Discoveries of archaeology verified the reliability of the Bible

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iscoveries of archaeology verified the reliability of the Bible

Reliability of the Bible - In what ways have archaeological discoveries verified it?

Over the years there have been many criticisms leveled against the Bible concerning its

storical reliability. These criticisms are usually based on a lack of evidence from outside souro confirm the Biblical record. Since the Bible is a religious book, many scholars take the positihat it is biased and cannot be trusted unless we have corroborating evidence from extra-Biblic

ources. In other words, the Bible is guilty until proven innocent, and a lack of outside evidencaces the Biblical account in doubt.

his standard is far different from that applied to other ancient documents, even though many,ot most, have a religious element. They are considered to be accurate, unless there is eviden

o show that they are not. Although it is not possible to verify every incident in the Bible, thescoveries of archaeology since the mid 1800s have demonstrated the reliability and plausibilf the Bible narrative. Here are some examples.

The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical

writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets fromaround 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounare genuine. The name "Canaan" was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not uat that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word "tehom("the deep") in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of tcreation story. "Tehom" was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years beforMoses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found iclay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.

The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records werdiscovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey. Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon's wea

were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquitywas concentrated with the king and Solomon's prosperity was entirely feasible. It was onclaimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because name was not known in any other record. Then, Sargon's palace was discovered inKhorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, wasrecorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victowere found at Ashdod itself.

Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. Thelast king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were foundshowing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus' son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus,Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel "third highest ruler in the kingdom" (Dan. 5:16) foreading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the "eyewitness" nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.

onfirmation of Biblical events - Is there any from written sources outside the Bible?

The most documented Biblical event is the world-wide flood described in Genesis 6-9. A num

f Babylonian documents have been discovered which describe the same flood.



he Sumerian King List, for example, lists kings who reigned for long periods of time. Then areat flood came. Following the flood, Sumerian kings ruled for much shorter periods of time. Tthe same pattern found in the Bible. Men had long life spans before the flood and shorter life

pans after the flood. The 11th tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic speaks of an ark, animals taken ohe ark, birds sent out during the course of the flood, the ark landing on a mountain, and aacrifice offered after the ark landed.

he Story of Adapa tells of a test for immortality involving food, similar to the story of Adam anve in the Garden of Eden.

umerian tablets record the confusion of language as we have in the Biblical account of theower of Babel(Genesis 11:1-9). There was a golden age when all mankind spoke the same

anguage. Speech was then confused by God, lord of wisdom. The Babylonians had a similarccount in which the gods destroyed a temple tower and "scattered them abroad and madetrange their speech."

Other examples of extra-Biblical confirmation of Biblical events:

Campaign into Israel by Pharaoh Shishak (1 Kings 14:25-26), recorded on the walls of th

Temple of Amun in Thebes, Egypt. Revolt of Moab against Israel (2 Kings 1:1; 3:4-27), recorded on the Mesha Inscription. Fall of Samaria (2 Kings 17:3-6, 24; 18:9-11) to Sargon II, king of Assyria, as recorded o

his palace walls. Defeat of Ashdod by Sargon II (Isaiah 20:1), as recorded on his palace walls. Campaign of the Assyrian king Sennacherib against Judah (2 Kings 18:13-16), as record

on the Taylor Prism. Siege of Lachish by Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:14, 17), as recorded on the Lachish reliefs Assassination of Sennacherib by his own sons (2 Kings 19:37), as recorded in the annal

his son Esarhaddon. Fall of Nineveh as predicted by the prophets Nahum and Zephaniah (2:13-15), recorded

the Tablet of Nabopolasar. Fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:10-14), as recorded i

the Babylonian Chronicles. Captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in Babylon (2 Kings 24:15-16), as recorded on the

Babylonian Ration Records. Fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:30-31), as recorded on the Cyrus

Cylinder. Freeing of captives in Babylon by Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1:1-4; 6:3-4), as recorded on th

Cyrus Cylinder. The existence of Jesus Christ as recorded by Josephus, Suetonius, Thallus, Pliny theYounger, the Talmud, and Lucian.

Forcing Jews to leave Rome during the reign of Claudius (A.D. 41-54) (Acts 18:2), asrecorded by Suetonius.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SUMERIAN KING LIST -- There are more than 16agments and one nearly complete copy of the Sumerian King List found at different places at

fferent times. The first fragment was discovered in the temple library at Nippur, Iraq, at the tuf the century and was published in 1906. The most complete copy, the Weld-Blundell prism, w



urchased on the antiquities market shortly after World War I and is now in the AshmoleanMuseum in Oxford, England. For a thorough discussion of the Sumerian King List and its Biblicmplications, see "The Antediluvian Patriarchs and the Sumerian King List," by Raul Lopez, in tEN Technical Journal 12 (3) 1998, pp. 347-57.

urial Sites - Have the graves of any people in the Bible been found?

Throughout Bible lands there are numerous "traditional" tombs of various Biblical personages

ometimes several for one individual! In many cases, there is no historical or archaeologicalvidence to back up the identification. There are, however, at least seven instances where thestrong, if not certain, evidence for locating the burial site of a person, or persons, named in t

ible.

esus Christ

n Jerusalem today, there are two sites claiming to be the location of he tomb of Jesus: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Gardenomb. The Garden Tomb was identified as the tomb of Jesus only in

he late 1800s and lacks historical credibility. A long tradition goingack to the first century, however, maintains that Jesus' tomb is at thehurch of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem. In the 4thentury, Constantine supposedly located the tomb site beneath aecond century Roman temple. He constructed a church over it. Thishurch has been restored and maintained over the centuries ever since. It is today shared by saiths: Latin Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Armenians, Syrian, Copts and Ethiopians.

aiaphas the High Priest

Caiaphas was high priest for 18 years, A.D. 18-36. He most likely gained theposition by marrying the daughter of Annas, head of a powerful high-priestly c(John 18:13). Caiaphas is infamous as the leader of the conspiracy to crucifyJesus.

