Top 5 Archaeological Finds That Affirm the Bible
The top five discoveries according to the archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling.
1. The Mount Ebal Curse Tablet
Discovered in 2022. Out of the top ten discoveries of 2022, this tablet got first place on one list and second place on another list. This is a curse tablet which supports the statements of Moses in Deuteronomy 11 and 27, where he instructed the people to go to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and to place half the tribes on Mount Gerizim and half on Mount Ebal, to pronounce blessings from Mount Gerizim and curses from Mount Ebal. Further, Joshua 8:30 states that Joshua built an alter on Mount Ebal to the Lord. The names of God "El" and "Yahweh" are both on this tablet. According to the professional Bible archaeologist Dr. Scott Stripling, this tablet refutes the Documentary Hypothesis, since two of God's names are on the same tablet. Dr. Stripling says that he has received countless emails from scholars who have changed their minds about the Documentary Hypothesis due to the discovery of this tablet. See his interview with Alisa Childers.
2. Dead Sea Scrolls
Discovered in 1947, some on these texts date to the third century B.C. Over 600 manuscripts of the Old Testament were found. The most common manuscripts found were Genesis, Deuteronomy, Psalms and Isaiah.
3. Dedicatory Inscription to Tiberius slab from Pontius Pilate
Prior to 1961, critical scholars largely denied the historicity of Pontius Pilate, because the only evidence for him was in the New Testament. But the inscription to Tiberius provides evidence of the existence of Pontius Pilate. This inscription also calls Pilate Prefect - the same as the New Testament. Prior to this discovery, it was doubted that the term Prefect was in use at the time of Christ. (We also now have the ring from Pontius Pilate, which is more evidence he existed).
4. The James Ossuary
An ossuary contains human bones. This procedure occurred from about 70 B.C. to 70 A.D. One thousand have been found, 25 percent have inscriptions on them. Normally they have Aramaic inscriptions. The relevant one here has a seven word Aramaic inscription which reads:
"James son of Joseph brother of Jesus."
Only one other ossuary has the name of a brother on it, so the Jesus mentioned here must have been renowned. This discovery was originally considered inauthentic and fake, but after a seven year trial in Israel, all charges were dropped. The majority of scholars today accept this as an authentic artifact. This is the only first century inscription with the name Jesus on it. This artifact is in the Israel museum today - the Caiaphas ossuary is also in the same museum.
5. The House of David Inscription
Written in Aramaic. It dates to the ninth century B.C. and speaks of the House of David. This is archaeological evidence for the existence of King David. Another inscription on the Moabite stone also refers to the House of David. The palace of David has also likely been excavated in Jerusalem.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
W.F. Albright is considered to be the greatest Bible archaeologist of the 20th century. He wrote:
"There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition." (Albright, Archaeology and Religion of Israel, p. 176).
William F. Albright: "Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the Bible as a source of history." (Albright, The Archaeology of Palestine, pp. 127-128).
Even liberal sources admit to the general historical reliability of the Old Testament. Jeffrey Sheller writes:
"In extraordinary ways, modern archaeology has affirmed the historical core of the Old Testament--corroborating key portions of the stories of Israel's patriarchs, the Exodus, the Davidic monarchy, and the life and times of Jesus." (Sheller, Is the Bible True? p. 52).
When writing about the Old Testament, William Green declares:
"It may safely be said that no other work of antiquity has ever been so accurately transmitted." (General Introduction to the Old Testament, p. 21).
The archaeologist, Nelson Glueck writes:
"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible." (Glueck, Rivers in the Desert, p. 31).
Professor Emeritus of Yale Divinity School, biblical scholar, and leading authority on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Millar Burrows writes: "On the whole, however, archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his respect for the Bible increased by the experience of excavations in Palestine." (Burrows, What Mean These Stones?, p. 1).
The New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg writes: “The astonishing amount of archaeological corroboration of the kinds of details in the Bible that can be tested grows steadily with each generation.” (Blomberg, CAN WE STILL BELIEVE THE BIBLE? p. 5).
30 persons in the New Testament have been confirmed by archaeology. (Holden, The Harvest Handbook of Apologetics, p. 203).
The Book of Acts has at least 84 facts that have been confirmed by historical and archaeological research. (see Geisler and Turek, I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an atheist, pp. 256-259).
Recommended Books
Rocks, Relics, and Biblical Reliability, by Wilson;
The Stones and the Scriptures, by Yamauchi;
Archaeology and Bible History, by Joseph P., and Howard F. Vos;
Archaeology & the New Testament, by McRay;
The Bible and Archaeology. Rev. 3d ed, by Thompson;
Luke, the Historian. Melbourne: The Australian Institute of Archaeology, 1954
The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries That Confirm the Reliability of Scripture, by Holden.
FACTS FROM THE BIBLE THAT HAVE BEEN VERIFIED BY MODERN SCIENCE
Remember, these facts were written thousands of years ago: 1. The Bible teaches that the universe came into existence. (e.g. Gen 1:1). Today, the majority view of astronomers is that that the universe came into existence. 2. The Earth free floats in space. (Job 26:7) At the time, people thought the earth sat on a large animal. 3. The Earth is round. (Isaiah 40:22) At the time, people thought the earth was flat. 4. Blood is the source of life. (Leviticus 17:11) Up until the 1700s, people were bled because they thought that would get rid of their sickness. 5. Air has weight. (Job 28:25) 6. Air has a cycle. (Ecclesiastes 1:6). 7. There are hot water vents at the bottoms of deep seas. (Job 38:16) This fact wasn't verified until the 20th century with submarine technology.
And here's an interesting fact I recently learned. In Leviticus 25, the Sabbath (rest) period for the agricultural land is one year. The land was to be worked six years, and rested on the seventh year. Today, we understand why. If you don't do that, the Nematodes (Roundworms) get out of control. Resting the land actually has a benefit, for increasing the agricultural productivity. Nematodes were not discovered until 1743.