What do you think about this (archology proves the bible)?

By Richard M. Fales, Ph.D.





No other ancient book is questioned or maligned like the Bible. Critics looking for the flyspeck in the masterpiece allege that there was a long span between the time the events in the New Testament occurred and when they were recorded. They claim another gap exists archaeologically between the earliest copies made and the autographs of the New Testament. In reality, the alleged spaces and socalled gaps exist only in the minds of the critics. Manuscript Evidence.





Aristotle’s Ode to Poetics was written between 384 and 322 B.C. The earliest copy of this work dates A.D. 1100, and there are only forty-nine extant manuscripts. The gap between the original writing and the earliest copy is 1,400 years. There are only seven extant manuscripts of Plato’s Tetralogies, written 427–347 B.C. The earliest copy is A.D. 900—a gap of over 1,200 years. What about the New Testament? Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30. The New Testament was written between A.D. 48 and 95. The oldest manuscripts date to the last quarter of the first century, and the second oldest A.D. 125. This gives us a narrow gap of thirty-five to forty years from the originals written by the apostles. From the early centuries, we have some 5,300 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Altogether, including Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic, we have a whopping 24,633 texts of the ancient New Testament to confirm the wording of the Scriptures. So the bottom line is, there was no great period between the events of the New Testament and the New Testament writings. Nor is there a great time lapse between the original writings and the oldest copies.





With the great body of manuscript evidence, it can be proved, beyond a doubt, that the New Testament says exactly the same things today as it originally did nearly 2,000 years ago. Corroborating Writings. Critics also charge that there are no ancient writings about Jesus outside the New Testament. This is another ridiculous claim. Writings confirming His birth, ministry, death, and resurrection include Flavius Josephus (A.D. 93), the Babylonian Talmud (A.D. 70–200), Pliny the Younger’s letter to the Emperor Trajan (approx. A.D. 100), the Annals of Tacitus (A.D. 115–117), Mara Bar Serapion (sometime after A.D. 73), and Suetonius’ Life of Claudius and Life of Nero (A.D. 120).





Another point of contention arises when Bible critics have knowingly or unknowingly misled people by implying that Old and New Testament books were either excluded from or added into the canon of Scripture at the great ecumenical councils of A.D. 336, 382, 397, and 419. In fact, one result of these gatherings was to confirm the Church’s belief that the books already in the Bible were divinely inspired. Therefore, the Church, at these meetings, neither added to nor took away from the books of the Bible. At that time, the thirty-nine Old Testament books had already been accepted, and the New Testament, as it was written, simply grew up with the ancient Church. Each document, being accepted as it was penned in the first century, was then passed on to Christians of the next century. So, this foolishness about the Roman Emperor Constantine dropping books from the Bible is simply uneducated rumor.





Fulfilled Prophecies


Prophecies from the Old and New Testaments that have been fulfilled also add credibility to the Bible. The Scriptures predicted the rise and fall of great empires like Greece and Rome (Daniel 2:39, 40), and foretold the destruction of cities like Tyre and Sidon (Isaiah 23). Tyre’s demise is recorded by ancient historians, who tell how Alexander the Great lay siege to the city for seven months. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had failed in a 13-year attempt to capture the seacoast city and completely destroy its inhabitants. During the siege of 573 B.C., much of the population of Tyre moved to its new island home approximately half a mile from the land city. Here it remained surrounded by walls as high as 150 feet until judgment fell in 332 B.C. with the arrival of Alexander the Great. In the seven-month siege, he fulfilled the remainder of the prophecies (Zechariah 9:4; Ezekiel 26:12) concerning the city at sea by completely destroying Tyre, killing 8,000 of its inhabitants and selling 30,000 of its population into slavery. To reach the island, he scraped up the dust and rubble of the old land city of Tyre, just like the Bible predicted, and cast them into the sea, building a 200-footwide causeway out to the island. Alexander’s death and the murder of his two sons was also foretold in the Scripture. Another startling prophecy was Jesus’ detailed prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction, and the further spreading of the Jewish diaspora throughout the world, which is recorded in Luke 21. In A.D. 70, not only was Jerusalem destroyed by Titus, the future emperor of Rome, but another prediction of Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:1,2 came to pass—the complete destruction of the temple of God.





Messianic Prophecies


In the Book of Daniel, the Bible prophesied the coming of the one and only Jewish Messiah prior to the temple’s demise. The Old Testament prophets declared He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14), be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12,13), die by crucifixion (Psalm 22), and be buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9). There was only one person who fits all of the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament who lived before A.D. 70: Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary. Yes, the Bible is an amazing book. (See also 1 Peter 1:25 footnote.)

What do you think about this (archology proves the bible)?
oh non-believers won't even read all that. they'll just ignore your wonderful question and go on sinning and maligning the name of the Lord. well, they are of the devil after all, so it's understandable.





God bless you.
Reply:you could have inserted a picture or a drawing in between man...
Reply:Yes...Amen! The Bible is a very amazing book, in fact, it's God's love letter to mankind. Very well said and presented. PEACE!!!
Reply:Too long, too stupid.
Reply:*yawn*
Reply:One copy and paste job deserves another:





"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful."





Seneca the Younger
Reply:archology proves the bible, also Adolf Hitler was a good man, and George Bush is a great president.
Reply:I do my studies from the manuscripts themselves, that way, if a verse is not translated properly, or has been tamperd with, it sticks out like a sore thumb.'


Oh, I wanted to tell you:





When Christ was on the Cross, and said


"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?", people think that it was a weak moment in Him, since he was, after all, in the flesh. Well, actually Christ never called the Father, "God", He called Him "Father";


what jesus was doing was reciting Psalms 22, which was written 1000 years before.


Christ was even teaching while hanging on the Cross, telling us that prophecy was being fulfilled.
Reply:Did you have a question or did you just want to see if we'd actually read all that?
Reply:Every time they set out to prove the Bible wrong they dig up something new to prove it right.
Reply:*yaaaawwwwnnn*





Oh goodness, is it over yet? I'm sorry, what was the question? Oh that's right, there wasn't one, you just copied and pasted some giant bunch of crap.
Reply:So if they prove Troy to be real that means there are other deities aside from the christian deity - a whole pantheon of them.





The bible shows itself as a non-fiction book but has no bibliography, no citations, no footnotes. There is no way to cross reference the bible. There for it is here say and it all comes down to on whether or not you decide to have faith in what you perceive between the lines.
Reply:Archaeology actually disproves the Bible as well.
Reply:Holy crap, just read the first and last lines of this thing, its way too long!





But I do think whatever proof we'll find will just prove the Bible.
Reply:fight copying and pasting w/ copying and pasting...


Actually, archeology proves the bible false





Despite all the fanciful claims made, archaeology not only fails to confirm many Biblical narratives, it sharply conflicts with these.


One book that concentrates on the differences between archaeology and the Bible is:


The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, by Israel Finkelstein, and Neil Asher Silberman.





One book which deals with archaeology in a detailed historical context is:


Israelite and Judaean History, edited by John H. Hayes and J. Maxwell Miller (London: SCM Press. 1984).


This, a specialist book, is valuable as a sizeable part provides referenced information about those occasions when the Bible and archaeology agree - and disagree.





One book, useful to the novice as an introduction to the subject, is:


It Ain't Necessarily So, by Matthew Sturgis (London: Headline, 2001).


The following are remarks included in the book:





'The expected discoveries of specific biblical artefacts and buildings, were simply not made, and certainly not at the rate that had once been hoped. Discrepancies between the biblical account and the ever-increasing archaeological record became more noticeable and harder to ignore'. (p.28)


'The later of archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon's dates removed the destruction of Jericho from the world of the biblical Joshua by several centuries...For Bill Denver...widely regarded as one of the leading figures in the field, Jericho still makes him shake his head...'I always say to people - 'if you want a miracle, here's your miracle - Joshua destroyed a city that didn't even exist'.'


The almost total absence of direct archaeological evidence for Joshua's battle is too suggestive to be passed over. And if direct evidence is lacking, so too is indirect corroboration'. (pp.46,47,52)


[Regarding the exodus] 'after gaining control of Sinai from Egypt in the Six Day War of 1967, Israeli archaeologists could barely wait to explore the area. But despite intensive searches, no trace of the Israelites' presence [to which the bible refers] has ever been found'. (p.56).


'The absence of any clear evidence for David's city has called into question the fact of its very existence. The few scattered objects and remains dating from the tenth century which have been recovered from the site appear to suggest, at least to some, that Jerusalem at this time can only have been a minor settlement and not a royal capital'. (p.115).


'Some scholars have focused attention on the fact that the biblical story of Solomon is entirely uncorroborated by sources outside the Bible. He is presented as a king with widespread international contacts and influence. And yet not a single mention of his name occurs in any contemporary Near Eastern text...this silence is at the very least curious.' (p.143)


'If the inscription from Tel Dan accurately reflects events, then the biblical record seems to be a tantalising mixture of historical fact, confused details, and deliberate distortion'. (p.158).
Reply:Archology? Really??





The field of study of ARCHes proves the bible?





Amazing. Next it'll be Soapology (the field of study of Soap).
Reply:You have proven little. The time from writing is not proof of actual happenings and prophesies. IT is a slight attempt at trying to prove something that cannot be proven. And, research Aristotle and his writings more. As well, research other religions and see that they were written before the bible. Does this mean that they to are correct? Better proof and we will talk.
Reply:Nothing can prove the Bible, because it is always in fact flux and contradiction of earlier models.





Good grief, its getting like automobiles, and being hyped by the image and tactics of used car salesmen.





Did somebody dig up a fossilized used car salesman?
Reply:I'm sorry, but I am too lazy to read all of this. We non-believers have gotten to the point where we know all of this information is bull crap, so we don't even bother to try and reflute it.