Archeology and the Bible
Are the historical stories of the Bible accurate? Recent archeological discoveries proved the authenticity of Bible characters, cities and events. Here are some of the facts:
The Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1948 and date back to 150-170 BC, contained all or parts of the Old Testament books except the book of Esther.
The Cyrus Cylinder
The Cyrus Cylinder, discovered in 1879, records Cyrus’ overthrow of Babylon and his subsequent deliverance of the Jewish captives (Isaiah 45; 2 Chronicles 36; Ezra 1).
The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799 in Egypt by Napoleon’s scientists, was written in three languages: hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek. It unlocked the mystery of the hieroglyphics which have helped confirm the authenticity of the Bible.
The Moabite Stone
The Moabite Stone, discovered in 1868 at Dibon, Jordan, confirmed Moabite attacks on Israel as recorded in (2 Kings 1 and 3).
The Lachish Letters
The Lachish Letters, discovered in 1932-1938, 24 miles north of Beersheba, described the attack of Nebuchadnezzar on Jerusalem in 586 BC (2 kings 25:1).
Bible and History
Bible historical statements are accurate. Archeological discoveries have proved many details of the Bible that had been scoffed at by critics. Note the following:
- For years skeptics said the Bible was unreliable because it mentioned the Hittite nation (Deuteronomy 7:1) and cities like Nineveh (Jonah 1:1, 2) and Sodom (Genesis 19:1), which they denied ever existed. But now modern archaeology has confirmed that all three did exist.
- Critics said that Bible-mentioned kings Belshazzar (Daniel 5:1) and Sargon (Isaiah 20:1) never existed. It has now been confirmed they did exist.
- Skeptics also said the Bible record of Moses was not reliable because it mentions writing (Exodus 24:4) and wheeled vehicles (Exodus 14:25), neither of which they said existed at the time. Recent discoveries in the Red sea proved the reliability of the Biblical story of Moses.
- At one time, the 39 kings of ancient Israel and Judah who reigned during the divided kingdom were authenticated only from the Bible record, so critics charged fabrication. But then archaeologists found cuneiform records that mentioned many of these kings.
- The ancient city of Petra (in the heart of Mount Seir) was virtually unknown to archaeologists, with only the Bible to give account of its existence (Ezekiel 35:7). But 200 years ago all of that changed when the Swiss explorer Johann Burckhardt made the legendary discovery.
- A Biblical prophecy accurately foretold the destruction of the ancient city of Tyre (Ezekiel 26:3-5).
- Babylon was excavated in 1898. The archaeological findings point to the truth of Scripture’s prophecies about that great city (Isaiah 13:19-22).
All this show that Bible historical statements are accurate and true.
