Is the Old Testament Historical

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http://www.truthnet.org/Christianity/Apologetics/oldtestamenthistorical9 1

The Problem: If the Bible is Gods word it

should not only be spiritually true but also factuallytrue.

The Bible records the history of Godsinteraction with mankind. We therefore should beable to verify events that occurred. The question weshould ask is, Are the historical claims validated infacts outside the bible?

Some tend to view the Christian faith as aform of circular reasoning. The perception of theskeptical world can be summed up in the following

way.Christianity is based on the Bible. The Bible

is a book of faith. If you believe the Bible based on

faith then Christianity is real to you. Sciences on the other hand is described as ObjectiveandReal dealing with facts.

Archeology: Comes from the Greek words; Archaio + logos The orderly arrangement of ancientthings

By comparing the places and events in the Bible to actual physical evidence we candemonstrate the truthfulness of the Bible in historical matters. By showing the Bible is correct onhistorical events does not prove the Bible is correct on spiritual matters. But it does dismiss criticsclaims about the Bible not being True. And brings us to the following conclusion. if the Bible istrue on these historical events then its claims of Revelation about events in the future can alsobe trusted

Cyrus the Great was both a biblical and historical person. The Bible tells us after the

defeat of Babylon by the combined Median-Persian Empire. The Persian empire had a differentphilosophy then the Babylonian on its Jewish captives.Cyrus made a proclamation permitting the people of Judah to return home and to rebuild

the Temple. 2 Chron 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4). This is event in the bible can be validated withPersian documents, and history. The Cylinder of Cyrus gives us the declaration from Cyrushimself. We can actually go to his tomb to validate his history. This same claim cannot be madefor many books.

The Koran for example writes about Jesus 600 years after the events with conflictingclaims about historical events. The Book of Mormon also claims to be a book with a historicalbasis. To this day no claims from the Book of Mormon have been archeologically verified. So ifa book cannot be proved True on a historical basis the logical question would be, why would itbe true on a spiritual basis?

In this way the logical test of Truth can be validated If what a prophet proclaims in thename of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken

Deut 18:21.

Apologetics Outreach: Challenging the Secular

9. Is the Old Testament Historical

Tomb of Cyrus the Great

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Sumerian King List

The Sumerians established the firstcivilization in the biblical world.Several clay tablets and prismscontaining the list of the kings havebeen found in the ruins ofMesopotamia.

Surviving copies of the Sumerian kinglist date to 2100 BC

What is amazing is that the kings aredivided into two groups. Those whoruled before a great flood and thosewho ruled after it. Equally amazing isthat the lengths of reigns and lifespans of these kings drasticallydecreased after the flood as did life

spans of people recorded in the Bible.

Ancient Flood storyAccounts of massive floods are foundin many cultures around the world.The Gilgamesh Epic the saga of anancient Babylonian King, (Gilgamesh)includes an expanded flood story onTablet 11, similar to the flood story ofGenesis 6-9. The best known copy ofthe Epic was found at Nineveh on aseries of baked clay tablets.

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Copies of the Epic and other floodstories have been found in the NearEast. The popularity of the floodtheme argues for its historicity andsupports the flood of Noahs time.Tablet 11 (Right) of the GilgameshEpic tells of a great flood brought onearth by the wrath of gods andincludes a hero who is told to build aship, to take every kind of animal

along, and to use birds to check if thewater had receded

Ur, Hometown of AbrahamUr is mentioned as the hometown ofAbraham 4 times. Ur has beenoccupied before 2000 BC.Since 1800 Excavations have in thecity have occurred have revealed agreat deal about the city. TheZiguratit of Ur has been uncoveredfrom the city.

Finds show that Abrahams ancestralhome had been a powerful city-statebefore it fell. If Urs decline and fallcame during Abraham's time,perhaps archaeology has providedanother clue as to why AbrahamAbraham's father relocated his familyto Haran. Both cities worshiped themoon god. Gen. 11:31, 15:7, Neh 9:7,Acts 7:24

Hittite CapitalThe ancient Hittites large capital city

has been recovered about 90 mileseast of Ankara, Turkey. The Hittitesrule extended to Syria and Lebanonin the 2nd millennium BC.The city fell around 1200 BC.Although Hittites are mentioned oftenin the Old Testament, almost nothingwas known about them until moderntimes. One hundred years ago, criticsthought the Hittites were an imaginarypeople made up by the biblicalauthors.