At a meeting of the religious leaders, Caiaphas said, "It is better for you that oman die for the people than the whole nation perish" (John 11:50). He wasreferring to the possible intervention of the Roman authorities, if Jesus' teachishould cause unrest. His words were prophetic in that Jesus did die for the

people, all the people of the earth, as a sacrifice for sin.

fter He was arrested, Jesus was taken to Caiaphas' house and detained overnight. The guarmocked and beat Him (Luke 22:63-65). In the morning He was interrogated and further beaten

aiaphas asked Him, "Are you the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," Jeseplied (Mark 14:61-62). Caiaphas then handed Jesus over to Pilate to be tried.

ollowing Jesus' crucifixion, Caiaphas continued to persecute the early church. He brought the

postles before the religious leaders and said to them, "We gave you strict orders not to teach

Holy Sepulchre Church, Jerus

Ossuary of Caiaphas the High

Priest



his Name. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guf this man's (Jesus') blood." Peter and the other apostles replied, "We must obey God rather

hen men" (Acts 5:28-29).

he Caiaphas family tomb was accidentally discovered by workers constructing a road in a past south of the Old City of Jerusalem. Archaeologists were hastily called to the scene. When

hey examined the tomb they found 12 ossuaries (limestone bone boxes) containing the remaif 63 individuals. The most beautifully decorated of the ossuaries was inscribed with the nameJoseph son of (or, of the family of) Caiaphas." That was the full name of the high priest whorrested Jesus, as documented by Josephus ( Antiquities 18: 2, 2; 4, 3). Inside were the remainf a 60-year-old male, almost certainly those of the Caiaphas of the New Testament. Thisemarkable discovery has, for the first time, provided us with the physical remains of an individamed in the Bible.

aesar Augustus

great politician and administrator, Augustus ruled the Roman empire from 27 B.C.-A.D. 14. I

as Augustus who issued the census decree that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, whesus was born (Luke 2:1-7). Augustus erected for himself a grand mausoleum in Rome, on thast bank of the Tiber River, one quarter mile northwest of the Roman Forum. The remains ex

oday in the middle of the Piazza Augusto Imperatore.

was 285 feet in diameter and 143 feet high, surmounted by a statue of the emperor. His ashere placed in an urn in the center, while those of other members of the dynasty were place inrns in a corridor around a central cylinder. Although some of the urns were found in place byxcavators, the ashes had long since disappeared.

omb of the Patriarchs

he Bible says that Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah and Jacob were buried in Hebron,cave called the Cave of Machpelah, purchased by Abraham (Gen. 23).

raditionally, this cave has been located below the Haram el-Khalil ("sacred precinct of the frief the merciful One, God") in Hebron, today a Muslim mosque. References as early as theellenistic period (2nd century B.C.) testify that this is the authentic location of the burial place

he Patriarchs. The cave was explored by the Augustine Canons in 1119, at which time they cl

o have found the bones of the Patriarchs.

ombs of David and Solomon



hroughout the kingdom period, the kings of Judah were buried withinhe city of David. At the southern end of the City of David, south of the

Old City of Jerusalem, there are two monumental tunnel tombs whichmany scholars believe are the tombs of David and Solomon.

nfortunately, they were damaged by later quarrying, so no identifyingscriptions have survived. In the same area are many Iron Age tombs,ossibly those of other kings of Judah.

One exception to the normal custom was the burial of Uzziah. Since he was a leper, he was nouried with the other kings, but "near them in a field for burial that belonged to the kings, for eople said, 'he had leprosy'" (2 Chr 26:23).

nterestingly, an inscription was found on the Mount of Olives in 1931 dating to the first century

.D. which reads, "Here were brought the bones of Uzziah, King of Judah� do not open."vidently, because of his leprosy, Uzziah's bones were removed from the field belonging to thngs and transferred to yet a more remote location.

yrus the Great

yrus ruled the Persian empire from 559-530 B.C. He is best known for his capture of Babylon39 B.C. Already in the 8th century B.C. Isaiah predicted this defeat (Isaiah 45:1-3), and went o

o say that Cyrus would "set my exiles free' (Isaiah 45:13). That Cyrus released the Jewish exiom Babylon is not only documented in the Bible (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:2-4), but also

mplied in the contemporary Cyrus Cylinder. This ancient record states, "I (Cyrus) gathered allheir former inhabitants and returned to them their habitations."

yrus was buried in a simple gabled stone tomb outside his capital of asargadae in modern Iran. According to the historian Strabo, thisscription once graced the structure, "Oh man, I am Cyrus, the son of ambyses, who founded the empire of Persia, and was king of Asia.rudge me not therefore this monument" (Geography xv.3.7).

arius-I the Great

arius I was king of the Persian empire from 522-486 B.C. He gave permission to renew theebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 6:1-12), which had been discontinued for some 10 years.

is is the first of three monumental tombs cut into a cliff near the Persian capital of Persepolisan. The inscription on his tomb reads,

