Did Isaiah Leave a Calling Card? Bullae and the Bible

What can a small piece of clay tell us about the Bible? In this episode of Digging Deeper, Barry and Dan talk about the world of bullate-ancient seal impressions used to secure and authenticate documents. Found across the ancient world, these tiny artifacts carry huge significance when they contain names we recognize from scripture.

From King Hezekiah's seal to the possible bulla of the prophet Isaiah, these discoveries offer powerful archaeological proof of the people and places mentioned in the Bible. 

Special thanks to the sponsors of this season of Digging Deeper: 

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Transcript

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Today on the podcast, we will be talking about those flat little clay pieces with the weird name that seem to be in museums all over the world that deal with ancient cultures. Join us today on this episode of Digging Deeper as We Talk bulla. Welcome to Digging Deeper. The podcast where we talk about the geography, archeology, people and cultures of the land of the Bible. You can learn more about all of us here at Appian Media and watch our free video series at Appian media.org. Our sponsors for today's episodes are CEI Bookstore and Sacred Connections. We'll be happy to tell you a little bit more about them later in our show. If you want to send a document today and keep it from being read by anyone, you would either encrypted or password protected because most of our documents today are email digital. Before email on the internet. If you wanted to protect something, you'd put in an envelope, you'd put return address on it, you'd seal it and put a sticker over the flap just for good measure. Now, in ancient times, if you wanted to protect a document that you're sending to someone, you could still do it. It was just much more difficult. Bullae were usually made of clay or wax, that was impressed with a seal that both showed authorship or ownership, as well as the fact that it hadn't been opened. A broken seal would indicate that a document had been opened before it reached its destination. So basically, it authenticated who was sending it and it was tamper proof. So, Dan, I've given a little bit of an intro about what a bulla is, but what other information can you give me? Give me give me some more information about that. Originally they were these hollow clay balls. Okay. And it was used for recording transactions or, belongings. And you had put items in the ball and you would seal it, but you would have to break it open to see what was in it. Okay. And then about the fourth century BC, they started with a lot of papyrus and parchment and documents rather than documents. Used to be just on clay, clay tablets. So as writing advanced, you need to change how you authenticated. And it started where you would actually wrap the document with a cord. You could place clay and seal it. Not hard enough and you would know that nothing had been opened. It could have been a stamp. Sometimes it was things like a cylinder where you could actually roll the cylinder over. Yes. It would give you a three dimensional picture on the clay. Okay. I actually have a a Hittite, reproduction as well, where you would actually, this was more for stamping documents. Okay. You could do the same thing. A great conversation starters. Sometimes they were rings. We talk about a signet ring. Right? And you would have used that as well. But most of these are very small. We have found a few that are larger, but they are people who are really, wealthy or royalty. Okay. Right. Most of the times these were small. You think of an Egyptian scarab. You've heard that term and you've probably seen them in museums. They will be very similar where they can function as a seal as well as an army. Okay. Right. We even see them in modern times. And have you ever heard of the term of a papal bull? Yeah. Well, that word bull. Bulla. Okay. That was the seal that they put on to authenticate. Oh, yes. You're right. you probably have some here at the house. Really? Do you have a diploma? Actually I do. It's amazing, but I do. I have one, too. And on it, there is a. It's a paper one. Oh, sure. Yeah. Same idea that this is authenticating that I earned this because. Okay. Oh I understand, if you were going to make them in ancient times, you had to be pretty smart because it's a reverse image. Okay. To be able to read it. Oh, yes. I hadn't thought about that. Right. So they were they were exquisitely crafted to be that small and mirror images. So why why are they so important you know, why are we talking about these? Well, one, they're all over the place. You find broken ones. Partial ones. we find them in a lot of archeological digs. The most important thing about them, though, is they have names on them. Okay. When we read the Bible, if we find a seal with the same name, it might be