Two clay seal impressions (bullae) that say “belonging to Beruchyahu son of Neriah the scribe” in ancient Hebrew script have been discovered in Jerusalem. By the way, Baruch and Baruchyahu are actually the same name. Many names in the Hebrew Bible have yahu appended — which stands for Yahweh. (This is known as a “theophoric” element.)
One bulla was purchased off the antiquities market, making it impossible to establish its provenance. The most likely scenario is that both of these bullae were found inside what is known as the “Burnt House” which was destroyed during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587 BC. The seal impressions specify the profession of Baruch and the name of his father, and they both date to around 600 BC, the time of Jeremiah the prophet.
Some key facts to consider are, first, that Jeremiah had a scribe in Jerusalem named Baruch son of Neriah. Second, the custom of the time was that scrolls, including the type of books Jeremiah dictated, would be sealed with the name of the writer or owner. Because of this, it is almost certain that the seal that formed the impressions belonged to this Baruch who recorded the words of Jeremiah the prophet.
Summary
The Baruch seal impressions demonstrate that Baruch son of Neriah was a real, historical person in Jerusalem during the time of Jeremiah the prophet, and that he was a scribe, as stated in the book of Jeremiah. Archaeologists have found other seals and clay stamp impressions of people mentioned in the book of Jeremiah. These include “Jehucal son of Shelemiah” (Jeremiah 38:1), “Gedalyahu ben Pashur” (Jeremiah 38:1), and “Baalyisha king of the Ammon” (Jeremiah 40:14), adding further weight to the reliability of the Book of Jeremiah.
Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them. (Jeremiah 36:32 NASB95)