King Darius states: King, whoever you are, who may arise after me, protect yourself

well from lies. Do not trust the man who lies. � Believe what I did and tell the truth tothe people. Do not conceal (it). If you do not conceal these matters, but you do tell the

people, may Ahura Mayda protect you.�

here are three other tombs at the site, thought to be those of the Persian kings Xerxes (485-4.C.), Artaxerxes I (465-424 B.C.), and Darius II (423-405 B.C.). There are no accompanying

scriptions, however, to be certain of these identifications. Xerxes is the Ahasuerus of the boo

Tunnel t



sther, the king whom Esther married. Ezra was a scribe (Ezra 7:6) and Nehemiah a cupbeareNehemiah 2:1) under Artaxerxes I. He authorized both Ezra and Nehemiah to return toerusalem, Ezra to carry out religious and judicial duties (Ezra 7:12-26), and Nehemiah to rebuhe city walls (Nehemiah 2:1-9). Darius II may be the Darius mentioned in Nehemiah 12:22, buhis is not certain.

likenesses been found of persons named in the Bible

Many of the people mentioned in the Bible are confirmed in sources outside the Bible. In the

ase of royalty, many times a likeness of the individual has been recovered. Over 50 persons

amed in the Old Testament are known outside the Bible, and we have likenesses of 12 of the

ome 27 people named in the New Testament are known from other records, with six likeness

urviving (four of them Roman emperors).

ased on current knowledge of Biblical and Egyptian chronology, the best candidate for the

haraoh of the Exodus is Tuthmosis III, who ruled 1504-1450 B.C. We have many records froms reign.

ikenesses have also been found of these Biblical figures:

Shishak, the Egyptian king who plundered the Temple during the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kin14:25-26).

Jehu, king of Israel, who took power in a bloody coup; the only surviving likeness of a king oIsrael or Judah (2 Kings 9:1-10:36).

Hazael, king of Aram, enemy of Israel (1 Kings 19:15, 17; 2 Kings 8:7-15, 28-29; 9:14-15;

10:32-33; 12:17-18; 13:3, 22, 24,25; Amos 1:4). Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria, who invaded Israel (2 Kings 18:19, 29; 16:7, 10; 1

Chronicles 5:6, 26; 2 Chronicles 28:20).

Sargon II, king of Assyria, who defeated Ashdod and completed the siege of Samaria and tIsraelites into captivity (Isaiah 20:1).

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who attacked Judah but was unable to capture Jerusalem (2Kings 18:13-19:37).

Tirhakah, king of Egypt, who opposed Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:9).

Esarhaddon, king of Assyria, who succeeded his father Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:37).

Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon, whose messengers Hezekiah showed the royal treasumuch to the indignation of Isaiah (2 Kings 20:12-19).

Xerxes I, king of Persia, who made Esther his queen (Esther; Ezra 4:6).

Darius I, king of Persia, who allowed the returning exiles to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem(Ezra 4:24-6:15; Haggai 1:1, 15). Augustus, Roman emperor, 27 B.C.-A.D. 14, when Jesuswas born (Luke 2:1).

Tiberius, Roman emperor, A.D. 14-37, during Jesus' adulthood and crucifixion (Matthew 2221; Mark 12:14-17; Luke 3:1; 20:22-25; 23:2; John 19:12,15).

Claudius, Roman emperor, A.D. 41-54, who ordered the Jews to leave Rome (Acts 11:28;17:7; 18:2).



Herod Agrippa I, ruler of Judea, A.D. 37-44, who persecuted the early church (Acts 12:1-2323:35).

Aretas IV, king of the Nabateans, 9 B.C.-A.D. 40, whose governor in Damascus attempted arrest Paul (2 Corinthians 11:32).

Nero (referred to as Caesar in the New Testament), Roman emperor, A.D. 54-68, who Pauappealed to (Acts 25:11,12,21; 26:32; 28:19; Philippians 4:22).

Man-made structures mentioned in the bible - Have archaeologists found any?

Yes, quite a number of Biblical structures have been excavated. Some of the most interesting are the following:

Old Testamentew Testament

The palace at Jericho where Eglon, king of Moab,was assassinated by Ehud (Judges 3:15-30).

The east gate of Shechem where Gaal and Zebul

watched the forces of Abimelech approach the city

(Judges 9:34-38).

The Temple of Baal/El-Berith in Shechem, where funds were obtained to finance Abimelech

kingship and where the citizens of Shechem took refuge when Abimelech attacked the city

(Judges 9:4, 46-49).

The pool of Gibeon where the forces of David and Ishbosheth fought during the struggle for

kingship of Israel (2 Samuel 2:12-32).

The Pool of Heshbon, likened to the eyes of the Shulammite woman (Song of Songs 7:4).

The royal palace at Samaria where the kings of Israel lived (1 Kings 20:43;

21:1, 2; 22:39; 2 Kings 1:2; 15:25).

The Pool of Samaria where King Ahab's chariot was washed after his death (1 Kings 22:29

38).

The water tunnel beneath Jerusalem dug by King Hezekiah to provide water during the

Assyrian siege (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30).

The royal palace in Babylon where King Belshazzar held the feast and Daniel interpreted th

handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5).

The royal palace in Susa where Esther was queen of the Persian king Xerxes (Esther 1:2; 2

5, 9, 16).

The royal gate at Susa where Mordecai, Esther's cousin, sat (Esther 2:19, 21; 3:2, 3; 4:2; 5

13; 6:10, 12).

The Square in front of the royal gate at Susa where Mordecai met with Halthach, Xerxes'

eunuch (Esther 4:6).

The foundation of the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus cured a man with an unclean

spirit (Mark 1:21-28) and delivered the sermon on the bread of life (John 6:25-59).

