Evidences for The Historicity of the Bible Faith does not mean believing what you know is not true! G.P. Hugenberger 12/01 December 18, 1995 TIME YetYet manymany scholarsscholars TIME doubtdoubt thatthat thethe earlyearly ISIS THETHE heroesheroes ofof thethe Bible,Bible, BIBLEBIBLE suchsuch asas AbrahamAbraham oror FACTFACT oror FICTION?FICTION? Moses,Moses, everever existed.existed. TheThe followingfollowing isis aa comprehensivecomprehensive listlist ofof everyevery archaeologicalarchaeological discoverydiscovery thatthat conclusivelyconclusively disprovesdisproves thethe accuracyaccuracy ofof thethe Bible:Bible: 1)1) That’sThat’s right!right! ThereThere havehave beenbeen NONO suchsuch archaeologicalarchaeological discoveries!discoveries! ThisThis isis notnot toto suggestsuggest thatthat everyevery factualfactual detaildetail ofof thethe BibleBible hashas nownow beenbeen confirmed.confirmed. AnAn enormousenormous numbernumber ofof suchsuch details,details, however,however, havehave hadhad archaeologicalarchaeological confirmation.confirmation. December 18, 1995 SomeSome scholarsscholars TIMETIME complaincomplain thatthat nono inscriptioninscription hashas everever ISIS THETHE BIBLEBIBLE beenbeen foundfound thatthat FACTFACT oror mentionsmentions Abraham.Abraham. FICTION?FICTION? Should archaeologists expect to find something like the following inscription ? Dear Sarah: I think you’re gorgeous, even though you’re 90! Happy birthday. Hugs and kisses, Abraham ♥♥ In fact, there have been many archaeological discoveries that support the historicity of the Bible’s account of Abraham and the other patriarchs. ! According to the Bible Abraham came from Haran about 2000 BC. But some critical scholars assume that the story of Abraham was invented about 1000 BC. Is this likely? Haran 1 WhatWhat aa “coincidence”!“coincidence”! ArchaeologistsArchaeologists havehave confirmedconfirmed thatthat HaranHaran Haran waswas aa majormajor commercialcommercial centercenter atat thethe timetime ofof AbrahamAbraham (2000(2000 BC),BC), butbut itit waswas unoccupiedunoccupied fromfrom 18001800 BCBC toto 700700 BC!BC! What’s in a name? • How many folks do you know by the name of Asa, Capability, Hephzibah, Ichabod, or Patience (popular English names in the 18th and 19th centuries AD)? • Just as in the modern world, in the ancient world proper names went in and out of fashion. Abraham’s name • Although no one has found an inscription signed by Abraham himself, archaeologists now know (based on 19th-18th century BC examples) that the name “Abraham” existed in the general period when the Bible says that Abraham lived. 2 Other names in Genesis • Old Testament names that begin in English with a “j” or an “i” often represent what scholars call “Amorite Imperfective” names (in Hebrew these begin with “y”) . Examples include Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. • Names of this type outside the Bible are well- attested only in the early 2nd millennium BC and before — exactly when the Bible reports that these patriarchs lived! 3 ■AmoriteAmorite imperfectiveimperfective namesnames areare wellwell attestedattested inin thethe 3rd3rd millenniummillennium BCBC atat EblaEbla,, butbut nono studystudy hashas yetyet beenbeen donedone toto establishestablish theirtheir relativerelative frequency.frequency. ? % of Amorite Imperfective names 3rd mill BC 1800 BC 1300 BC 1st mill. BC K.A. Kitchen, review of H. Shanks (ed.), Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, in Themelios 15:1 (October 1989) 25-28. ■ BasedBased onon aa studystudy ofof overover 6,0006,000 namesnames fromfrom aboutabout 18001800 BC,BC, 16%16% areare AmoriteAmorite imperfectivesimperfectives (55%(55% ofof allall namesnames beginningbeginning withwith i/y).i/y). 16% ? % of Amorite Imperfective names 3rd mill BC 1800 BC 1300 BC 1st mill. BC K.A. Kitchen, review of H. Shanks (ed.), Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, in Themelios 15:1 (October 1989) 25-28. ■ BasedBased onon aa studystudy ofof 4,0504,050 namesnames fromfrom aboutabout 13001300 BC,BC, onlyonly 2%2% areare AmoriteAmorite imperfectivesimperfectives (30%(30% ofof allall namesnames beginningbeginning withwith i/y).i/y). 16% ? % of Amorite Imperfective names 2% 3rd mill BC 1800 BC 1300 BC 1st mill. BC K.A. Kitchen, review of H. Shanks (ed.), Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, in Themelios 15:1 (October 1989) 25-28. ■ BasedBased onon aa studystudy ofof 5,0005,000 namesnames fromfrom thethe 1st1st millenniummillennium BC,theBC,the periodperiod whenwhen manymany scholarsscholars assumeassume 1 thethe patriarchalpatriarchal storiesstories werewere invented,invented, fewerfewer thanthan //4%% 16% areare AmoriteAmorite imperfectivesimperfectives (only(only 1.6%1.6% ofof allall namesnames beginningbeginning withwith i/y)!i/y)! ? % of Amorite Imperfective names 2% 1 /4% 3rd mill BC 1800 BC 1300 BC 1st mill. BC K.A. Kitchen, review of H. Shanks (ed.), Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, in Themelios 15:1 (October 1989) 25-28. ■ ThereThere areare 2424 majormajor descendantsdescendants ofof AbrahamAbraham inin GenesisGenesis 16-50.16-50. 