God, Science and the Bible: Researcher Identifies Seal of Biblical Queen Jezebel
How can archeologists prove that this truly is the seal of Queen Jezebel?
In 1964, Israeli archaeologist Nahman Avigad purchased a seal engraved in ancient Hebrew script with the letters YZBL—the name Jezebel. Professor Avigad, along with others, thought it might be the official seal of the Queen Jezebel of the Bible, but since the location and date of the item's discovery were unknown, there was no way to link it to the infamous queen.
However, a recent investigation by Old Testament scholar Marjo Korpel of Utrecht University in the Netherlands indicates that the seal, housed for years in the Israel Museum, likely did belong to the murderous monarch.
The seal's large size indicates that its owner was quite important, as does the fact that it was carved from opal, a semiprecious stone. "It's twice as big as normal seals and also the iconography is very nicely engraved," Dr. Korpel said.
Her analysis of the seal's engraved symbols led her to conclude that it belonged to female royalty—i.e., a queen. "The lion-sphinx with female head and female Isis-Hathor crown, which is unique, this clearly points to a queen," she explained.
Further, "the lotus [located below the Horus falcon] was a symbol of gender definition and refers to a female owner [while] the winged sun disk was a well-known symbol of royalty in and outside Israel."
Other icons on the seal, such as the Horus falcon and twin cobras, symbols probably adopted from Egypt, also reinforce the object's connection to a monarch, Dr. Korpel observed.
By process of elimination, she concluded that the biblical queen was the only plausible owner. Her complete analysis was published in a volume of the scholarly Journal for Semitics.
The biblical books of 1 and 2 Kings portray Jezebel as an influential ruler who manipulated her husband, the 9th-century-B.C. Israelite King Ahab, using deceit and murder to accomplish her goals. The daughter of a Phoenician ruler, she married Ahab as part of a political alliance and determined to convert both him and the kingdom of Israel to the worship of the deities of her former country.
After slaughtering true prophets of God, she also attempted to kill Elijah. In accordance with Elijah's prophecy, she met a violent end and her corpse was devoured by dogs.
After learning of Dr. Korpel's research and conclusions, Hebrew University professor Hagai Misgav said he believed that the Israel Museum and Israel Antiquities Authority possess many more artifacts that may carry unnoticed historical clues. "Not all the artifacts have been thoroughly examined," he noted. "There are many discoveries waiting to be made."
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 2008
Course Content
Mario Seiglie
Mr. Seiglie was born in Havana, Cuba, and came to the United States when he was a child. He found out about the Church when he was 17 from a Church member in high school. He went to Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, and in Pasadena, California, graduating with degrees in theology and Spanish. He serves as the pastor of the Garden Grove, CA UCG congregation and serves in the Spanish speaking areas of South America. He also writes for the Beyond Today magazine and currently serves on the UCG Council of Elders. He and his wife, Caty, have four grown daughters, and grandchildren.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
Tom Robinson
Tom is an elder in the United Church of God who works from his home near St. Louis, Missouri as managing editor and senior writer for Beyond Today magazine, church study guides and the UCG Bible Commentary. He is a visiting instructor at Ambassador Bible College. And he serves as chairman of the church's Prophecy Advisory Committee and a member of the Fundamental Beliefs Amendment Committee.
Tom began attending God's Church at the age of 16 in 1985 and was baptized a year later. He attended Ambassador College in both Texas and California and served for a year as a history teacher at the college's overseas project in Sri Lanka. He graduated from the Texas campus in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology along with minors in English and mass communications. Since 1994, he has been employed as an editor and writer for church publications and has served in local congregations through regular preaching of sermons.
Tom was ordained to the ministry in 2012 and attends the Columbia-Fulton, Missouri congregation with his wife Donna and their two teen children.