The base of the Tower of

Babel in Babylon where

language was confused

(Genesis 11:1-9).

The theater at Ep

T

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The house of Peter at Capernaum where Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law and others

(Matthew 8:14-16).

Jacob's well where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (John 4).

The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a crippled man (John 5:1-14).

The Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9:1-4).

The tribunal at Corinth where Paul was tried (Acts 18:12-17).

The theater at Ephesus where the riot of silversmiths occurred (Acts 19:29). - See picture a

top Herod's palace at Caesarea where Paul was kept under guard (Acts 23:33-35).

oshua's 'long day' - Have NASA computers really proven it?

though we believe that biblical account of Joshua's Long Day is true, the claim that NASA has prove

an old urban myth.

ctually, the claim that astronomical calculations proved that a day was 'missing' began over a centugo. In the last few decades, the myth has been embellished with NASA computers performing those

alculations.

o one who repeats this story has ever provided details of these calculations - how exactly was this

missing day discovered? This should automatically make people cautious. How could you detect a

missing day unless you had a fixed reference point before this day?

n fact we would need to cross check between both astronomical and historical records to detect an

missing day. And to detect a missing 40 minutes requires that these reference points are known to

ithin an accuracy of a few minutes.

is certainly true that the timing of solar eclipses observable from a certain location can be known

recisely. But the ancient records did not record time that precisely, so the required cross check is

mply not possible. Anyway, the earliest historically recorded eclipse occurred in 1217 BC, nearly two

enturies after Joshua.

here is so much good evidence for the truth of creation and the Bible that we don't need to resort t

mbellishments and urban myths.

ow can the "long days" of Joshua and Hezekiah be explained?n Joshua 10, the Bible tells the story of the day when the sun--and time--stopped. The Israelites were fighting themorites in Canaan. During the battle, Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stop, so he would have extra daylighnish the task. Scripture records that this prayer was answered: The sun "delayed going down about a full day" (v. 1

he very objects in the sky that the Amorites worshipped fought against them!

everal modern interpretations of the story have been suggested:

Some say there was no actual miracle, but only the use of poetic language. The Israelitehad fought so hard that it just seemed like two days of work in a row!

Others propose that a cloud shaded the sun, keeping the day cool enough for the fightincontinue all through the afternoon. However, this relief from the heat would have benefitethe enemy as much as Israel.

Similarly, a solar eclipse has been suggested as causing reduced sunlight. But eclipses

the sun last for only a few minutes, not a whole day.



ll of these explanations fall far short of the statement that there has never been another day l

he one described (Joshua 10:14, cf. Habbakuk 3:11 - "...Sun and moon stood still in the

eavens...").

What really happened on that special day? As with all miracles, it is futile to speculate withcientific theories. The details are unclear, but we know that God could have refracted the lighowed the earth's rotation, or stopped the entire universe--all with equal ease!

ime stopped for Joshua, and it ran backwards for Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:9-11).

od used this event as a special sign to show Hezekiah that he would regain his health. Theun's shadow moved backwards by ten steps, probably five to six hours on the sundial. That ishe sun appeared to move eastward instead of westward. The conclusion is again the same, thuch a miracle is beyond scientific explanation.

od may have temporarily reversed the earth's rotation, including all its inhabitants, or the mira Hezekiah's day could have been local instead of worldwide. The latter view is supported by hronicles 32:31, which describes envoys who traveled to the land where the miracle occurred

oshua and Hezekiah both made lofty requests of the Lord, that the very heavens might betered. And God answered their prayers. The sun, moon, and stars obey the Creator who plac

hem in the sky by the power of his word.

as the Garden of Eden ever been found?he Bible says regarding the location of Eden:

And a river went out of Eden, to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into fo

eads."

Genesis 2:10

wo of these rivers are called Hiddekel and Perath. (See: Genesis 2:10-14)

his is why many Christians have assumed that the original garden was located somewhere in the

Mesopotamian region (around present day Iraq) where the modern Tigris and Euphrates rivers flow.

However, the Bible records a devastating worldwide Flood, many centuries after Adam

and Eve were expelled from the Garden. Sedimentary layers sometimes miles thick,

bear mute testimony to this massive watery upheaval which tore apart and buried

forever the pre-Flood world.

fter the Flood, the survivors (Noah's family) moved to the plain of Shinar (Sumeria/Babyloniahich is where we find rivers today called Tigris and Euphrates. These are therefore clearly no

he same rivers. They run on top of Flood-deposited layers of rock containing billions of deadhings (killed by the Flood). These rivers were probably named after the original pre-Flood rive



st as settlers from the British Isles to America and Australasia applied familiar names to manaces in their "new world."

ote also, that the Bible speaks of one river breaking into four. This is not what is found in theMiddle East today.

he Garden was destroyed by the Flood. Its actual location on the globe can never bestablished.

oah's Ark - Has anyone really discovered it?ver the last two decades the search for Noah's Ark has received international attention. Dozens of

xpeditions to the Ararat region of eastern Turkey, mostly by American Christian groups, have led to

umerous claims - but no proof.