the same person, or it might be a similar name. But you can say this person probably lived because here is, proof that he lived here as a seal. That's right. They, do rely on, two different things because this type of thing, sometimes they're forgeries. Okay. Unfortunately, today there's a lot of criminals who want to make money. And if you can have a famous seal, I think. Yeah, you're gonna get a lot more money. Right. And in archeology, you depend on, two different principles. But it's basically you're looking at the chain of custody and where it was found. And so, Provenance is the chronology of the ownership. Okay. Right. And you want to be able to prove it has always been where it's supposed to have been. But in archeology though provenance is also that where they can say, we found this right here at this specific time. And here's where it was found. And if you, yes, since you took it out of the ground, you know, it's actually a real rather than a, real item rather than a forgery. Okay. All right. Well, I have a couple more questions for you about this. This is incredibly interesting. And I don't understand and know a lot about this, so I have a few more questions for you, but let's take a break real quick, and let's talk about our sponsors. During the entire history of Appian Media, we have had several companies reach out to us and offer to sell our products. One of the first to contact us was CIA bookstore. CTA bookstore has been in business for over 70 years and is a nonprofit religious bookstore and retail supplier of Bibles, books, church supplies, and other religious resources. They are located in Athens, Alabama, but serve customers across the entire United States. If you're in need of any of the wonderful products that they offer, we encourage you to reach out to them through their website at Truth books.com. Sacred connections is a safe online place for Christians to connect and build meaningful relationships. With a focus on community and channels dedicated to various interest in events, there is something for users at every life stage. And right now, when you download the app, use the code digging deeper to receive a special discount for all listeners of the Digging Deeper podcast. So we invite you to start your journey today by going to their website and learning more. Their address is dot Sacred connections.com. Now back to the show. So you've told me a good bit about Boulay. You described how they're made, what they're used for. Have there been any bull I've found that really do help us understand the Bible and give us insight into the Bible? I think so. I think if you can find a bull in it, you know, it's that person or it documents as well as you can. It helps you know those people, right? Okay. So probably one of the most infamous people in the Bible festival. Oh, okay. So they found a seal, which is what was used to make the bull light. And this one is quite large. Normally they're about a fingernail size. And this is an inch and a quarter, so. Oh, yeah. And it is very fancy, very ornate, carved with a lot of Phoenician and Egyptian type motifs. Now, unfortunately, this one was purchased on the antiquities market. So nobody really knows who. It was found in 1964, and that wasn't quite in vogue like it is now. Okay. And we don't know if this is the Jezebel because of one missing letter. There's a crack in it. Where that letter. Okay. But at least we know that name. Yeah, it was used during that time. Period, right? It's an unusual name, so it probably was. Yeah. But one that we actually have had on our screen is the Hezekiah Boley. Okay. That is the only king of Israel or Judah that we have a seal that is both has provenance and provenance. Okay. Both of those things. Both of those things. There was one that we had before that was in a private collection. And so we don't know where it came from. But in 2009, an archeologist, Professor Mazur uncovered one in the Ophel for the Ophel is just south of. The Temple Mount area. And this says belonging to Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, king of Judah. Well, that's pretty clear. Isn't it? And it has a scarab be on it, rolling a sun disk. And Isaiah 30 and 31, he was being warned of the Egyptian influence. And here. Yeah. Egyptian influence. And this one has proved that the earlier one probably is true because they look so much alike. Okay. Just ten feet away. Ten feet away. In the same year, Professor Mansour found the Isaiah bowl. Oh, for Isaiah the prophet made. Okay, I think it is. Okay. This one, you can tell it's split in half because the cord that you would have put to wrap around the parchment. Yeah. And put this on it caused it to break and. Oh okay. And there's one letter missing. And so if just continued out, if there was in Hebrew a yeah, that word would say Isaiah the prophet. Oh, wow. Could be Isaiah, son of navy. Okay. I, I just in my heart, I think. Okay. It was