Archeologists believe they may have found conclusive scientific evidence of the prophet Isaiah. A close advisor to the Judean King Hezekiah, Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah in great detail.
“We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah, in a scientific, archaeological excavation,” said third-generation archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Evidence of Isaiah?
The seal was one of 34 items – each called a bulla – that Mazar’s team unearthed in 2009 near the southern wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Mazar believes royal bakers used the site. Archeologists first discovered the location in 19861989 excavations. Babylonians razed it while destroying Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
In 2015, Mazar announced that one of the 34 bullae proved Hezekiah’s existence. The revelation earned international headlines. In the March-June 2018 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, she reported finding Isaiah's bulla just 10 feet from Hezekiah’s.
In her article titled “Is This the Prophet Isaiah’s Signature?” Mazar cautioned that time had damaged the seal. A missing letter inserts some doubt that it belonged to the biblical prophet rather than another person named Isaiah. Yet, the proximity of the Isaiah and Hezekiah fragments led Mazar and her team to conclude it likely belonged to the prophet Isaiah.
Significance of the Find
The bulla lacks an important letter that would give irrefutable proof of the prophet. Still, it could be the first-ever scientific evidence of the prophet’s existence outside of the Bible. The books of Kings and Chronicles mention Isaiah but reference the book of Isaiah itself. No other proof of the prophet Isaiah’s life exists.
Isaiah is the most quoted Hebrew prophet in the New Covenant. Isaiah 7:14 prophesies the virgin birth of the Messiah. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 tells of the servant who suffered and died for our sins.
Mazar described King Hezekiah as “one of the most important kings in the history of Israel,” and Old Covenant accounts confirm that. In fact, 2 Kings 18:5 says, “There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.”
The Old Covenant links King Hezekiah with the prophet Isaiah 14 of the 29 times he is mentioned in 2 Kings 19-20 and Isaiah 37-39.
Given this close relationship and proof that Hezekiah existed, Mazar said, “[The] chances of [the bulla] belonging to any other but the known prophet Isaiah are extremely slim. No other figure was closer to King Hezekiah than the prophet Isaiah.”
Scholars Raise a Question
Scholars inject some caution into Mazar’s conclusion. The biggest obstacle is the word “nvy” on the bulla. It could mean prophet if it also contained the word “the,” which it does not.
Christopher Rollston is a professor of Semitic languages at George Washington University. He explained that most biblical references to a specific prophet say “the prophet.”
“If this were the word ‘prophet,’ I would have liked to have seen the word ‘the,’ as in ‘Isaiah the prophet,’” Rollston said. “There were lots of people walking around with the name Isaiah or names that were based on the same root-word. The assumption that this is a [seal] of Isaiah the prophet is scintillating, but it is certainly not something that we should assume is at all certain.”
Mazar conceded that the Isaiah bulla lacks the important word. She argued it could have been on a missing corner of the bulla and cited similar archaeological and textual examples where the word was excluded.
The Life-Changing Impact of Isaiah
Believers know that hundreds of years before the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), God inspired an amazing prophecy about the Messiah.
At one time, synagogues read Isaiah 53 each year, but rabbis later stopped the practice. Today, showing the chapter to Jewish people causes the blindness to fall from their eyes. It is the clearest prophecy of the atoning death and resurrection of Yeshua in the entire Bible.
How You Can Pray
- Please pray for our efforts at Jewish Voice as we sow seeds of the Gospel into the lives of Jewish people everywhere.
- Pray that this discovery becomes a tool blessed by God to make the Jewish people more aware of the prophecy of Isaiah, that they will learn about the Good News of their Messiah Yeshua (Jesus).
How Your Gift Now Makes a Difference
- Your Gift to Jewish Voice helps spread the news of Yeshua to the global Jewish community. The Good News shows them from their own Scriptures that their Messiah has come, beyond the science of proving it.
- In Israel, Your Gift to Jewish Voice supports more than 30 Messianic Congregations reaching out on a daily basis to share the Gospel and love of Yeshua (Jesus), their Messiah, to Jewish people throughout the Land.
As a token of our appreciation for your gift of $75 or more today, we’ll send you an inspiring piece of art for your home. One of the most powerful Messianic passages in the Holy Scriptures is presented in this beautiful, framed display. It’s an ancient Hebrew manuscript of Isaiah 53:5, in an aged parchment-style presentation, complete with the English text below.
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” This inspiring piece of art will give testimony of Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) to all who enter your home or office. The beautiful presentation includes the classic wooden frame complete with protective glass. It measures 16.5” x 16.5.” A sawtooth hanger ensures that it’s ready to hang in your home as soon as it arrives.