Artist's conception of Noah's Ark based on biblicalinformation and reported sightings on Mt. Ararat.

ccording to the Bible, Noah's Ark was a large barge constructed of wood and sealed withtumen. Its overall dimensions were at least 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high with

hree interior decks. A "window" appeared to be constructed around the top (Genesis 6:14-16)ncidentally, the overall size of the Ark makes it the largest seagoing vessel known before the0th century, and its proportions are amazingly similar to the large ocean liners of today.

he Bible says Noah's boat came to rest on "the mountains of Ararat" (Genesis 8:4). "Ararat"robably designated a region (the ancient kingdom of Urartu) and not a specific mountain peakfter Noah and his family left the Ark on the mountain, the boat virtually disappeared from theages of the Bible. Later Biblical writers never suggested they knew itould still be seen.

he mountain called Ararat today is more like a mountain range withwin peaks. Interestingly, there have been numerous reports throughoutstory of a large boat on a mountain in this region. Earliest references

beginning in the 3rd century B.C.) suggested it was common

nowledge that the Ark could still be viewed on Mount Ararat.

eports over the past century range from visits to the vessel, toecovery of wooden timber, to aerial photographs. It is generallyelieved that at least large part of the Ark is intact, not on the highest peak, but somewhere ab

he 10,000 foot level. Apparently encased in snow and ice for most of the year, only during cerarm summers can the structure be witnessed or accessed. Some have spoken of climbing on

he roof, others say they have walked inside.

n the 1980s, "ark-eology" was given an air of respectability with the active participation of form

ASA astronaut James Irwin in expeditions up the mountain. In addition, Ark investigation was

Mt. Ararat in Turkey wh

many "Ark sightings" ha

been reported.

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so given a boost with the breakup of the former Soviet Union, because the mountain was rign the Turkey-Soviet border. Expeditions up the mountain had been considered a security threy the Soviet government.

nfortunately, return visits to proposed sites have produced no further evidence, the whereabof all photographs are presently unknown, and different sightings do not suggest the same

ocation on the mountain. Furthermore, Astronaut

ames Irwin has since died, a purported eyewitness has recently recanted publicly, and thereave been few new expeditions up the mountain in the 1990s. Further expeditions have takenace in the new millennium, but no proof of the Ark has yet been found.

ut efforts are still ongoing. While the Associates for Biblical Research is not engaged in any ohese efforts, we are aware of continued research into ancient reports, further testimony fromyewitnesses and renewed efforts to pinpoint the Ark's resting place. More expeditions areending. If it's up there, we will certainly hear about it.

Note from the Editor (Paul S. Taylor)

Due to a popular Hollywood movie released in theaters in 1976 ("In Search of Noah's Ark"), many

people remain under the impression that Noah's Ark has definitely been found. Particularlymemorable to many people was a fuzzy telephoto photograph of what some thought might be the

Ark. Later expeditions proved that the object was simply a large rock formation.

In the 1980s and 90s, many were misled by network news stories and newspaper articles thatclaimed the Ark had been found at a completely different location. Reports were of a ship-shapedstructure 15 miles from Mt. Ararat. Unfortunately, various exaggerated claims about this site werespread. This location is often referred to as the Durupinar Site. It was internationally promoted byan American nurse anesthetist named Ron Wyatt, known for making inaccurate claims. Geologicsurveys, subsurface radar and core-drilling data later confirmed beyond any doubt that this oddformation is not the Ark. It is merely a geologic feature common throughout the Ararat region.[More Information]

id Noah need oxygen above the mountains?

f mountain climbers need oxygen tanks to climb Mount Everest, how were Noah, his family, a

he animals able to breathe on the Ark when they were above the mountains?" (see Genesis 7

This question presupposes that Mount Everest was the height it is now, and that the air press

ould not have changed at that height above normal sea level with the addition of the flood wa

Mount Everest was not the height it is now during the Flood. Earth's highest mountains haveossils of sea creatures at their tops, showing they were once under the sea. The possibilities ahat...

the sea rose to cover the mountains



or the mountains were once under the sea and have since risen out of the sea,

or a combination of the two.

Measurements suggest that Everest is currently rising at up to 15 centimeters (six inches) per ear. If we extrapolate backwards, taking the rate of rise of 15 cm per year and the current heif Everest (8,848 meters, or 29,028 feet), Everest would have been at sea level only 59,000 yego. If the current rate of rise is only the tail end of what has been happening in the past, the r the past could have been much greater, bringing the origin of Everest to the time of Noah'slood.

reationist scientists currently think that mountains such as the Himalayas were probably builtatastrophic movement of the Earth's continental plates during and after the Flood. The rate ofse now measured is just the remnant of the processes which occurred much faster in the pas

Mountain building occurred as a part of the geologic processes which deepened the oceans toake the waters off the land towards the end of the Flood. Some mountains could have existedefore the Flood, but none like the current Himalayas, Alps, or Andes in height. In any case, thonly enough water on all the Earth to cover mountains about 3 kilometers (2 miles) high, if a

he ocean basins were raised.

o, if the waters were not 9 kilometers deep, but much less, the question is no longer an issue

ven if the flood waters were 9 kilometers deep, would Noah and company have had troublereathing?

bsolutely not. Air pressure is caused by the weight of air above the point where the pressure xperienced. If the water was 9 kilometers deep, then the air that was in that 9 kilometers deepolume of what was atmosphere would have been pushed out and would then have sat above

ater at 9 kilometers above the Earth's surface.

owever, if we assume the worst case scenario of the radius of the Earth increasing by 9lometers due to the water, the surface area of the Earth plus water would have been greater

han the Earth, so that the weight of air would have been spread over a bigger area so that theressure would have been less.

ow much would the air pressure have been reduced? Less than 0.3%. This is equivalent totanding on top of a 30 meter (100 feet) high building at sea level! There would also have beenegligible effect on the pressure due to changes in the force of gravity (which affects the weigh

he air).

is certain, therefore, that those on the Ark would have had no trouble breathing -without oxyanks.

vidences for the worldwide flood of Noah's day

ine Biblical Evidences that the Flood was Global



Some evangelical teachers today are claiming that Noah's flood did not cover the entire Earth

l the mountains of the day. Further, they claim that Noah and the animals floated on a shalloemporary inland sea caused by the flood, somehow covering only the Mesopotamian region.hus, they must claim that the Earth's entire human population was limited to this area, or thatl humans were killed in the flood. Is there really biblical evidence for claims of this nature?

