The Bible and Archaeology
By Jon Quinn
One expert not so long ago suggested that only about two percent of the potential archaeology of the Palestine area had been accomplished. Some quite amazing discoveries have been made, and we've only just begun. But one has to approach the relationship between archaeology and the Bible with caution. Archaeology can never tell us about God's character or purpose. What it can do is give us further information on the events that we read about in the Bible.
It is important to note that no archaeological discovery has contradicted anything that the Bible states. Thus far, the Bible has been shown to be 100 per cent accurate. Of course this is not surprising to one who already has faith. It is also very frustrating to the skeptic who wants so badly to find some discrepancy. New discoveries continue to confirm what the Bible has said all along while putting to rest one after the other of the skeptics' antibiblical theories.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH MEET THEIR DOOM
"Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven, and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground" (GEN 19:24-25).
The skeptics ridiculed the whole account. They said there had never been a Sodom and Gomorrah. The acidity of the soil around the Salt Sea (also called the Dead Sea) was too great to have ever supported cities there. And besides, why are they not mentioned anywhere other than the Bible? And why have we not found some remains of the cities?
That was being said 50 years ago. Its not being said any longer. It seems that it was the enlightened" skeptic who was the ignorant one all along!
Recently, the ancient city of Elba has been discovered to the north of Canaan. It had been the capital of a vast empire centuries before Abraham. It established trade with various Canaanite cities, and according to business records these cities included Sodom and Gomorrah! By the way, Elba was polytheistic, but in the city records we do find that "Jehovah" was one of the deities worshiped there.
Charred remains of cities have now been discovered in the Salt Sea region. Why did it take so long? Because these remains are now under the Salt Sea itself! The contour of the land has changed to where the ruins have been covered by corrosive salt water, but charred pieces of pottery have been found.
THE WALLS CAME TUMBLING DOWN!
"So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets; and it came about, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city" (JOSH 6:20).
Of course it has never been denied that Jericho existed, nor that it was conquered by Israel. But the method has been questioned by the skeptics. This idea of the walls falling down flat is too much to swallow for people who do not know God. During the excavations of Jericho that took place in 1930-1936, the archaeologists discovered something startling. One of them, Garstang by name, had this to say: "As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up and over their ruins into the city."
Incidentally, there have also been recovered documents in Egypt written during this time. The documents are correspondence from various kings in Canaan appealing to Egypt for help against the "Habiru" (a term referring to nomads) who were invading Canaan at that time. The letters state doubt as to whether they will be able to hold out even for another year if help does not come. Of course, Egypt knew by experience that they were in no position to send help against Jehovah's people.
SHISHAK...THE EARLIEST SO FAR
"Now it came about in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house, and he took everything, even taking all the shields of gold which Solomon had made" (I KINGS 14:25,26).
The Kingdom of Israel had just divided and neither the north or the south were faithful. The Bible says "Judah did evil" and "provoked (God) to jealousy" and "did according to all the abominations of the nations" (I KINGS 14:21-24). Consequently, God withdrew His protection and Egypt attacked. The Bible refers to the pharaoh by the name of "Shishak". He is the earliest character mentioned by name in both the Bible and other ancient writings, or at least the earliest discovered so far. Previous pharaohs had been referred to simply as "Pharaoh" in the Bible.
Back in Egypt following the campaign against Judah, Shishak erected a monument at Karnak to his military victory in Judah, and mentions Jerusalem by name thus confirming the above account. This monument has been found and can be visited today.
THE MOABITE STONE
"Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and use to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. But it came about when Ahab died , the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel" (II KINGS 3:4,5).
The Moabites had been subjects of Israel from David's time. However, since Israel had become unfaithful she found herself losing control. The Moabites, under king Mesha, rebelled after Ahab's death.
Archaeologists have found the Moabite Stone. It is Mesha's own account of the above passage. He mentions his servitude to Omri and his son (Ahab). He claims to have thrown off the yoke thanks to his god Chemosh. The victory speech was premature because Moab was subsequently defeated by an alliance of Israel, Judah and even Edom (II KINGS 3:24).
It makes you wonder what new discovery might be on the horizon, doesn't it! The Bible is history. It is true!