44 ofof thesethese havehave namesnames thatthat areare AmoriteAmorite imperfectives:imperfectives: Ishmael,Ishmael, Isaac,Isaac, Jacob,Jacob, andand Joseph.Joseph. 16% CriticsCritics assumeassume thesethese namesnames werewere ? inventedinvented inin thethe 1st1st mill.mill. BC.BC. % of Amorite Imperfective names 2% 1 /4% 3rd mill BC 1800 BC 1300 BC 1st mill. BC K.A. Kitchen, review of H. Shanks (ed.), Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, in Themelios 15:1 (October 1989) 25-28. ■ WhatWhat aa ““coincidencecoincidence””!! TheThe proportionproportion ofof AmoriteAmorite imperfectimperfect namesnames isis exactlyexactly whatwhat oneone wouldwould expectexpect forfor thethe periodperiod ofof thethe patriarchs!patriarchs! 16% ? % of Amorite Imperfective names 2% 1 /4% 3rd mill BC 1800 BC 1300 BC 1st mill. BC K.A. Kitchen, review of H. Shanks (ed.), Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple, in Themelios 15:1 (October 1989) 25-28. Camel Camels? ■ ManyMany scholarsscholars havehave claimedclaimed thatthat thethe mentionmention ofof domesticateddomesticated camelscamels atat thethe timetime ofof AbrahamAbraham Picture Credit: Copyright (c) Grolier Interactive Inc. (2000 BC) in Genesis 12:16 and elsewhere in the Pentateuch is impossible. Supposedly camels were not domesticated until about 1100 BC. 4 Camel Camels? ■ WhatWhat aa ““coincidencecoincidence””!! WeWe nownow havehave evidenceevidence ofof thethe earlyearly domesticationdomestication ofof camelscamels Picture Credit: Copyright (c) Grolier Interactive Inc. inin aa texttext fromfrom AlalakhAlalakh (18th(18th cent.cent. BC),BC), inin OldOld BabylonianBabylonian lexicallexical listslists fromfrom thethe samesame period,period, andand inin aa SumerianSumerian texttext fromfrom NippurNippur,, whichwhich mentionsmentions thethe useuse ofof camelcamel’’ss milk!milk! AsAs ifif thisthis werewere notnot enough,enough, camelcamel bonesbones Megiddo havehave beenbeen foundfound inin contextscontexts thatthat areare plausiblyplausibly domesticdomestic atat eacheach ofof thethe Ta‘anach followingfollowing sitessites (those(those withoutwithout datesdates areare approx.approx. 18001800 BC):BC): el-Jisr Jericho Gezer Be’er Resisim (1900 BC) Arad (2900 BC) CameVariousl sites in Egypt (2900 BC) Mari (2500 BC) Cf. P. Wapnish, “Camel,” in The Oxford Encylopedia of Archaeology in the Near East; “Camel,” Encyclopedia Judaica; Picture Credit: Copyright (c) Grolier Interactive Inc. J. Zarins, “Camel, ” in The Anchor Biblie Dictionary; K.A. Kitchen, Israel and the Ancient Orient; and N. Sarna, Genesis. Inflation • Saving for retirement? Inflation is not just an invention of the 21st century. It’s been around for millennia! $ $ 5 The Price of Slaves 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 Shekels 40 30 Akkad 20 10-15 shekels 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC K.A. Kitchen, “Genesis 12-50 in the Near Eastern World,” in He Swore an Oath,, R.S. Hess, et al. eds. (Cambridge: Tyndale House, 1993) 67-92, at 79-80. The Price of Slaves 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 Shekels 40 30 Ur III 20 Akkad 10 shekels 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC based on K.A. Kitchen The Price of Slaves 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 Old Babylonian Shekels 40 (Hammurapi & Mari) 30 20 shekels Ur III 20 Akkad 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC based on K.A. Kitchen The Price of Slaves 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 Nuzi Shekels 40 30 shekels 30 Old Babylonian Old Ur III 20 Akkad 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC based on K.A. Kitchen The Price of Slaves 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 Ugarit Shekels 40 Nuzi 30 shekels 30 Old Babylonian Old Ur III 20 Akkad 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC based on K.A. Kitchen The Price of Slaves 120 110 100 90 80 70 Assyria 60 50-60 shekels 50 Shekels 40 Nuzi 30 Ugarit Old Babylonian Old Ur III 20 Akkad 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC based on K.A. Kitchen The Price of SlavesPersian 120 90-120 shekels 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 Assyria Shekels 40 Nuzi 30 Ugarit Old Babylonian Old Ur III 20 Akkad 10 2250 BC 2000 BC 1750 BC 1500 BC 1250 BC 1000 BC 750 BC 500 BC based on K.A.