1. All The Mountains Were Covered. The tops of all the high mountains under the entireheavens were at least 20 feet beneath the waters surface (Genesis 7:19-20). It would be

absurd to think that a flood covering the highest mountains of the Middle East would notaffect the rest of the world. In addition, the waters remained at this awesome, mountain-covering height for five months! (Genesis 7:18-24, 8:1-5).

2. The Ark Was Huge. The ark was necessary to prevent the extinction of humans andanimals. If the Flood were merely local, God could have sent them to a safer part of theworld. God warned Noah about the Flood 120 years prior to its start. Surely, Noah and hisfamily could have traveled a great distance in that time. Also, if the Flood was local, the arwas unnecessarily large. Until the first metal ships were constructed in modern times, the was the largest ship ever built. It was big enough to house representative pairs of everycreated-kind of air-breathing, land animal on Earth.

3. Humans Populated The Entire World. After more than 1600 years of habitation on Earththe planet's population was surely large (millions or billions). The Bible confirms that (a) Mhad multiplied upon the face of the Earth (Genesis 6:1), (b) Violence and corruption filled tEarth (Genesis 6:11-12). The Bible is clear that man could not have existed only in theMesopotamian region - a region too small to support such a large population, especiallyconsidering the natural dispersion affect of a violent society.

4. All Humans Were Killed. The Bible clearly teaches that all flesh died...every man (Genes7:21). Genesis 9:1 confirms that only Noah's family was saved and that every person livintoday is descended from his family.

5. All Air-Breathing, Land Animals Killed. The world's entire population of air-breathing, laanimals died, except those taken into the ark (Genesis 7:21) - "everything on Earth" (Gen6:17) - "all living creatures of every kind on the Earth" (Genesis 9:16). If only those animala specific geographic location died, it would seem unnecessary for God to protect pairs inark for the express purpose of preventing their extinction. Surely there would berepresentatives of their kinds in other areas. If, on the other hand, there were some uniqukinds of animals in the local flood's path, then it would seem more logical for God to sendrepresentative pairs out of the area, rather than to the ark, as He did. The Bible is clear thall the air-breathing, land animals perished during the flood, except those preserved withNoah - from which all modern animals are descended.

6. A "Cataclysm," Not A Mere Flood. Both Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (NewTestament) use words to describe Noah's flood which are different than the ordinary wordfor flood. In this way, Noah's flood was represented as a totally unique occurrence. [Hebre"Mabbool" - Greek / "Kataklusmos" (cataclysm)].

7. God's Rainbow Promise. God promised never again to send a global flood (Genesis 8:29:8-17). This promise is demonstrated by the symbol of the rainbow, a sign for God's promto all the Earth. The rainbow is a sign to every living creature, mankind and animals. If thispromise was not made to all creatures on Earth, then God has broken His promise. Localfloods have repeatedly killed hundreds and even thousands of humans and animals sinceNoah's time.



8. Why Stay In The Ark A Year?! Noah was in the ark for more than a year, not just 40 day(Genesis 8:14). 53 weeks is absurdly long to stay in the ark for a local flood since dry landwould have been just over the horizon. After the flood waters had been going down for 4months, the dove could still find no suitable ground (Genesis 8:9). This does not seem to fthe circumstances for a local flood in which the dove could fly to dry land. However, thesesituations are consistent if the Flood was global.

9. The Whole Earth Was Devastated. God said, "I am surely going to destroy both them (thpeople) and the Earth" (Genesis 6:13b). The global extent of the Flood is referred to more

than 30 times in Genesis 6-9 alone! In Isaiah 54:9, God states, "I swore that the waters ofNoah would never again cover the Earth." Peter delivered a clear global warning, confirmithat God created the Earth, devastated it by the Flood, and will one day destroy it again bfire (2 Peter 3:5-7). Peter certainly did not mean that just a local area on Earth would beburned. Just as the Flood was global, so will be the final judgment.

he Bible specifically teaches that the Flood of Noah's time was global in extent and that all aireathing, land animals and all humans were killed, except those saved in the Ark. How could ible be any more clear concerning the global nature of the Flood?! Or, if this was actually a loood, how could the Bible have been any more misleading about its extent?!

What is "Gopher Wood?"

The Hebrew word "gopher " is used only once in the Bible, in Genesis 6:14. God told Noah to

make yourself an ark of gopher wood." Because no one knows for certain what "gopher " meanhis context, the King James Version and the New King James Version simply leave the wordntranslated and say "gopher " wood.

Most modern English versions of the Bible translate it as "cypress." This is probably incorrect areally only a guess supported by very weak evidence. Why cypress? In trying to solve theentity of "gopher wood," some guessed that a transliteration might be involved ("kupar " into

gopher"). Adam Clarke's Commentary says, "supposing the Greek wordkuparissov , cypress, ormed from the Hebrew rpg, gopher ; for take away the termination issov , andhen gopher andkupar will have a near resemblance." Another supposed evidence for "cypressased on the fact that cypress trees are large and strong, and in the post-Flood earth, at leastnce grew abundantly in Chaldea and Armenia. Armenia is where the ark is believed to have

anded, in the mountains of Ararat.

ypress is far from the only guess made by translators. Other trees and plants include pine,edar, fir, ebony (Bockart), wicker (Geddes), juniper (Castellus), acacia (Religious Tract Socieoxwood, or slimed bulrushes (Dawson).