found in a. Yeah. Well, there's something in Isaiah. Yeah. Remember he said, hey, Hezekiah sick. We need to make. Yeah. Cake of figs to heal him. Yeah. So he at least knew his. Okay, well, it very well could be all right. Are there any others? Oh, there a bunch. Baruch the son and Orion, who is Jeremiah's scribe? There have been several bullae that have been found with him that were accepted as real. Okay. And then for about 40 years, and then in 2014, people said, no, this is a forgery. So this just goes to show you that with archeology, not everything that you think you know, you really. Know, right? Because this year somebody said, well, actually all those things that we think might have been a forgery, actually there's good explanations for them. So this might be real. So the jury's out on that okay. All right. But, Gemeriah, the son of Shaphan who was also Jeremiah's scribe. His was found in a really neat place. And if you don't mind. No, I would love you to tell me where the, House of the Bullae are, because it's in the city of David, and we've filmed right around there. So what is at the top of the step stone structure before you come down? Who's palace? Well, that's where Kings David's palace was. Yeah. Okay. Later. Solomon built one up. Right? Sure. And so that had thick walls that maybe functioned as the Winter Palace. Yeah. Down the hill, as you go down. That's the area that the Babylonians destroyed because was right there at the. Exactly. Burnt house? Yes. But you walked right by this with everything. Yeah. Yeah. So at that, there was a place called House of the bullet, because in 1982, they found 51 bullet. Wow. All in this area. Okay. And with that, Jeremiah 36, verse 11 and 12 comes to mind says, and when Micaiah, the son of Moriah, the son of seven, had heard of the book, all the words of the Lord, he went down into the king's house, into the scribes chamber. And lo, all the princes sat there. Even Elisha the scribe, and Delilah the son of Shama, and Nathan the son of Akbar, can get him right, that son of safe, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes. So as you read this, this little passage here, and then you look at this collection of Bulla. Oh, yeah. All these Bulla in 1982. In there you have a you have a Hananiah. There's two different Elishamas, three different Shemaiahs, Now, unlike the Gameriah of the son of Shaphan bulla where we can say that that probably was him. These we don't really know. We can't say conclusively. But you have all of these names. Six of these all in one. Single wow were. Found in one place, probably just down from the King's house. Yeah. Where we read about. That's exactly right. And so in 1982, they're finding these. Wow. That just tells me that the scriptures we read, these represent biblical figures who really did live. Oh, wow. Yeah. That is that is incredibly interesting. With today's topic. I have learned that little finds can be quite significant. Some of the findings were excavated, and it wasn't until later when we went back to the soil and a break from earlier digs to rediscover how important it was. When did searching for a King, we talked to archeologist Scott Stripling about wet sifting that allows easier identification of these important artifacts. While bullae are small and easily overlooked in a dig. They can have some of the biggest proofs that the Bible is accurate. If you find them in the right soil or next to the right pottery, we can date someone's life to a very specific time period corroborating the biblical text. More importantly, by finding their name and their seal, it shows that this person is just not literary fiction, but a real person who lived in the lands of the Bible. Just as the Bible stated. Interestingly, on a broader level, it shows that the names used in the biblical texts were accurate because just like today, as you see names popularity coming and going, this happened a millennium ago. And when we see the right names and the right layers of soil, we can see the writers of the text were accurate in their writings. Digging deeper is a production of Appian Media. We're a nonprofit media production company. There's 100% crowdfunded. If you're interested in learning more about how you can support Appian Media so we can continue to create great free content. Visit us at Appian Media. Dawg or Slash. Listen, If you'd like to contact either one of us, you can reach us at Dan Kingsley at Appian media.org or Barry dot Britain at Appian media.org. We would love to hear from you and answer any questions that you might have. A special thanks goes to the entire Appian Media team, who are doing their part to make this podcast a success. Join us next time as we travel just south of Jerusalem to some tombs, and see what major finding was discovered at Katif Hinnom. Until then, thank you for joining us and we look forward to being with you again on the next episode of Digging Deeper.