2. Biblical Archaeology

3. Faith and Evidence
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Acts 4:20
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us …
1 John 1:3

4. knowledge of the past based upon testimony from various sources
History
Bible
knowledge of the past based upon testimony from various sources
the divinely inspired record of Gods dealings with and plan for mankind V

5. A recent Gallup poll of more than a thousand American adults surveyed three different attitudes toward the Bible’s historical accuracy.
The Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word.
28%
The Bible is the inspired word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally.
47%
The Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.
21%
Had no opinion. 4%

6. FF Bruce was Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester in England. During his career, he wrote many bestselling commentaries and books.
“The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning.”
FF Bruce
(1910 – 1990)

7. Historian Written Earliest Copy Time Span Copies
Julius Caesar
100 – 44 BC
900 AD
1,000 Years 10
Tacitus
14 – 68 AD
1100 AD 20
Plato
427 – 347 BC
1,200 Years 7
Aristotle
384 – 322 BC
1,400 Years 49
Herodotus
480 – 425 BC
1,300 Years 8
Old Testament
1445 – 450 BC
250 BC
1200 – 150 Years
10,000+
New Testament
40 – 96 AD
125 AD
29 – 85 Years
24,000+
4000 BC
ca 2000 BC
ca BC
40-96 AD
1969 AD
2000 AD
The Old
Testament
The New
Testament

8. (1853) Clay tablets found in these Assyrian royal libraries open a new world of knowledge about the myths, legends and actual history of the people of bible history.
Ashur-bani-pal of Assyria (625 BC) left 100,000+ tablets, such as the Enuma Elish (creation epic) & the Epic of Gilgamesh.
These give a dim view into the very distant past of history where we see similar accounts as those in the biblical text.

9. (2014) The so-called Ark Tablet, recently translated by Irving Finkel, is a Babylonian ( BC) account of the flood in which the god Enki instructs Atrahasis, the Babylonian Noah, to build an ark.
Finkel was shocked by the rare cuneiform signs ‘sana’ in the passage describing the animals on the boat. ‘Sana’ means “Two each, two by two.”

11. 6 x 20” per cubit + 9” per span = 10 feet, 9 inches
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
1 Samuel 17:4
Circa 2910 AM / 1090 BC
6 x 20” per cubit + 9” per span = 10 feet, 9 inches

12. THE JERUSALEM POST Nov. 10, 2005
(2005) The shard dates to 950 BC; within 70 years of when the bible records David fought Goliath. It is the oldest Philistine inscription ever found. The discovery was made at Tel es-Safi in southern Israel believed to be to be the Philistine city of Gath.

13. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
1 Samuel 17 : 52

14. (2013) Modern day Khirbet Qeiyafa southwest of Jerusalem; which is believed to be the fortified Judean city of Shaarayim. According to the biblical record, after David smote Goliath, the Philistines were slaughtered on the road to Shaarayim as they fled. Shaarayim means “two gates,” and Khirbet Qeiyafa has two gates in its walls.

15. The discovery of what is thought to be King David's palace, measuring 1,000 square metres, was made by Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority. Over the past seven years the teams have also uncovered a huge storehouse containing pots and artefacts that they believe proves the existence of a ruler in Judah in the tenth century BCE.
“The ruins are the best example to date of the uncovered fortress city of King David”, professors Yossi Garfinkel and Saar Ganor of Hebrew University said. “This is indisputable proof of the existence of a central authority in Judah during the time of King David.”

16. This inscription dates to the 10th century, the time of David and Solomon and is the oldest Hebrew writing, written in Proto Canaanite script.
It has yet to be completely translated, but the following words have been identified in the inscription:
mlk (king)
shofet (judge)
eved (servant)
seren (philistine king)

17. The Exodus and Fall of Jericho
The Walls of Jericho
During excavations of Jericho between 1930 and 1936, Professor John Garstang found one of the most incredible confirmations of the biblical record about the conquest of the Promised Land. The results were so amazing that he took the precaution of preparing a written declaration of the archeological discovery, signed by himself and two other members of his team. "As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up and over their ruins into the city." This fact is important because the evidence from all other archeological digs around ancient cities in the Middle East reveal that walls of cities always fall inwards as invading armies push their way into a city. However, in the account in Joshua 6:20, we read, "the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city every man straight ahead, and they took the city." Only the supernatural power of God could have caused the walls to fall outward as described in Joshua's account of the conquest of Jericho (John Garstang, Joshua Judges, [London: Constable, 1931]).

