Seal of King Zedekiah’s minister found in Jerusalem dig
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
A seal impression belonging to a minister of the Biblical King
Zedekiah which dates back 2,600 years has been uncovered completely
intact during an archeological dig in Jerusalem’s ancient City of
David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said on Thursday.
The seal impression, or bulla, with the name Gedalyahu ben Pashur, who
served as minister to King Zedekiah (597-586 BCE) according to the
Book of Jeremiah, was found just meters away from a separate seal
impression of another of Zedekia’s ministers, Yehukual ben Shelemyahu,
which was uncovered three years ago, said Prof. Eilat Mazar who is
leading the dig at the site.
The excavation at the history-rich City of David, which is located
just outside the walls of the Old City near Dung Gate, has proven, in
recent years, to be a treasure trove for archeologists.
“On the one hand it is so unexpected to find such a fragile bulla in
such harsh conditions of excavation, while on the other hand it was
logical to find precisely here the bulla of Gedalyahu ben Pashur –
only meters away from the place where we found the bulla of Yehukhal
ben Shelemyahu – since these two ministers are mentioned side by side
in the Bible as having served together in the kingdom of King
Zedekiah,” Mazar said.
The first bulla was uncovered inside an impressive stone structure,
which Mazar believes is the Palace of David, while the second bulla
was found at the foot of the external wall of the same structure,
under a tower that was built in the days of Nehemiah.
Both of the bullae with the names of the two ministers, measuring 1
cm. in diameter each, were found among the debris of the destruction
of the First Temple period.
The letters are in ancient Hebrew and are very clearly preserved, Mazar said.
Both ministers are mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38 1-4)
along with two other ministers when they came to King Zedekiah
demanding the death of the prophet Jeremiah for preaching to the
besieged city to surrender.
Mazar said it was “absolutely fantastic” to have uncovered the seals
“complete and in perfect condition” after 2,600 years, affording
scholars a clear read of the names that were impressed on them.
“It is not very often that such a discovery happens in which real
figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly
revive the stories of the Bible,” she said.
The archeologist, who rose to international prominence for her
excavation that may have uncovered the Biblical palace of King David
nearby, has been at the forefront of a series of back-to-back
Jerusalem archeological finds, including the remnants of a wall from
the Biblical prophet Nehemiah, also in the area.
Other Biblical-era bullae were previously found a quarter century ago
at the City of David site. In 1982, the Israeli archeologist Yigal
Shiloh discovered a cache of bullae in a nearby site, including one
with the name of Gemaryahu ben Shaphan – mentioned in the Bible as a
minister and scribe during the reign of King Jehoiakim (608-597 BCE).
The current dig is being conducted on behalf of the Shalem center, a
Jerusalem research institute, and the right-wing City of David
Foundation, and was carried out under the academic auspices of the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem.