"Personal explanations tend to satisfy causal questions in a way that impersonal explanations don't." John Frame
Evidence for God — Archeology
VI. Evidence of God and the Bible through Archeology
A. Reliability of Old Testament
[Archeology and the Bible.html - Extensive list of findings; See also: www.tektonics.org/]
1. Locations
a. The discovery of the Clay Tablet at Ebla written around 2300B.C. and found in northern Syria in the 1970's demonstrate that the names and places in the Patriarchal accounts are authentic. Even ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari. The name "Caanan" and the word "tehom" used in Genesis 1:2 were also used in their vocabulary.
www.mazzaroth.com/ChapterFour/Ebla.htm
www.abu.nb.ca/ecm/pictures/2002/sept.htm
b. The Philistine city Ashkelon referred to in the Bible has been found. (Judges 14:19).
www.fas.harvard.edu/~semitic/ashkelon/ashkelon_dig2.html
www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/PROJ/ASH/NN_Spr95/NN_Spr95.html
joseph_berrigan.tripod.com/ancientbabylon/id23.html
2. Individuals
a. Amraphel, King of Shinar -- The existence of this man was verified by testimony of a large stone with ancient laws written on it that was discovered by a French archaeologist in 1901 in Persia. www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amraphel Genesis 14:1 — At this time Amraphel, King of Shinar...
b. King David, Israel's second king, ca. 1010-970 BC, appears in two ninth century BC texts, the Tel Dan Inscription and the Moabite stone (2 Samuel 5:3).
www.ucg.org/articles/gn14/archaeol.html
www.ucg.org/articles/gn39/ancient.html
graal.co.uk/houseofdavid.html with pictures
3. Nations
a. The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered by Dr. Hugo Winckler at Bogazkoy, Turkey. Excavation of these ruins by a German expedition began in 1906. (Genesis 15:20).
www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/HITTITES.HTM
www.crystalinks.com/hittites.html
archaeology.about.com/gi/dynamic/hittites.htm
b. Until recently, many scholars doubted the existence of the Philistines. But, as with so much of the biblical text, the more archeologists dig, the more they confirm the historical character of the biblical narratives. www.theunholytrinity.org/cracks_smileys/contrib/ruinkai/coolgleamA.gif
www.bridgesforpeace.com/publications/dispatch/archaeology/
4. Events
a. City of Pithom - When this Egyptian city was unearthed recently, it was discovered that the walls of its dwellings strangely consisted of bricks that contained straw and were completed with bricks that did not contain straw just as the book of Exodus said it happened. "You are not longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw." (Exodus 5:7) www.ccel.org/pipeline/1-olbtext/4-easton-ebd/T0002950
b. The revolt of Moab against Israel (2 Kings 1:1; 3:4-27) and tribe of Gad (Joshua 13:24-28) recorded on the Mesha or Moabite Inscription.
www.jordanjubilee.com/history/mesha.htm
B. Reliability of New Testament
www.themoorings.org/apologetics/Gospels/relia1.html
www.themoorings.org/apologetics/Gospels/relia2.html
www.themoorings.org/apologetics/Gospels/relia3.html
1. Historically accurate to names
2. Historically accurate to locations
3. Historically accurate to events
[Archeology and the Bible.html - Extensive list of findings; See also section: XIII. Documents forming the New Testament. D. 5. New Testament documents]