Page 18 - Holyland Magazine - 2025 Edition
P. 18

King Solomon’s Mines, Timna Park-
                                                                                                                                    Photo: AnaRina Kreisman

giving an account of King Shalmaneser III’s     Jewish outrage against Roman oppression               The prophet Isaiah recorded this beautiful
war campaigns. Shalmaneser was one of the       led to one of the largest revolts in Roman            interaction between Jerusalem and God:
four Assyrian kings who exiled the 10 Tribes.   history, a battle so fierce that it forced            “Zion says,' My Lord has forgotten me. '” God
                                                Roman Emperor Hadrian to deploy half of               replies, “I will never forget you!” After 2,000
The Seal of Isaiah the Prophet and King         the mighty Roman army against the revolt,             years of slowly disappearing from the map,
Hezekiah                                        resulting in the loss of at least one full legion     ancient Biblical Jerusalem was rediscovered
Things can’t get any more real than seeing      on Judean soil. The revolt ended in the               150 years ago. You can now walk along her
the seal of the beloved Prophet Isaiah,         massacre of at least half a million Jews.             ancient paths again when visiting the City
who prophesied hope and restoration – a                                                               of David. With it, a significant number of
message so needed in this chaotic world.        Whether as an instigator or as a result of            ancient revolt coins were unearthed with
Looking at the very seal this holy man          the revolt, Hadrian razed Jerusalem to                their minted messages: “Jerusalem the Holy,”
touched is deeply stirring. The seal was        the ground and built a new city, "Aelia               “For the Freedom of Zion,” and “For the
discovered in close vicinity of the royal seal  Capitolina”. Jews were forbidden from                 Redemption of Jerusalem!” These coins were
of the righteous King Hezekiah, located at      entering the city. As a further insult to the         buried away for thousands of years, only to
the foot of the Temple Mount. Be sure to        Jews, Hadrian also changed the province               be unearthed for us now. Divine timing –
visit the Israel Museum to view these seals,    of Judea to "Syria Palestina", better known           divine call. Now more than ever, come visit
the City of David, where Hezekiah built the     as Roman Palestine. With spiteful intent,             Israel and speak words of encouragement to
water conduit, and the Davidson Center,         he derived the name from Israel’s ancient             Jerusalem’s heart.
where the seals were discovered.                archenemy, the Philistines. But here’s the
                                                kicker: the Philistines disappeared from              "For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent, and for
An infuriated Roman emperor and the             history long before the rise of the Roman             Jerusalem’s sake, I will not be quiet until her
ancient province of Judea                       Empire.                                               righteousness goes forth as brightness, and
During Roman rule, the Jews revolted twice.                                                           her salvation as a blazing torch."
Once, before the destruction of the Temple,     Jerusalem the Holy
known as the Great Revolt, and the Bar          Empires consistently tried to erase Jerusalem         ✦Isaiah 62:1
Kokhba Revolt that followed 60 years later.     from the map, but God had other plans.

Seal of Isaiah                          “Jerusalem the Holy" Shekel of  "Freedom of Zion" Pruta,      Judea Capta Coin              "House of David" inscribed
Courtesy of Eilat Mazar's Estate, 2019  Israel, circa 67 CE             circa 67 CE                   George Blumenthal Collection  on the Tel Dan Stele Israel
(Amazing Archaeological                 George Blumenthal Collection    George Blumenthal Collection  Photo: Ardon Barhama          Museum
Discoveries, P.49)                      Photo: Ardon Barhama            Photo: Ardon Barhama                                        Photo: Ardon Barhama
Photo: Ouria Tadmor

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