(Photo Credit: Zvi Lederman)

From Discovery News:

A small stone seal found in Israel could be the first archaeological evidence of the story of Samson, the Bible’s most famous strongman.

Less than an inch in diameter, the seal depicts a man with long hair fighting a large animal with a feline tail.

The seal was excavated at the Tell Beit Shemesh site in the Judaean Hills near Jerusalem at a level that dates to roughly the 11th century BC.

Biblically speaking, this was during the time when the Jews were led by leaders known as Judges, one of whom was Samson.

The location where the stone seal was unearthed, close to the Sorek river that marked the ancient border between Israelite and Philistine territories, suggests the figure could represent the Biblical slayer of Philistines.

Response: This is a remarkable discovery. Given that most scholars are presupposed to discount any possibility that the Biblical record might be accurate. This small seal has forced a few to admit the possibility at least that what they refer to as the ‘Samson legend’ might actually have some basis in fact.

The directors of the excavation believe that it merely represents the story of a local hero fighting a lion that somehow “eventually it found its way into the biblical text and onto the seal.”

Well at least they now recognize the possible tie even if they wouldn’t ever want to consider that the Bible story may be substantially accurate.             *Top