What's wrong with all such guesses that attempt to identify a particular tree or plant witgopher wood?"

irst, if "gopher " is a tree or a plant, it is not necessarily one that still exists today. Many plantsave become extinct. We know little about the kinds of wood available to Noah in the pre-Flooorld. No one today has seen the pre-Flood world; it was destroyed. [See: Has the Garden of

den ever been found?]



econd, we don't know where in the wide world Noah lived; there is little or no evidence, onlyssumptions. Based on even conservative rates of population growth, Earth could easily haveeen widely populated in the 2000 years between Creation and the Flood.

hird, the identification of "gopher " with "cypress" or any other known tree or plant, based onoah's supposed location, ignores the fact that Earth was greatly changed by the Flood.emember that the Flood devastated the entire globe. Here is a quick summary of some of the

elevant events and their ramifications...

ll the fountains of the great deep broke up (implying massive earthquakes and splitting of Earust) (Genesis 7:11). [See: Noah's Flood - Where did the water come from?] Such earth

movements would produce huge tsunamis in the rising seas, producing further devastation. Somassive was the amount of water involved in the Flood that it eventually covered all the highes

lls/mountains (Gen. 7:19). There is no such thing as a worldwide, tranquil flood. In total, suchvents would clearly produce major geologic and geographic changes. Massive devastation anrosion would occur: hundreds and even thousands of feet of sediment would be laid down duuch a catastrophe (the biblical flood lasted more than a year). Massive destruction was clearlhe point of this judgment: the destruction of all humans on the earth (except those protected bhe ark), the erasure of every trace of these extremely evil people and their civilization, startingver with the only remaining Godly family, and leaving Earth changed in ways that would make

more difficult for evil to rapidly spread and dominate the globe--as it had in the physically morearadise-like, pre-Flood world which was much closer to the way God created it.

ased on the size of this historic event and evidence from the geologic record, pre-Flood andost-Flood geography probably do not correspond well. This is another reason why we cannotnow the approximate latitude/longitude of the ark's construction site.

ourth, the location of the ark's landing is not very relevant. Remember that the post-Flood arkoated around for five months on tumultuous water. It could have traveled far from its constructe.

n summary, if "gopher " refers to a type of tree or plant, we lack sufficient evidence to determins identity.

is possible that "gopher " refers to a PROCESS or METHOD used to prepare the wood o construct the ark.

xamples:

. The words "gopher " and "ets" (wood) used in Genesis 6:14 are translated in the Septuagi(LXX.) as "squared beams."

2. The Vulgate version translated these same words as "planed wood." 3. Some researchers have suggested that "gopher " may have referred to a lamination proce

which might have been necessary considering the huge size of the ark (450 feet long or more). If true, the correct translation would be "laminated wood." The Christian ApologeticResearch Ministry suggests that the true meaning of the word "gopher " may be found in amodern dictionary, and that forms of the word may still be in use today. "In the ConciseOxford Dictionary 1954 edition under the word 'gofer , gaufre, goffer , gopher , and gauffer s

also wafer' it speaks of a number of similar things ranging from wafers as in biscuit making



(layers of biscuit) or in a honeycomb pattern, to layers of lace in dressmaking, and hencegoffering irons to iron the layers of lace."

4. Due to the similarity between a "g" and a "k" in the Hebrew alphabet (both resemble abackwards "C"), some have suggested that the first letter in the word "gopher" could be ascribal error, and that the word should be "kopher ." Kopher is a Hebrew word translated a"pitch" in Genesis 6:14. Pitch is a waterproof covering. (No one knows for sure what kind opitch Noah used). But if this scribal error theory is correct, then the verse would properlyread, in effect, "Make yourself an ark of pitched wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it

inside and outside with pitch."

he bottom-line is that this ancient word remains a mystery. It is just one of many things I lookorward to asking Noah about, when I get to Heaven.

ould Noah's Ark really hold all the animals preserved in the flood?growing number of scientists believe that geological evidence indicates our world has undergon

atastrophic flood. This is causing them to question whether or not the biblical account of Noah's aould be true. Many people are rereading the Biblical description of the Ark to ascertain the feasibf such a vessel to fulfill its designated purpose in light of present day knowledge of both zoology

ur present day knowledge of shipbuilding.

ow big was Noah's Ark?

And God said unto Noah... Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt though make in therk, and thou shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shal

make it of... the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, andhe height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finishbove; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side therof; with lower, second, and thirdtories shalt thou make it." (Gen. 6:14-16)

Most Hebrew scholars believe the cubit to have been no less than 18 inchlong [45.72 centimeters]. This means that the ark would have been at lea450 feet long [137.16 meters], 75 feet wide [22.86 meters] and 45 feet hig[13.716000000000001 meters]. Noah's Ark was said to have been thelargest sea-going vessel ever built until the late nineteenth century whengiant metal ships were first constructed. Its length to width ratio of six to oprovided excellent stability on the high seas. In fact, modern shipbuilders it would have been almost impossible to turn over. In every way, it wasadmirably suited for riding out the tremendous storms in the year of the flo

hese dimensions are especially interesting when compared to those given in the mythical,abylonian account of the Ark. Here the ark is described as a perfect cube, extending 120 cub all directions and with nine decks. Such a vessel would spin slowly round and round in theater and from the standpoint of stability, would be a disaster.

ut was the ark big enough to hold the number of animals required?

he total available floor space on the ark would have been over 100,000 square feet, which woe more floor space than in 20 standard-sized basketball courts.

cubit is the distance

tween an adult's elbow and

p of the finger, no less than

-inches [45.72

ntimeters]. (Scene from

he World that Perished.)





