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The Historical Reliability of the Bible |
EVIDENCE OF BIBLE'S HISTORICAL CREDIBILITY:The Bible was written in the past. We call that history. The pages of the Bible make references to people (individuals and nations), places, customs, and events thus asserting that these things were real. Thanks to the discipline of archaeology, we are often able to investigate these claims and determine their validity. Although the Bible is not a history textbook, its references to historical people, places, and events have proved to be incredibly reliable, demonstrating the Bible to be trustworthy. No other ancient work comparable to the Bible has demonstrated this reliability or been corroborated to the extent that the Biblical text has. Below are but a few of the examples of historical corroboration. The Moabite Stone: 2 Kings 3 records an act of rebellion against Israel by the Moabite king Mesha. The chapter concludes with a brief statement showing the rebellion to have been at least a partial success. Did Mesha exist? In 1868 a stone was found bearing Mesha's name and the Moabite version of the events of that day substantiating the events historicity. The Hittites: The Bible mentions these people some 40 times and suggests that they were an important military force to be reckoned with {2Kings 7:6}. Yet there seemed to be no extra-biblical record of these people. Therefore, critics of the Bible used the "non-existent" Hittites as an example of historical error. Finds from the late 1800's and early 1900's revealed not only a powerful Hittite Empire, but also the fact that there were several groups of people know by this designation. Sargon II: Isaiah 20:1 mentions an Assyrian king by the name of Sargon who is said to have captured Ashdod. Critics once maintained that this person was fictitious, made up by the Bible writer. But then in 1842, Frenchman Emile Botta dug up a huge palace in Khorsabad, Iraq. Inscribed on its walls was the phrase "Castle of Sargon." In 1963, a fragmented monument was found in Ashdod that named Sargon and commemorated his conquest of the city. More recently, several seals (akin to our rubber stamps used to mark ownership) have been discovered of which both the inscriptions and archaeological context strongly suggest they belonged to Biblical characters. The names are as follows: 1) Jerahmeel {Jeremiah 36:26}; 2) Gemariah {Jeremiah 36:10}; 3) Seraiah {Jeremiah 51:59}; 4) Hilkiah and Azariah {2Kings 22:4; 1Chronicles 9:11}; 5) Baruch {Jeremiah 32:12ff}. While none of the above finds prove the Bible is inspired, they do reveal it to be an accurate, historically reliable source. If it is demonstrably reliable in these areas, it strengthens the likelihood of its credibility in other areas not subject to the archaeologist's spade. BIBLIOGRAPHYBruce, F.F. THE NEW TESTAMENT DOCUMENTS: ARE THEY RELIABLE? Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988. |