"Archaeology" Article Items

Archaeology has affirmed much of the ancient history of Israel.  This includes

the existence of Sodom,
the historicity of the ancient Jewish kings,
the existence of ancient Jews in Israel,
the likely place of Mt. Sinai and the place of the Red Sea Crossing,
the wars of the Canaan Conquest,
the likely Pharaoh who chased Moses to the Red Sea,
and much more.

The last few decades have seen an explosion in the number of archaeological findings throughout Israel.   These findings confirm the Biblical narrative and have rewritten history.  For example, many archaeologists doubted the very existence of the Hittites, claiming it was all fictional.  Then, the Hittite civilization was uncovered through modern archaeology, supporting the Biblical narrative.

Many confirmatory archaeological findings have been made through the Sifting Project.  This project uses help from civilians to sift through a vast amount of rubble that was illegally removed and discarded from the Temple Mount.

Objections to the Resurrection

Christian Cross

Posted on November 25, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Resurrection

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Some modern theologians have objections to the resurrection.  However, most historians – even the atheist and agnostic ones – agree on the historicity of the events surrounding the resurrection of Christ. The minimal facts approach proposes at least five facts which are generally agreed by everybody; Christ Died by Crucifixion The Empty Tomb There were Credible Witnesses to the Resurrection Many of the Original Skeptics were Converted to Christianity The Explosive Growth of the Christian Church There are still some imaginative excuses offered by skeptics who may not agree with some or all of the above noted minimal facts. These… Read More »

The Resurrection

The resurrection of Christ is at the center of Christianity; if not true, then Christianity is false.

Posted on November 24, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Resurrection

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The resurrection of Christ is at the center of Christianity. While there may be different beliefs among churches as to exactly what Christ’s resurrection means for mankind, the historicity of the resurrection is a central belief shared by all Christian faiths. It is one of those non-negotiable beliefs that is required to be called a Christian. If there was no resurrection, then all the sacrifices Christians have made over hundreds of years, all the money invested in Christianity, all the time and service spent by countless millions of people, all of it would be useless. It would mean we are… Read More »

The Rolling Stones

The Garden Tomb in Jerusalem - one of the traditional burial sites of Christ.

Posted on November 22, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Resurrection

According to the most popular Bible translations, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived at Christ’s tomb and found the stone protecting the entrance to the tomb mysteriously had been “rolled away.” Most of the tombs in ancient Jerusalem had huge stones blocking the opening of the tomb in order to close it off from the outside world. The tomb was protected by these blocking stones for ritualistic reasons but also for practical purposes to keep wild animals out of the tombs. It has been a tradition to believe the stone that was in front of the opening to the… Read More »

The House of David Stele

Jerusalem

Posted on November 14, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

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Finding the House of David Stele was important as the existence of an actual, Biblical King David had been called into question for centuries and was considered only a myth by secular historians. They scoffed at the idea there could have been an organized, ancient kingdom of Israel that could be powerful enough to fight against ancient civilizations. Furthermore, the Biblical Kingdom of David was associated with other ethnic groups which were also thought to be mythical – or at least severely enlarged in order to fit the narrative. This becomes important because the Old Testament is very consistent with… Read More »

Siloam Tunnel

Bible Image

Posted on November 13, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Historical Evidence

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The Siloam tunnel is a tunnel located in the Palestinian section of East Jerusalem with an amazing history. It was first described in the modern era by Franciscus Quaresmius in 1625 and was explored about two centuries later by an American Bible scholar Edward Robinson. A few decades later, Charles Warren proposed the Pool of Siloam may be identical to the tunnel “dug by King Hezekiah.” Shortly after his suggestion, two boys discovered the Siloam inscription. Construction of the Tunnel The construction of the Hezekiah tunnel is perhaps one of the most amazing aspects of its history. It was a… Read More »

Sennacherib’s Prism

Lachish Ruins

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

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The Sennacherib Prism is an ancient hexagonal clay artifact with multiple lines of cuneiform writing. It contains the writing of the Assyrian King Sennacherib concerning his exploits in and around Jerusalem in 701 BC during the reign of Biblical King Hezekiah. These inscriptions were inscribed on several three known prisms stored in various museums around the world. The Taylor Prism is in the British Museum, the Oriental Institute prism is stored in the Oriental Institute of Chicago, and the Jerusalem Prism is in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The inscriptions are nearly identical to each other with only minor differences…. Read More »

The Pool of Siloam

Jerusalem has been conquered many times through history; in this blog it was conquered in 586 BC by the Babylonians who destroyed the city and Temple.

Posted on November 11, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

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The Pool of Siloam was a tremendous archaeological finding because of its association with Scripture. It was at that pool that Christ cured the blind man (John 9:1-11). The pool has been associated throughout history as being associated with Hezekiah’s Tunnel. The tunnel traditionally was built by King Hezekiah (739 – 686 BC), the thirteenth King of Judah. Hezekiah witnessed the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC when he was a child. The destruction of much of the Jewish nation (leaving only two tribes of Judah and Benjamin) left a lasting impression on the young child…. Read More »

Did Jesus Really Exist?

Roman Colosseum

Posted on November 9, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

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I have had discussions with many people online over the years who challenge the very existence of Christ. They often question, “did Jesus really exist?”  Skeptics suggest there would be more evidence of his existence were he really the Son of God who did miracles. These skeptics believe there is no good evidence for Christ outside the Bible, and of course, the Bible cannot verify itself. Even though Christ’s existence is recognized by billions of Christians and Muslims, these skeptics doubt the evidence. Is this a realistic objection? Is this objection based in fact or is there sufficient evidence of… Read More »

Ancient Kingdom of Edom

Petra

Posted on November 2, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

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The ancient kingdom of Edom and Israel have a shared history according to Scripture.  The relationship between Biblical Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel and who became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel) and Esau (the brother of Jacob who became the father of the nation of Edom) is legendary.  They were twins and seemingly even struggled prior to birth concerning which would be born first. Esau won the birth battle and was born minutes prior to Jacob.  Being first-born, Esau had the birthright as the eldest son and would get a greater portion of an inheritance… Read More »

Jerusalem Governors’ Seals

Wailing Wall

Posted on October 31, 2019 by

Categories: Archaeology, Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence

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Another amazing archaeological discovery has been made in Israel with the discovery of ancient Jerusalem Governors’ seals. These seals are tremendously important because they help to confirm the historicity of the Bible. There have been many similar discoveries made in recent years, everything from seals belonging to Isaiah, jailors of Jeremiah, the Pontius Pilate ring, and a clay impression made for Jezebel. The newest addition to this list was found in excavations in the Western Wall area of Jerusalem. It is amazing that such discoveries are still being made in such a highly trafficked area but has apparently been overlooked… Read More »