Archaeologists find, argue about, evidence supporting The Bible

A story in Discovery News is reporting that an inscription on a 3,000 year old piece of pottery may be an early form of Hebrew.

If you're a Bible reader, that probably doesn't sound like news to you. However, "biblical" archaeologists - who mostly are anything but - generally go out of their way to prove they aren't being 'influenced' by their religious beliefs. It's sort of like a college science professor who sees the huge holes in evolution. If he mentions the holes, he must be a religious fanatic, not a "Serious Scientist". Or a medical doctor ignoring natural cures to make sure no one thinks he's a quack. 

 

So instead of showing how this or that find fits with the Bible, they often are more interested in showing how their findings disprove the Bible.

Take the piece reported at Discovery News, for example. It was found near the temple mount in Jerusalem. Scientists are convinced it's 3,000 years old. Bible students know that places it around the time of King David's reign.

However, "Serious Scientists" aren't allowed to believe King David was a historical figure. They compare David to King Arthur or Robin Hood. Therefore the Bible's account of David's conquering Jerusalem must be a myth. If there was no David conquering Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C.E., the jug with the funny writing on it that dates from that time period must be Canaanite, rather than Israelite.

 

However, expert in Ancient Near Eastern Studies Douglas Petrovich says the writing is Hebrew, some of the earliest Hebrew ever found. If Hebrew, then Israelites WERE in Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C.E. and the biblical account of David conquering the city then gets a boost.

This is not the first evidence for David's kingdom. In 2017, archaeologists Yossi Garfinkel and Saar Ganor at biblical Sha'araim (see 1 Samuel 17:52) broke with the archaeological community by identifying their dig, near the site of David's defeat of Goliath, as a royal castle dating to David's or at the latest Solomon's time. Since then, the evidence on their side has become overwhelming. 

Naturally, "Serious Scientists" are clamoring to shout down Petrovich, Garfinkel and Ganor. But, in the immortal words of Agent Mulder, "The truth is out there."

Bill K. Underwood is the author of several novels and one non-fiction self-help book, all available at Amazon.com. You can help support this site by purchasing a book.