Is the Bible a message from a God I can’t see?

Is the Bible a message from a God I can’t see?

Archaeology

Exciting Discoveries

• Critics claimed Bible was myth and legend

• Bible names have been found

• Walls, stones and coins discovered referring to Biblical names and events

Archaeological discoveries prove that the Archaeological discoveries prove that the Bible is accurate and reliableBible is accurate and reliable

Background history• Bible mainly concerned with Israel

and its neighbours• Discoveries mainly relate to

superpowers that dominated Israel:– Assyria– Babylon– Persia– Greece– Rome

• Each superpower conquered previous one

• Israel usually suffered as a result

The Tel Dan Inscription

Tel Dan in Northern Israel


• Critics doubted king David ever existed

• Tel Dan fragment made them think again


• Inscription text:

• “Hadad” made the writer king

• The writer boasting of achievements in war with Israel

• “House of David” is referred to


Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together… And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it

1 Kings 20 v 1

Inscription confirms Bible record:• Hostility between Syria and Israel• “Ben (son of) Hadad” title of Syrian kings

involved in hostility


•And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David …”

1 Kings 12 v 26

Inscription confirms Bible record:• Royal line from king David was known

as “house of David”

Kurkh Stela of Shalmaneser

Kurkh in Southern Turkey


• “Stela” - round topped vertical stone

• Shows Assyrian king Shalmaneser III facing symbols of four gods

• Records of six military campaigns

• Record includes defeats of Ahab, king of Israel and Ben-Hadad, king of Syria


So Ben-Hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I will restore; and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." Then Ahab said, "I will send you away with this treaty." So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

1 Kings 20 v 34


Other Assyrian records name several kings mentioned in the Bible:

• Hezekiah• Shallum• Menahem• Pekah• Hoshea• Uzziah• Ahaz• Hazael

Kurkh Stela and other findings support Kurkh Stela and other findings support the Biblethe Bible

Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III

Found at Calah


• Black stone found in pit

• Panels of carved pictures on each side

• Inscription on each panel

• One panel shows Jewish king Jehu


Obelisk confirms Bible record:

• Israel had king named Jehu

• Jehu reigned when Assyria was superpower

• Assyrians had kings called Shalmaneser

• Assyrians made subject nations pay tribute

Jehu paying tribute to Shamaneser

Six-sided Sennacherib Cylinder

Found at Nineveh


• Record of Sennacherib king of Assyria

• Details eight military campaigns

• Includes Sennacherib’s attack on Israel


“I then besieged Hezekiah of Judah who had not submitted to any yoke and I captured forty-six of his strong cities and fortresses, innumerable small cities … I brought out therefrom 200,150 people … (Hezekiah) himself like a caged bird, I shut up within Jerusalem, his royal city. I threw up mounds against him, and I took vengeance upon any man who came forth from his city.!

No record of Jerusalem being No record of Jerusalem being conquered!conquered!


Sennacherib taking cities of Judah:

In the 14th year of Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.

2 Kings 18 v 13

Sennacherib coming against Jerusalem:

The King of Assyria sent his supreme commander, his chief officer and his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem.

2 Kings 18 v 17


Once again Bible supported by Once again Bible supported by archaeological findsarchaeological finds

That night the angel of the LORD went out a put to death one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning - there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

2 Kings 19 v 35 and 36

Embarrassing defeat not likely to be mentioned by Sennacherib

The Cyrus Cylinder

Found at Babylon

The Cyrus Cylinder

• Written by Cyrus, king of Persia

• Account of Persian conquest of city of Babylon by Cyrus

The Cyrus Cylinder

• Persian policy toward captives and sacred objects

I returned to (these) sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been in ruins for a long time, the images which (used) to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I (also) gathered all their (former) inhabitants and returned (to them) their habitations.

The Cyrus CylinderNow in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, … he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, … Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel … which is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 1 v 1 and 3

Cyrus cylinder supports Bible recordCyrus cylinder supports Bible record

• Cyrus encouraged captives to return home

• Encouraged them to practice own religion

The Pilate Inscription

Found at Caesarea


• Pontius Pilate – fact or fiction

• In 1961 inscription discovered: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea”

• Inscription part of dedication to Tiberius Caesar


Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea,

Luke 3 v 1

Critics have once again been silenced!Critics have once again been silenced!

The Politarch Inscription

Found at Thessalonika


• How accurate is the book of Acts?

• Uses terms like “politarch” for city rulers

• Terms not known anywhere else

• Luke must be wrong!

Recent discoveries show Luke was right Recent discoveries show Luke was right


• Lists town officials in second century

• Six “politarchs” are listed

The same term found on other The same term found on other inscriptions from Thessalonikainscriptions from Thessalonika


...they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers [politarchs] of the city, crying out, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” … And they troubled the crowd and the rulers [politarchs] of the city when they heard these things

Acts 17 v 6 and 8


• Other examples :– “praetors” – rulers of

Phillippi

– “proconsul” – ruler of Corinth

– “leading man of the island” – ruler of Malta

Yet again Archaeology supports the BibleYet again Archaeology supports the Bible

Tel Dan inscription

Archaeology supports Bible record:

Kurkh Stela


Black obelisk of Shalmeneser III


Sennacherib cylinder


Cyrus cylinder


Pilate Inscription


Politarch inscription


Tip of the Iceberg

• Only tiny fraction of total evidence presented

• 100s of archaeological digs all providing evidence

• Nowadays many archaeologists use the Bible – Reference guide

– Help search out ancient sites

We can trust the Bible account!We can trust the Bible account!

Food for Thought• Writers of inscriptions we

have looked at are dead

• They offer no hope of life after death

• Bible writings are different

…hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began

Titus 1 v 2

The Bible is reliable and gives hope for The Bible is reliable and gives hope for the futurethe future

The Challenge

• Evidence shows– Bible is reliable

– Critics proved wrong

You can trust the Bible when it gives advice You can trust the Bible when it gives advice

about your life and offers hope for the futureabout your life and offers hope for the future

Summary


Is the Bible a message from a God I can’t see?

Documents

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