A 2,700-year-old clay seal from Jerusalem may reference the prophet, making it the earliest reference to him outside of the Bible. A clay seal from the eighth century B.C. that was discovered in a Jerusalem excavation may bear the name of the biblical prophet Isaiah, according to a new article in Biblical Archaeology Review. In the article, titled “Is This the Prophet Isaiah’s Signature?,” author and
archaeologist Eilat Mazar suggests that the ancient Hebrew script impressed into the damaged half-inch oval of clay may have once read “Belonging to Isaiah the prophet.” If the interpretation of the lettering on the 2,700-year-old seal is correct, it would be the first reference to Isaiah outside of the Bible. The Hebrew prophet is described as a counselor to the Judean king Hezekiah, who ruled from the late eighth to the early seventh century B.C. READ MORE
