Monday, August 04, 2008

INFLATED HEADLINE OF THE WEEK:
Archaeologists unearth proof of plot to kill Prophet Jeremiah
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Jerusalem, Israel

Israeli archaeologists have unearthed a seal impression belonging to a minister of the biblical King Zedekiah, which dates back 2,600 years, during an archeological dig in Jerusalem's ancient City of David. The finding helps corroborate the story pertaining to the biblical minister's demand to have the prophet Jeremiah killed.

[...]
The seal impression does support the probability that the book of Jeremiah remembers some historical details from Jeremiah's time, but it's a long stretch from there to say it proves the historicity of this particular story.

Background here.

(Via Joseph I. Lauer, who comments, "I'm sure that the article's title will bring comments on many a blog." Indeed. He also notes, "Ha'aretz's Hebrew on-line article is longer and includes a reference to the Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation of Dr. Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Zweig and that project's use of wet sifting of debris, a method which the article credits for the find of the Gedalyahu bulla in the City of David excavations of Dr. Eilat Mazar.")