Subsequently, Hezekiah led regional preparations for a rebellion against Assyria, which eventually broke out after Sargon II's death......