Hezekiah's Reign: Bullae, Sennacherib, and Religious Reforms
Key Questions
What does the disappearance of bullae after 701 BC reveal about Hezekiah's reign?
Video analysis of clay seals indicates that bullae vanished following Sennacherib's invasion, confirming the event and the resulting collapse of Judah's administrative system.
What new evidence supports Hezekiah's religious reforms in the Bible?
A paper by Faust at Tel 'Eton and a newly discovered standing stone (massebah) provide archaeological confirmation of the reforms described in 2 Kings 18–20.
How does the Taylor Prism connect to the biblical account of Hezekiah?
A recent article shows that the Taylor Prism further affirms the biblical narrative of Sennacherib's campaign and related events during Hezekiah's reign.
Multiple lines of evidence continue to illuminate Hezekiah's reign: bullae patterns associated with the aftermath of 701 BCE, Faust's Tel 'Eton study on reform, a tiny Assyrian cuneiform fragment from Jerusalem possibly concerning tribute, Sennacherib's palace, and Taharqa's role in the Assyrian crisis. This remains a major teaching cluster for 2 Kings 18–20 and Isaiah.