If you have been looking for a reason to believe in the events narrated throughout the Bible, then this could be it.

The discovery of a 2 700-year-old clay seal that once belonged to the governor of Jerusalem has shaken the biblical world.

Personal seals denote the identity, genealogy and social status of the owner, and were used for signing documents.

Found by Israeli archaeologists in Jerusalem, excavator Shlomit Weksler-Bdolah said that the unearthing of the personal seal “supports the Biblical rendering of the existence of a governor of the city in Jerusalem 2 700 years ago,” reports The Daily Beast:

This would make the seal impression significant in two ways: it would provide archaeological evidence that there was an Israelite administrative presence in the land roughly three millennia ago and it would confirm that the administrative structures described in the Bible actually existed.

And it all comes down to the minor details. Inscribed in Hebrew, it reads “belonging to the governor of the city” and shows two figures wearing striped, knee-length garments facing each other.

According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, “the seal was probably either a souvenir sent on behalf of the governor or originally attached to “an important transport” of some kind”:

People have known about the royal-appointed governors for several millennia. After all, the Bible mentions governors of Jerusalem twice: in 2 Kings, when Joshua occupied the position during the reign of King Hezekiah, and in 2 Chronicles, when Masseiah enjoyed this rank under King Josiah. After the King himself, the governor occupied the highest local civic rank in the city. It is important to note, however, that the impression does not mention either Jerusalem or the governor by name.

Before you wave away the idea, you need to realise it’s not the first seal discovered.

As part of excavations of a refuse dump at the foot of the southern wall that surrounds Jerusalem’s Old City, a seal with the name of King Hezekiah was also unearthed at the site in 2015.

Then, in 2016, a personal seal “belonging to a first temple era woman named Elihana” was also found:

That a woman possessed such a seal indicated that she had both high social status and financial resources. One imagines that she must have been quite exceptional. But because the name Elihana does not appear in the Bible, the seal received somewhat limited media attention.

So why should we care? Well:

It may seem like historical detritus, but the discovery of any evidence of Judaism near the temple is a politically delicate matter. Not only is the find being used to confirm the authenticity of the Biblical story, it is being used in a larger political debate.

The excavations that are taking place are located close to the homes of Palestinians in Silwan. The discovery of Jewish artifacts in Silwan has significance not only to those trying to make sense of the past, but also for those trying to make political claims about the present and future.

As a result, Palestinian authorities will frequently dismiss discoveries in this area as forgeries.

I think it’s fair to say that this discovery isn’t going to bring about peace in the Middle East.

[source:dailybeast]