Finding the Hittite's empire forcedthat claim to be withdrawn and

supported the biblical record. The findalso helps explained the language,history and literature of people whoappear in the Old Testament. Fromthe Hittites Abraham purchased aburial site in the cave of Machpeallah.

Mereptah SteleThe hieroglyphic text of the stelemade in Egypt describes the victories

of Pharaoh Merneptah around 1230BC over the Libyans and people ofPalestine. The stele stands morethan seven feet high. The MerneptahStele contains the earliest extrabiblical mention of the name Israelthus far known. The Egyptianpharaoh brags of a victory over Israelaround 1230 BC.

Although this battle between Egyptand Israel is not mentioned in the OldTestament, the stele does show that

the Israelites were in fact living in thePromised Land at that time, and thattheir entrance into the land hadalready taken place by 1230 BC.

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Jericho,The earliest ruins at Jericho date tothe Stone Age (Neolithic). A tower

(right) found in the Jericho ruins datesback before Abraham's time. Thetower is made from stones obtainedwhen the surrounding moat was cut.It was connected to a mud brick wall.There is debate over whetherJoshuas wall of Jericho has beenfound. Massive erosion has removedmuch of the remains of the periodand mud bricks could easily erodeaway over the centuries

The biblical importance of Jericho isunderscored by the fact that it isreferred to more than 50 times in the

Old Testament. Perhaps the mostsignificant references are those inJoshua 6, which tell of the Israeliteconquest of the city, their first victoryin the Promised land. Archaeologyhas shown where the city once stood,and that it guarded the key spot forentering into the Promised Land fromthe east.

Canaanite gods and goddessesBetween 1929-1939 excavatorsfound hundreds of stories aboutCanaanite gods and goddesses

written on clay tablets among theruins of the ancient city of Ugarit inmodern Syria.The Old Testament repeatedly refersto gods and goddesses, like Baal andAshtaroth worshipped by theCanaanites living among theIsraelites in the Promised land

The importance of these finds aretheir affirmation of the biblical recordregarding pagan influences on Israeland their struggle to overcome them.

The prophets of Israel stronglywarned Gods people to not worshipthese gods in Numbers 25, 1 Kings11, Jeremiah 23, and Hosea 13

Shishaks InvasionA record of Pharaoh Shishaks raid of140 places, including the kingdom ofJudah, has been found in Egyptcarved on a wall in the KarnakTemple of Amum, god of Thebes(Luzor today). The Shishak Relief(Sheshonk I) commemorates hisvictory over Rehoboam whenSolomons temple was robbed of itsriches (925BC). The Relief showsthat Egypt raided Israel, not justJudah.

According to the Old Testament (1Kings 14 and 2 Chronicles 12),Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt invadedJudah during the fifth year of KingRehoboams reign. Shishak, king ofEgypt, came up against Jerusalembecause they had transgressedagainst the LORD, with 1200chariots, and 60,000 horsemen; andthe people were without number thatcame with him out of Egypt (2Chronicles 12:2-3). Other verses thatrefer to Thebes (the city of No) inEgypt are Jeremiah 46:25 andEzekiel 30:14-16

Pool at GibeonThis remarkable pool, dating tobefore 1000BC, was found largelyintact in Gibeon six miles north ofJerusalem in excavations around

1956. The pool of Gibeon goes down80 feet. The original diggersremoved 3000 tons of limestone. Atunnel of the pool runs under the cityto an outside spring. This internalwater supply was important in case ofsiege.

2 Samuel 2:13 and Jeremiah 41:12speak of a great water pool atGibeon. The find verifies the locationof the Pool at Gibeon as mentioned inthe Bible and shows the great effort

taken to have a secure source ofwater.

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House of David Inscription(Dan Inscription)In 1993 and 1994 an archaeologistworking at the Old Testament site ofthe city of Dan found three pieces ofan inscribed stone referring to DavidThis stone inscribed in Aramaic with

the expression The house of Davidrefers to King Davids descendants.Originally part of a victory pillar o f aneighboring king of Damascus(possibly Hazael),

The Tel Dan inscription is a veryimportant find because it is the firstreference to King David found outsideof the Bible.The stone has been dated to 2-3centuries after Davids time. Itmentions a king of Israel possibly

Joram son of Ahab and a King of theHouse of David possibly Ahaziah ofJudah.

