For the
past 200 years the Bible has been tirelessly attacked on various fronts. One
such attack has been on the historicity of the Bible – whether the Bible is
historically accurate or not.
To begin with, the following is a listing of a
few of the major archaeological discoveries (not in any particular order),
validating biblical truths, over the past century.
Writings Before the
Time of Moses
Discoveries
of a tablet containing Ugaritic alphabets, a pottery water pitcher inscribed
with eleven archaic letters, and the code of Hammurabi at an ancient site at
Susa (present day Iran) affirmed that the art of writing existed even before
Moses’ time. Hence it is reasonable to assert the Mosaic authorship of the
Pentateuch, thereby negating ‘documentary hypothesis.’[1]
Discovery of Humanity
of Genesis 1-11
University
of Birmingham archeologist Jeffrey Rose’s discovery of over sixty new
archeological sites along the shoreline of the Persian Gulf are dated as older
than 7,500 years. In 2006, archeologist Hans-Peter Uerpmann of the University
of Tubingen in Germany uncovered the remains of three different settlements
that date between 25,000 and 125,000 years old at the base of Jebel Faya in the
United Arab Emirates. [2]
Discovery of Edom
Edom, present
day Southern Jordan, was the land inhabited by the descendants of Esau. Archeological
discovery of a copper mine in Edom region dated to 10th century BC
enhances the credibility of the biblical account of Edom ruled by King David. [3]
Tel Dan Stela – The First
Historical Evidence of King David Outside The Bible
“The Tel Dan inscription, or “House of
David” inscription, was discovered in 1993 at the site of Tel Dan in northern
Israel in an excavation directed by Israeli archaeologist Avraham Biran.” [4]
Burial Plaque of King
Uzziah
“His stone burial plaque has been discovered
on the Mount of Olives, and it reads: “Here, the bones of Uzziah, King of
Judah, were brought. Do not open.”” [5]
Existence of Hittites
“A century ago the Hittites were unknown
outside of the Old Testament, and critics claimed that they were a figment of
biblical imagination. In 1906, however, archaeologists digging east of Ankara,
Turkey, discovered the ruins of Hattusas, the ancient Hittite capital at what
is today called Boghazkoy…” [6]
Discovery of Biblical
Cities
Jericho,
Haran, Hazor, Dan, Megiddo, Shechem, Samaria, Shiloh, Gezer, Gibeah, Beth
Shemesh, Beth Shean, Beersheba, Lachish, Jerusalem & Babylon have been
discovered. Apart from these cities, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gaza, Gath, and Ekron
(the five cities established by Phillistines; Israel’s enemy) have also been
excavated. [7]
Walls of Jericho
Of four
prominent archaeologists who have excavated the Jericho site, Carl Watzinger,
John Garstang, Kathleen Kenyon, and Bryant Wood, these are the words of
Garstang who attests to the miraculous fall of this historical city, ““As to the main fact, then, there remains no
doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely, the attackers would be able to
clamber up and over the ruins of the city.” This is remarkable because when
attacked city walls fall inward, not outward.”[8]
Siloam Pool of Jesus’
Time
“During construction work to repair
a large water pipe south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, at the southern end of
the ridge known as the City of David, archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli
Shukron identified two ancient stone steps. Further excavation revealed that
they were part of a monumental pool from the Second Temple period, the period
in which Jesus lived. The structure Reich and Shukron discovered was 225 feet
long, with corners that are slightly greater than 90 degrees, indicating a trapezoidal
shape, with the widening end oriented toward Tyropoeon valley. The Siloam Pool
is adjacent to the area in the ancient City of David known as the King’s Garden
and is just southeast of the remains of the fifth-century church and pool
traditionally believed to be the sacred Christian site.”[9]
Lazarus’ Tomb
Renowned
Christian apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias said, “Some years ago, I was in Israel and visited the village of Bethany
where Lazarus’ body once lay before Jesus raised him. A few months ago, I stood
by the tomb of Lazarus in Larnaca, Cyprus, where he had become the bishop of
the church. That tomb was excavated nearly one thousand years ago, and the
simple inscription on the grave said, “Lazarus,
Bishop of Larnaca—Four days dead, Friend of Jesus.”” (Emphasis Mine) [10]
Ossuary of High Priest
Caiaphas
“A dump truck accidentally smashed through
the roof of a tomb in November, 1990, during some work in the Jerusalem Peace
Forest, leading to the discovery of the ossuary which contained the bones of
the High Priest in the time of Jesus… Two of a dozen ossuaries in the tomb
contained a form of the name Qafa', or Caiaphas.” [11]
Inscriptional
Evidence for Pontius Pilate
“…inscriptional evidence for Pilate was
discovered in Italian excavations at Caesarea Maritima in 1961. Antonio Frova,
director of the excavations, found a dedicatory stone that bore a three-line
inscription: Tiberieum/[Pon]tius Pilatus/[Praef]ectus Iuda[eae], "Tiberius
[the Roman emperor of the period]/Pontius Pilate/Prefect of Judea."”[12]
Crucified Man – Tomb
of Yehohanan
“…in 1968, archaeologist Vassilios Tzaferis
excavated a Jerusalem tomb that contained the bones of a crucified man named
Yehohanan…the discovery demonstrated the brutal reality of Roman crucifixion
methods in a way that written accounts never had before.”[13]. This
discovery negates those who disbelieve in Christ’s crucifixion.
To think of
the Bible as a pure religious document without any historic accuracy is to
negate its divine inspiration and inerrancy. At the same time, we should be
aware that the absence of evidence is not necessarily an evidence of absence.
Hence, with the available archeological evidences, we could reasonably posit
the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible.
Endnotes:
[1] https://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=13&article=860
[2] http://www.reasons.org/articles/lost-civilization-beneath-the-persian-gulf-confirms-genesis-history-of-humanity
[3] http://www.reasons.org/articles/archeology-affirms-existence-of-edom
[4] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/the-tel-dan-inscription-the-first-historical-evidence-of-the-king-david-bible-story/
[5] http://www.equip.org/article/biblical-archaeology-factual-evidence-to-support-the-historicity-of-the-bible/
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] https://www.probe.org/archaeology-and-the-old-testament/
[9] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/the-siloam-pool-where-jesus-healed-the-blind-man/
[10] http://rzim.org/just-thinking/september-11-2001-was-god-present-or-absent
[11] http://biblicalstudies.info/top10/schoville.htm
[12] http://biblicalstudies.info/top10/schoville.htm
[13] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/crucifixion/a-tomb-in-jerusalem-reveals-the-history-of-crucifixion-and-roman-crucifixion-methods/
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