About this site
About us
Our beliefs
Is this your first visit?
Contact us
External links
Good books
Visitor essays
Our forum
New essays
Other site features
Buy a CD of this site
Vital notes

World religions
BUDDHISM
CHRISTIANITY
   Who is a Christian?
   Shared beliefs
   Handling change
   Bible topics
   Bible inerrancy
   Bible harmony
   Interpret Bible
   Persons
   Beliefs, creeds
   Da Vinci code
   Revelation, 666
HINDUISM
ISLAM
JUDAISM
WICCA / WITCHCRAFT
 
Other religions
Cults and NRMs
Comparing religions

Non-theistic...
Atheism
Agnosticism
Humanism
Other

About all religions
Important topics
Basic information
Gods & Goddesses
Handling change
Doubt/security
Quotes
Movies
Confusing terms
Glossary
End of the world
One true religion?
Seasonal topics
Science v. Religion
More info.

Spirituality and ethics
Spirituality
Morality and ethics
Absolute truth

Peace and conflict
Attaining peace
Religious tolerance
Religious hatred
Religious conflict
Religious violence

"Hot" topics
Very hot topics
Ten commandments
Abortion access
Assisted suicide
Cloning
Death penalty
Environment
Equal rights -gays/bi's
Same-sex marriage
Nudism
Origins of the species
Sex & gender
Sin
Spanking kids
Stem cells
Women-rights
Other topics

Laws and news
Religious laws
Religious news

 

!!!!!!!! Search error! If the URL ends something like .htm/ or .htm# delete the character(s) after .htm and hit return.

MENU:

Archaeology and the Bible

horizontal rule

Sponsored link.

horizontal rule

Overview:

Archaeology in Palestine and Israel has undergone a major change since World War II. Prior to that time, many, if not most, archaeologists working there were Christians or Jews with at least some theological training. Many were motivated by a desire to find evidence that confirmed the accuracy of the Bible. In recent decades, many archaeologists have taken a secular stance and have approached the evidence without prior religious assumptions. As a result, skilled, intelligent, devoted and thoughtful archaeologists have adopted mutually exclusive, opposing beliefs about the accuracy of the Bible.

bulletReligious conservatives make statements affirming the accuracy of the Bible, like:
bulletNelson Glueck: "It is worth emphasizing that, in all this work, no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single, properly understood biblical statement."  1
bulletW.F. Albright: "Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details [in the Bible], and has brought increasing recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history." 2
bulletLinda Harvey, founder and president of Mission America: "Numerous archaeological finds have confirmed the Bible solely on its historical merit. It records many prophecies that were later fulfilled. Its authority was meant to rest on both its spiritual guidance and its historical validity." 3
bulletReligious liberals and secularists make statements discounting the value of the Bible as a source of historical information. Examples are:
bulletPhilip Davies: "The gap between the Biblical Israel and the historical Israel as we derive it from archaeology is huge. We have almost two entirely different societies. Beyond the name 'Israel' and the same geographical location, they have almost nothing in common."  4
bulletDavid Ord & Robert Coote: "Many biblical stories are like Animal Farm. They are true, though not historically accurate or factual. They are concerned with proclaiming a message, not with providing us with a chronology of events from the history of Israel or the life of Jesus of Nazareth. We must learn to read them not as history but as message." 5
bulletGarnett H. Reid, a supporter of the traditional orthodox view, speaks of the secularist "minimalist" school of biblical archeology: "If minimalists are correct, the Bible has nothing to say as a historiographic document. Biblical data regarding history is therefore nondata, or pseudodata, and is of no value anyway because whatever past it attests was itself unreal. Even if the reader could derive facts about the past, they would not be normative for today." 6

horizontal rule

Sponsored link:

horizontal rule

Topics covered in this section:

bulletHebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)
bulletOverview of archaeology
bulletConflicts of religion & science over cosmology
 
bulletChristian Scriptures (New Testament)
bulletImportant archaeological discoveries with links to the Christian Scriptures
bulletJames' ossuary
bulletThe Jehoash inscription
bulletThe Shroud of Turin
bulletJohn the Baptist's cave
 
bulletDocuments of the Mormon church:
bulletThe Book of Mormon's teachings on Native American origins
bulletDNA studies
bulletThe book of Abraham

horizontal rule

References:

  1. Quoted in Josh McDowell, "The best of Josh McDowell: A ready defense," Here's Life Publishers, (1990), Page 93. Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
  2. W.F. Albright, "The Archaeology of Palestine, Rev. ed.," Pelican books, (1960), Page 127 - 128. Out of print. However, Amazon.com may be able to get a used copy
  3. Linda Harvey, "Postmodernism: Postmodern language and Alternative Theology," at: http://missionamerica.com/
  4. Philip Davies, "What separates a Minimalist from a Maximalist? Not much," Bible archaeology Review, 2000-MAR/APR Vol. 26, #2, Pages 24 to 27; 72, & 73.
  5. David Robert Ord & Robert B Coote, "Is the Bible Really True?" Orbis, (1994)
  6. Garnett H. Reid, "Minimalism and Biblical History," Bibliothca Sacra 155: 620 (1998): Pages 394-410.

horizontal rule

Site navigation:

 Home page >  Christianity > Bible & the world > here

 Home page >  Religion & science > here

horizontal rule

Copyright � 2001 to 2008 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2001-OCT-21
Latest update: 2008-JAN-13
Author: B.A. Robinson

line.gif (538 bytes)


horizontal rule

Go to the previous page, or go to the The Bible and the world menu, or to the Religion & Science menu, or choose:

Google
Web ReligiousTolerance.org

Go to home page  We would really appreciate your help

E-mail us about errors, etc.  Purchase a CD of this web site

FreeFind search, lists of new essays...  Having problems printing our essays?


Twitter link

Facebook icon

Google Page Translator:

This page translator works on Firefox,
Opera, Chrome, and Safari browsers only

After translating, click on the "show
original" button at the top of this
page to restore page to English.