House of Yahweh OstraconThis find appears to be a receipt for adonation of three shekels of silver tothe House of Yahweh (SolomonsTemple). This Ostracon (writing on apiece of pottery) is 4 inches wide and3.5 tall. It is not known where it wasfound. Some scholars date it between835 and 796 BC, some 130 years

after the Temple was built.

This extremely important find is theoldest mention of Solomons Templethat has been found outside of theBible.

Jeroboam sealExcavations at several sites inmodern Israel and antiquity shopshave turned up carved semi-preciousstones belonging to members of theroyal courts of kings in the OldTestament.Dating from about 900 BC to about600 BC, these stones were used topress images into pieces of clay thatsealed up kings importantdocuments.

Seals were found for Uzziah(around760 BC), Hoshea around 730 BC),and Hezekiah (around 700 BC).One of the most famous seals, foundat Medgiddo, depicts a lion withwords, belonging to Shema, servantof Jeroboam. Seals with the namesof other kings were found also (See 1and 2 Kings)

The Moabite StoneIn 1868, A German missionary founda stone slab over three feet tall nearDibon, east of the Dead Sea.Inscribed on the stone were theaccomplishments of Mesha, King ofMoab around 850 BC. This stone issometimes called the Mesha Stele.

The Moabite stone is one of theearliest finds that mentions biblicalpeople. The stone says that KingOmri and his son Ahab humbledMoab for many years. After Ahabsdeath, King Mesha said he hadTriumphed over Ahabs family andthat Israel had perished forever.Some scholars say that the stonealso contains a reference to theHouse of David

Black Obelisk of ShalmaneserThis 6.5 foot tall black basalt obelisk(Four sided pillar) reports in picturesand words the conquests of AssyrianKing Shalmaneser III Israels foe.

This find is the only picture we haveso far of an Israelite king. This is thefirst mention of tribute paid to Assyriaby Israel. King Jehus reign ismentioned in 2 Kings 9-10.

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King Uzziah Burial PlaqueA stone plaque, found on the groundsof the Russian church on the Mt. OfOlives, reads: here, the bones ofUzziah, King of Judah were brought.Do not open. King Uzziah ruledJudah 792-740 BC, at the same time

that Amos, Hosea and Isaiah wereprophesying. He was 16 years oldwhen he became king and he reignedin Jerusalem for 52 years. As long ashe sought the LORD God gave himsuccess.

According to 2 Chronicles 26, Uzziahsinned against the LORD and wasstricken with a leprous diseasetoward the end of his life and uponhis death was buried in a field ofburial that belonged to the kings

Siloam CarvingThe inscription comes from the daysof Hezekiah (701 BC) who orderedthe tunnel to be made so the waterfrom Jerusalems Gihon Spring couldbe brought in to the city to a man-made reservoir, The Pool of Siloam.This tunnel provided water toJerusalem during the anticipated

siege of the King Sennacherib ofAssyria.

The inscription celebrates thecompletion of this remarkable tunnelas mentioned in 2 Kings 20:20, 2Chronicles 32:20.

Two boys discovered this ancientHebrew inscription carved in stonealong the wall of a tunnel as theywere wading through the southern

end of the tunnels waters in 1880.

The Gezer CalendarThis small palm-sized limestonetablet bears one of the first examplesof Hebrew writing known (971-913BC)Found at Gezer, one of KingSolomon's fortress cities, this tabletcontains a school memorization drill-ashort poem about he the agriculturalseasons in biblical Palestine.

The text gives insight into whencertain tasks were done during theagricultural year. It shows literacy inthe 10 th century BC.

The Lachish ReliefsAmong the ruins of the Nineveh

palace of Assyrian King Sennecheribwere found 62 foot long relief's thatpicture the fall of the Judean fortressof Lachish in 701 BC, over 100 yearsbefore the attack on and fall of Judah.

These Nineveh palace carvings of theLachish defeat amplify the biblical

record concerning the siege of thekingdom of Judah in the days of KingHezekiah. In 2 Kings 18:13 it saysNow in the 14th year of KingHezekiah did Sennacherib, king ofAssyria, come up against all thefenced cities of Judah, and tookthem. However, before the Assyrianscould capture Jerusalem they weredestroyed by Gods angelandSennacherib withdrew (2 Kings20:35, 2 Chronicles 32)

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Sennacherib PrismA 15-inch tall, six-sided baked clayprism from ancient Assyria containsthe story of the invasion of thekingdom of Judah by Sennacherib in701 BC. The prism was found atNineveh.

