Biblical Tax Notice: 1st-ever Assyrian Inscription Found Near Jerusalem's Temple Mount

Rossella Tercatin : Oct 23, 2025
Times of Israel

[TimesofIsrael.com] An Assyrian inscription dating to around 2,700 years ago was unearthed in an archaeological excavation near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City—the first time written evidence of the relations between the Assyrian Empire and the Kingdom of Judah has been discovered in the city, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Wednesday. Inscribed on a pottery fragment 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in size, the writing mentions a delay in payment, the first day of the month of Av, and the title of an Assyrian officer, the "holder of the reins," a position connected to the royal court known from Assyrian historical records... "It was a period of turmoil," [Dr. Peter Zilberg of Bar-Ilan University] said. "We have the Hezekiah revolt right against [Assyrian King] Sennacherib. [Hezekiah] delayed paying taxes for a certain period, leading Sennacherib to march on Jerusalem."... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here Click Here to read. (Screengrab image: via Times of Israel /IAA)