Archaeologists Uncover Seal of Isaiah the Prophet
Archaeologists digging in the city of Jerusalem have made an exciting discovery—a 2,700-year-old clay seal bearing the name Isaiah. While they can't prove the seal is referencing the biblical prophet, archaeologists believe it could be the first extra-biblical evidence for this major figure in biblical history. Over the years, so-called experts have claimed certain people and cities mentioned in the Bible have not existed—only to find evidence confirming that they did.
About 10 feet away from the Isaiah seal, archaeologists also discovered a seal for Hezekiah, one of four kings who reigned during Isaiah's ministry. The Isaiah seal features a grazing doe, believed to be "a motif of blessing and protection found in Judah, particularly Jerusalem." The seal also contains the Hebrew word nvy, which could be a personal name, indicating this was not Isaiah the prophet, or it could be a reference to "prophet," which would indicate that this seal is indeed an artifact of the biblical prophet.
Now while this isn't definitive confirmation of the prophet Isaiah, it does seem likely that this seal came from Isaiah. Of course, we don't need archaeology to tell us that Isaiah lived, that he was a prophet, and that he ministered (in part) during the time of Hezekiah. We know that from the Bible, which is authoritative in all it references, including history.
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Archaeology merely confirms . . . or expands our knowledge of what we already know to be true.
It's great to see a potential confirmation of a biblical truth, but we don't believe the Bible because of archaeology. We believe the Bible because it's God's Word (2 Timothy 3:16), and archaeology merely confirms (and has done so many times) or expands our knowledge of what we already know to be true.
Because God's Word is true, nothing in archaeology, when properly understood, will ever contradict the Word of God.
The president, CEO, and founder of Answers in Genesis-US, the highly acclaimed Creation Museum, and the world-renowned Ark Encounter, Ken Ham is one of the most in-demand Christian speakers in North America.
First published at Ken Ham's Blog.