King Sennacerib of Assyria ismentioned in 2 kings 18-19. Isaiahprophesied that God would protectJerusalem against attack bySennacherib (Is 36-37, 2 Chron. 32).While the prism does say theAssyrians trapped Hezekiah inJerusalem like a bird in a cage, likethe biblical record, it says nothing ofthem conquering the city.

The Bible says that God sparedJerusalem. The prism, together withthe Lachish reliefs and excavations,adds detail to the biblical account.King Hezekaih prayed to the Lord.Isaiah brought him Gods message.That night the LORD smote 185,000

Assyrians, and Sennacaherb wentback to Nineveh and later was killedby his sons (Isaiah 37:35-38)

Lachish LettersIn 1935 an archaeologist unearthedseveral letters, written about 588 BC,on 21 pottery pieces (ostrata) fromamong the burned ruins of the

ancient city Lachish of Judah.The lachish messages weredesperate pleas by the Judeandefenders of the city for militaryassistance. Apparently the city wasconquered by Nebuchadnezzarbefore the letters could be sent.

The letters show Judah was trying toobtain help form Egypt, relying onman rather than God. One Ostraconmentions that no fire signals fromanother defense city, Azekah could

be seen. Jeremiah 34:2-7,prophesied the conquest of Judah,destruction of Jerusalem, and exile toBabylon. 2 Kings 24-25

City of BabylonThe Ruins of ancient Babylon, capitalof Babylonian Kingdom, cover 2000-3000 acres in Iraq, 56 miles south ofBaghdad.

Babylons ruins include one of manyziggurats (Stepped towers) from thearea.Later finds include ruins of the palaceofKing Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:29)The palace of Nebuchadnezzar, whodestroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC and

sent the Jews into exile, was the siteof Belshazzars feast in Daniel 5.Jeremiah wrote that the Lord wouldmake Babylon desolate forever (Jer25:12, 51)

The Babylonian ChronicleThis clay tablet is a Babylonianchronicle recording events from 605-594 BC. It was first translated in 1956and is now in the British Museum.The cuneiform text on this clay tablettells, among other things3 main events:1 The Battle of

Carchemish (famous battle for worldsupremacy where Nebuchadnezzarof Babylon defeated Pharaoh Nechoof Egypt, 605 BC.),2 The Accessionto the Throne of Nebuchadnezzar II,the Chaldean, 3. Capture ofJerusalem on the 16th of March, 598BC.

Regarding the capture of Jerusalemthe clay tablet reads:"In the seventh month (ofNebuchadnezzar-599 BC.) in themonth Chislev (Nov/Dec) the king ofBabylon assembled his army, andafter he had invaded the land of Hatti(Syria/Palestine) he laid siege to the

city of Judah. On the second day ofthe month of Adara (16th of March)he conquered the city and took theking (Jehoiachin) prisoner. Heinstalled in his place a king(Zedekiah) of his own choice, andafter he had received rich tribute, hesent (them) forth to Babylon."

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Babylon nations recordTablets found in Babylon, dated 595BC and 570 BC. List rations of oil andbarley delivered by the royalstorehouses to the deposedJehoiachin and his entourage

This is important because it confirmswhat the biblical account of histreatment in 2 Kings 25:27.Jehoiachin was released by Evil-merodach, Nebuchadnezzarssuccessor in 37th year of his captivity(561 BC)

The Cyrus CylinderThe 9-inch long clay cylinder found atancient Babylon, dating to 539 BC,tells of King Cyrus of Persiasconquest of Babylon and of hisdecree to let captives held byBabylon return to their lands andrestore their temples.

Cyrus sent the Jews back to theirhomeland after many years of exile inBabylon as Isaiah prophesied (2Chron. 36:23, Ezra 1, Is 44:28)This Return-home decree was oneof many issued by Cyrus. Throughnot mentioning Judah, it confirms thatthis was Cyruss policy and givescredibility to the biblical record.

Darius The GreatThe tombs of Persian kings, Darius I,Artaxerexes I and Darius II are atNaqsh-i-Rustum. Along with theTombs, the autobiography, the text

which is carved in the rock atBehistun and known to the GreekHistorian Herodotus tells the story ofhis rise to power.

Darius was involved in the rebuildingof the Jewish temple in Ezra 5-6.Darius son Xerxes was the King inthe book of Ester. Darius grandsonArtaxerexes I allowed Nehemiah to

go back to Jerusalem and rebuild thecity and walls. (Neh 2:8)

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Is the Old Testament Historical