The total cubic volume would have been 1,518,000 cubic feet [462,686.4cubic meters] --that would be equal to the capacity of 569 modern railroadstock cars.

Now comes the question, how many land dwelling air breathing animalswould have had to be taken aboard the ark to survive the flood?

According to Ernest Mayr, America's leading taxonomist, there are over 1million species of animals in the world.

However, the vast majority of these are capable of surviving in water anwould not need to be brought aboard the ark. Noah need make noprovision for the 21,000 species of fish or the 1,700 tunicates (marinechordates like sea squirts) found throughout the seas of the world, or th600 echinoderms including star fish and sea urchins, or the 107,000mollusks such as mussels, clams and oysters, or the 10,000 coelenteralike corals and sea anemones, jelly fish and hydroids or the 5,000 speciof sponges, or the 30,000 protozoans, the microscopic single-celledcreatures.

In addition, some of the mammals are aquatic. For example, the whalesseals and porpoises. The amphibians need not all have been included,

or all the reptiles, such as sea turtles, and alligators. Moreover, a large number of the arthropumbering 838,000 species, such as lobsters, shrimp, crabs and water fleas and barnacles are

marine creatures. And the insect species among arthropoda are usually very small. Also, manyhe 35,000 species of worms as well as many of the insects could have survived outside the A

ow many animals needed to be brought aboard?

octors Morris and Whitcomb in their classic book, "The Genesis Flood," state that no more th5,000 individual animals needed to go on the ark. In his well documented book, Noah's Ark: Aeasibility Study , John Woodmorappe suggests that far fewer animals would have beenansported upon the ark. By pointing out that the word "specie" is not equivalent to the "creatends" of the Genesis account, Woodmorappe credibly demonstrates that as few as 2,000 anim

may have been required on the ark. To pad this number for error, he continues his study byhowing that the ark could easily accommodate 16,000 animals.)

ut, let's be generous and add on a reasonable number to include extinct animals. Then add oome more to satisfy even the most skeptical. Let's assume 50,000 animals, far more animalshan required, were on board the ark, and these need not have been the largest or even adultpecimens.

emember there are really only a few very large animals, such as the dinosaur or the elephannd these could be represented by young ones. Assuming the average animal to be about theze of a sheep and using a railroad car for comparison, we note that the average double-decktock car can accommodate 240 sheep. Thus, three trains hauling 69 cars each would have

mple space to carry the 50,000 animals, filling only 37% of the ark. This would leave an

suming an 18-inch cubit

5.72 centimeters], Noah'sk would have had a cubic

lume equal to 569 modernlroad stock cars.

od only provided the Ark for

e protection of humans and

nd-dwelling, air-breathing

eatures. A huge number of

imals would not need to be

ken aboard the Ark because

ey are water dwellers.

epresentatives would be

pected to survive the

tastrophe. With God's

otection against extinction

uring the Deluge, survival

ould have been assured.

cene from The World that

erished, a Christian motion

cture about the Flood)






dditional 361 cars or enough to make 5 trains of 72 cars each to carry all of the food andaggage plus Noah's family of eight people. The Ark had plenty of space.

he bigger problem would have been the construction of the Ark. But the Bible indicates thatoah did this under Divine guidance and there is no reason to believe he did not hire additionaorkmen.

ow were the animals gathered?

nother enormous problem some have posed is the problem of gathering specimens of each kf air-breathing land animal and bringing them aboard the Ark. However, the Genesis accountdicates that God gathered the animals and brought them to Noah inside the ark two by two.ome have suggested this may have involved the origin of animal migratory instincts or, at lean intensification of it. We also know that most animals possess the ability to sense danger an

move to a place of safety.

ow could Noah's family take care of all those animals?

Once aboard, many have suggested that Noah's problems really began,

with only 8 people to feed and water, to provide fresh air and sanitation fthe huge menagerie of animals for a total of 371 days. However, a numbof scientists have suggested that the animals may have gone into a typedormancy. It has been said that in nearly all groups of animals there is aleast an indication of a latent ability to hibernate or aestivate. Perhaps thabilities were supernaturally intensified during this period. With their bod

unctions reduced to a minimum, the burden of their care would have been greatly lightened.

onclusion

is evident, when all the facts are examined that there is no scientific evidence that the biblicaccount of Noah's ark is a myth or fable. The facts support the view that Noah's ark was largenough to carry the number of animals required to repopulate the earth after the flood and thatoah and his family were capable of caring for the animals during their time on the Ark.

he flood of Noah's day was a universal judgment of sin. God destroyed the world that existedhat time because of their wickedness. When we look at nature, with its testimonies to the floode are viewing a reminder that God does judge sin. It is also a reminder that God will save thoho have faith in Him from judgment. God promised that He would never again destroy the woith water, but that a future judgment would take place. Jesus Christ came into the world to die

or our sins and to restore man's relationship with God, so that we need not fear His judgment.

oah pleaded with the people of his day to have faith in God. They would not listen andoor to the ark was closed. Now, Christ is calling unto the world to once again have faitod. Will you answer His calling and be saved from future judgment? The decision isours.

oah with the animals, as

picted in the motion picture,he World that Perished.

