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THE POPULAR HANDBOOK of ARCHAEOLOGY and the BIBLE Copyright © 2013 by Norman Geisler and Joseph M

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THE POPULAR HANDBOOK of ARCHAEOLOGY and the BIBLE Copyright © 2013 by Norman Geisler and Joseph M Copyrighted material Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Verses marked niv are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011, by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com Verses marked esv are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Cross- way, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verses marked nkjv are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Verses marked kjv are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Emphasis (italics) in Scripture quotations has been added by the authors. Cover by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota Cover photos © Helga, Martin Bache / Alamy All uncredited interior photos are © Joseph M. Holden, 2013. THE POPULAR HANDBOOK OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BIBLE Copyright © 2013 by Norman Geisler and Joseph M. Holden Published by Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 97402 www.harvesthousepublishers.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The popular handbook of archaeology and the Bible / Norman Geisler and Joseph M. Holden. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-7369-4485-4 (pbk.) 1. Bible—Evidences, authority, etc. 2. Bible—Antiquities. I. Geisler, Norman L. BS480.P645 2013 220.9'3—dc23 2012041424 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quota- tions in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Copyrighted material To my two sons, David and Ian, because of their youthful sense of adventure and zeal for archaeology and the Bible. —Joseph Holden To my first teacher of archaeology, who inspired me in the field, the late Dr. Charles Shaw. —Norman Geisler Copyrighted material ACKNOWLEDGMENts In a work like this one it is difficult to give credit to all involved, since so many contributed in their unique ways. Without them this book would never have come to fruition. It is our pleasure to acknowledge the staff and administration of our own Veritas Evangelical Seminary for their patience and encouragement throughout the writing of the book. Their support makes this work a team effort. However, we would like to give a special word of appreciation to Andrew W. Pitts and Dr. H. Wayne House, whose research assistance has made the book better in every way. Further, without the technical assistance of Sam Capshaw and the skill, professionalism, flexibility, and labor of Bob Hawkins Jr. and Steve Miller of Harvest House Publishers, this book would never have made it to the press. A special thanks also to Paul Gossard for his skillful editing and his attentiveness to the needs of the reader. Most of all, we would like to thank our Lord Jesus Christ for the unadulterated privilege He has given us to share the unsearchable riches of Christ with our generation. We sincerely hope this book will glorify Him by being a small step toward casting some light on the historical real- ity behind His unconditional love for mankind. Copyrighted material CONTENts List of Key Charts and Tables . 11 Foreword by Dr. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. ............................ 13 Preface: Facts That Support Faith . 15 Part One: The Reliability of Old Testament Manuscripts Introduction ............................................. 19 1. The Masoretes and the Samaritans . 21 2. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Silver Scrolls. 33 3. The Transmission of the Old Testament—Summary ............... 49 Part Two: The Reliability of Old Testament History Introduction ............................................. 55 4. Moses, the Pentateuch, and the Major Prophets. 57 5. Alleged Errors vs. Archaeological Discoveries . 77 6. The Canon of the Old Testament. 87 Part Three: The Reliability of New Testament Manuscripts Introduction ............................................. 97 7. The Transmission of the New Testament ........................ 99 8. The Manuscripts of the New Testament . 111 9. The Accuracy of the New Testament Manuscripts .................127 Part Four: The Reliability of New Testament History Introduction ............................................. 131 10. Historicity of the New Testament. 133 11. Responding to Recent Criticisms of the Gospels ..................143 12. Criticisms of the Resurrection Accounts and the Epistles . 159 13. The Canon of the New Testament ............................. 171 Part Five: Introduction to Archaeology Introduction .............................................177 14. Archaeology and the Bible ................................... 181 15. Keys to Understanding Archaeology in Biblical Lands . 189 Copyrighted material Part Six: Archaeology of the Old Testament Introduction .............................................199 16. Creation and Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the Cities of the Plain . 203 17. Exodus and Conquest ......................................221 18. The Amarna Letters, the Hittites, and the City of Megiddo ..........239 19. King David and His Dynasty . .249 20. Nebuchadnezzar II and the Persian Kings .......................269 21. Old Testament Persons Confirmed by Archaeology . 283 Part Seven: Archaeology of the New Testament Introduction .............................................291 22. Jesus and Other New Testament Persons in Non-Christian Sources . 295 23. Jesus and Archaeological Sources ..............................307 24. The Temple Mount ........................................323 25. Herod, Pilate, and Caiaphas. 343 26. More Fascinating Finds Relating to the New Testament. .351 Glossary of Key Terms ......................................369 Appendix A: New Testament Manuscript Papyri: A Descriptive List. 373 Appendix B: Ascertaining the Geography of the Cities of the Plain: 40 Points ..............................383 Appendix C: Expert Witness Opinions Regarding the Authenticity of the James Ossuary ..........................389 Notes . .395 Select Bibliography ........................................409 Index. 413 Copyrighted material LIst OF KEY CHARts AND TABLES Old Testament Manuscripts .......................................... 52 The Historical Reliability of Genesis and Exodus: Summary of Major Points. 66 Archaeological Discoveries Supporting the Reliability of Old Testament History . 81 New Testament Manuscript Distribution by Century and Manuscript Type . 105 Papyrus and Codex Manuscripts of the New Testament: Summary Listing of Key Early Witnesses to the New Testament’s Reliability ................ 118 Early Citations of the New Testament. 125 New Testament Manuscripts Compared to Other Ancient Sources ............ 129 Non-Christian Sources Within 150 Years of Jesus. 141 Order of Resurrection Events and Evidence They Provide. 159 The New Testament Canon During the First Four Centuries ................. 175 Archaeological Ages and Israel. 191 Understanding Archaeological Terms ................................... 193 Differences in Mesopotamian and Genesis Flood Accounts ..................210 Which Location of Sodom Accounts for the Biblical Geography of Genesis 13:1-12?. 219 The Book of Exodus and the Ipuwer Papyrus: Comparison. .223 Scientific and Factual Errors in the Red Algae/Red Mud Theory of the Exodus Plague of Blood and Ensuing Plagues . .226 Seal Impressions of People in the Old Testament. .261 Old Testament Persons Confirmed by Archaeology ........................283 New Testament Persons Cited in Ancient Non-Christian Sources. 303 More Archaeological Discoveries Supporting New Testament Reliability ........359 New Testament Manuscript Papyri: A Descriptive List . 373 Ascertaining the Geography of the Cities of the Plain: 40 Points. .383 Expert Witness Opinions Regarding the Authenticity of the James Ossuary . 389 11 Copyrighted material Copyrighted material FOREWORD by Dr. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. mong the newer generation of biblical scholars there is a strong but unnecessary sense of skepticism about the historical claims of the Bible. These leaders in the Afield call themselves “revisionists,” but others regard them as “minimalists” or even the “new nihilists.” They claim “it is no longer possible to write a history about any ancient person or event, much less about a biblical happening at all”! Fortunately, this group is still not in the majority of biblical scholars by a long shot, but the corrosive effects of their persistent denials are arriving in the culture at the same time as the postmodern agenda is being offered as a view for all reality. Aspects of some of their reasoning and arguments have sifted down into all spheres of society—yes, even at times to those in the believing community! Such a postmodern agenda includes some of the following traits: 1) a revolt against all authority, 2) a distrust of all that is universal, 3) the premise that “social constructs” set the bounds for all knowledge, 4) the belief that all truth is relative, 5) the idea that there is no “meaning” except the meaning each of us creates for ourselves, and 6) the notion that one ideology is just as appropriate as another; in fact, the more radical the idea, the more likely it will be
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