A group of archaeologists have reported the discovery of writing on pottery shards which confirm the Biblical writings in Jeremiah.

The writing was found on pottery dating back to the First Temple Era.  The language used is Paelo-Hebrew, the language of ancient Israel.  The items in the largest collection of the First Temple era pottery dates back to 8 B.C.

“Among the personal names are those of the priestly families Pashur and Meremoth, both mentioned in the Bible. (Jeremiah 20:1; Ezra 8:33) Some of the letters were addressed to the commander of the citadel of Arad, Eliashiv ben Ashiyahu, and deal with the distribution of bread (flour), wine and oil to the soldiers serving in the fortresses of the Negev,” the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained. “Also, in one of the letters, the ‘house of YHWH’ is mentioned.”

“Scholars suggest that the King of Arad mentioned in the Bible was in fact the ruler of the Kingdom of Arad, ‘the Negev of Arad’ (Judges 1:16), whose capital was another city,” it adds.

The items were first discovered in 2000 and studies of the items are finding new writings and materials dating the items to Biblical times.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a report last week saying the scholars had found the Jeremiah communications.

“Scholars have taken this as a confirmation of the biblical narrative of Jeremiah, which recounts that Azekah and Lachish were the last fortresses of Judah to fall before Jerusalem was besieged and destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II,” the publication explains.

The Scripture referenced is Jeremiah 34:7, which reads, “When the king of Babylon’s army fought against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish, and against Azekah: for these defensed cities remained of the cities of Judah.”

The scientists who continue the study of the items are based at Tel Aviv University.