The Uzziah Inscription.
Referring to King Uzziah of Judah, who had lived and died about seven hundred years earlier, it says that his bones had been moved to the place where it was set up. Where that was we have now, unfortunately, no means of telling.
The inscription was found in 1931 in the Russian museum on the Mount of Olives, with nothing to show whence it came. Far more important is the time when it was made, which is shown, though only approximately, by the forms of the letters.
Coming from the first century, this inscription is very important for determining the type of Aramaic used in Palestine in the time of Christ. While only minor grammatical details are involved, anything bearing on the language in which the gospel was first proclaimed is of interest to the Bible student and may prove important for the interpretation of Jesus’ sayings.
Incidentally the inscription proves that the Jews at this time were accustomed to writing in Aramaic, a fact which has some bearing on the origins of our gospels.