18. The Hornet Conquests of Canaan
Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Deuteronomy 7:20
And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
Exodus 23:28
The vassal kings of Canaan, already weakened by the rapacious policy of the Egyptian Hornet, a hidden allusion to Egypt, whose hieroglyph was a hornet, were abandoned to their enemies. … for fifty years after the Invasion of Joshua (1407 to 1358 BC), the policy of the Pharaohs afforded the Hebrew tribesmen the opportunity for the unimpeded reduction of the Canaanite forts and the settlement in Central Palestine.
Hieroglyph of Pharaoh
of Lower Egypt
Bible and spade (1936). Chapter VIII: The Hebrew Conquest

19. The Habiru Conquests of Canaan
The Habiru are now capturing the fortresses of the Pharaoh. Not a single governor remains among them to my lord the King: all have perished. Zimrida of Lachish has been killed. May the King send help. Lo, if no rein­forcements come this year, all the countries of my lord the King will be utterly destroyed The land of the King is lost to the Habiru. And now indeed a city of the territory of Jerusalem, Bet-Ninib, has been captured. ... After taking the city of Rubuda, they are now attempting to take Jerusa­lem... , What have I done against my lord the King, that thou lovest the Habiru, and hatest the governors? ... The Habiru have wasted all the territory of the King …
They are written in cuneiform characters in the diplomatic language of the day, Akkadian.
Most of the letters are dated to the reigns of Amenhotep III ( ) and Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV, ).
Bible and spade (1936). Chapter VIII: The Hebrew Conquest
Tell el Amarna tablets

23. Jericho is the oldest continuously occupied city on the planet and is also the lowest city on the planet. It sits 846 feet below sea level.

24. https://www. commentarymagazine
In the 1930’s, a team lead by Professor John Garstang excavated the walls at Jericho and what they found was amazing. He and two other members of the team prepared a statement …

25. Because the walls of cities do not fall outwards, they fall inwards!”
As to the main fact, then there remains no doubt: the walls fell outward so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up and over their ruins into the city.
Why so unusual?
Because the walls of cities do not fall outwards, they fall inwards!”
John Garstang (1876 – 1956)

26. The walls started with an earthen rampart, or embankment, which ran from ground level, upwards on an incline to a stone retaining wall. The stone retaining wall stood 12 to 15 feet in height (4-5m).
Stone Retaining Wall
Earthen Rampart

27. On top of the stone wall, stood another wall made of mud-bricks, 6 feet (2m) thick, and 20 to 26 feet (6-8m) high. Together, these two walls combined to form a fortification 32 to 41 feet high.
This first wall defence is approximately equivalent to a four story building.
Mud Brick Wall
Stone Retaining Wall
41 feet high
Earthen Rampart

28. On the other side of the double wall, the embankment continued upwards with another mud-brick wall at the summit. At the base, the walls stood approx. 46 feet (14m) above ground level outside the retaining wall.
Final Mud Brick Wall
Inclined embankment
Mud Brick Wall
46 feet high
Stone Retaining Wall
Earthen Rampart

29. Houses built into walls
Excavated section of the walled defences of Jericho.
Houses built into walls

30. The fallen mud bricks from the outer city wall are shown in red in this cross-section cut through the defensive system and later building on the site. The fallen bricks create a perfect rampart into the inner city.

31. Lower Stone Retaining Wall
Burned Grain Stores
Lower Stone Retaining Wall

33. A city with a controlled gate
So the men pursued them on the road to the Jordan to the fords; and as soon as those who were pursuing them had gone out, they shut the gate.
Joshua 2:7
Confirmed by the archaeology

34. city with walls & houses on walls
Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall.
Joshua 2:15
Confirmed by the archaeology

35. City attacked at harvest time
While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal, they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho.
Joshua 5:10
Confirmed by the archaeology

36. City walls levelled & fell outward
… and it came about, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.
Joshua 6:20
Confirmed by the archaeology

37. The city was not plundered
And the city shall be under the ban, … But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, lest you covet them and take some of the things under the ban, so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.
Joshua 6:17-18
Confirmed by the archaeology

38. The city was burned with fire
And they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.
Joshua 6:24
Confirmed by the archaeology

39. The Lesson of Jericho
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Hebrews 11:30-31

40. Faith and Evidence
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:29
For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Matthew 13:17

41. Faith and Evidence
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1