January 18, 2010
More Evidence King David Really Existed
An ancient 10th century B.C. text seems to support the Biblical account.
More Evidence King David Really Existed
An ancient 10th century B.C. text seems to support the Biblical account.
SUMMARY: Many have claimed that King David in the Bible never existed,
thus putting into question the reliability of the books of Kings and Chronicles.
However, in 1992 at Tel Dan, archaeologists uncovered the first clear non-
Biblical evidence of David's reign, a clear reference to the king himself.
Biblical "minimalists" such as Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv U. have been
insisting the ancient Israelites didn't have the textual skills needed to record
the Bible stories and, at best, the texts we now have were written in the 7th or
6th centuries B.C., three or four centuries later.
But now, archaeologists in Israel have hit pay dirt again. Prof. Gershon Galil
of Haifa U. has succeeded in deciphering a text dating to the 10th century B.C.
which was discovered 18 months ago in Israel's Elah Valley. Written in an
ancient proto-Canaanite script but employing uniquely Hebrew verb roots, the
text tells readers to protect widows, orphans and strangers in their midst --
themes familiar in the prophecies of Isaiah and other Biblical texts but absent
from documents of neighboring peoples.
To Galil, the discovery "indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in
the 10th century B.C. and that at least some of the biblical texts were written
hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research.”
Archaeology is not an exact science, but current debunkings of the Biblical
accounts are usually grounded in the absence of evidence supporting the
Bible. However, as Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen once said, in archaeology
"absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." The evidence that does
exist overwhelmingly supports the reality of ancient Israel being in the land of
Israel much as described in the books of the Bible.
(Thanks to Brent Nemmers for suggesting this article. The illustration of King
David is from THE BIBLE REVIVAL.)
To read the entire article, click on this link to COMMENTARY MAGAZINE.
COMMENT: Christians do not need archaeology or any other science to
support their belief in the accuracy of the Biblical accounts. We know
something is wrong about any research that suggests problems with the history
recorded in the Word of God. But, such research can cause problems for
those Christians of the "weak faith" variety. So, it is always refreshing to hear
of archaeology that agrees with the Bible.
King David was an important figure in the Old Testament, and for Christians,
the most important thing is the fact he was the ancestor of Jesus Christ, the
world's Savior from sin. Just as unbelieving archaeologists have often cast
doubt about Old Testament accounts and individuals, they do the same thing
with Jesus.
Yet, honest archaeology can never dispute anything in either the Old or New
Testament accounts, because God, who was there when these things
happened, inspired the writers of both Testaments and kept them from error.
This was crucial so that the promise of a Savior could be passed down from
Adam and Eve to the present without interruption.
****************************************************************************************************
Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail
your request to [admin@lutheranscience.org].
****************************************************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What's the #1 reason couples get divorced?
Money issues. Student and car loans, credit cards and weddings (which now
average $20,000 in cost) all mean newlyweds on average are starting off with
more debt than ever before.
Source: Dayana Yochim quoted in USA Weekend (January 1-3, 2010)
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thus putting into question the reliability of the books of Kings and Chronicles.
However, in 1992 at Tel Dan, archaeologists uncovered the first clear non-
Biblical evidence of David's reign, a clear reference to the king himself.
Biblical "minimalists" such as Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv U. have been
insisting the ancient Israelites didn't have the textual skills needed to record
the Bible stories and, at best, the texts we now have were written in the 7th or
6th centuries B.C., three or four centuries later.
But now, archaeologists in Israel have hit pay dirt again. Prof. Gershon Galil
of Haifa U. has succeeded in deciphering a text dating to the 10th century B.C.
which was discovered 18 months ago in Israel's Elah Valley. Written in an
ancient proto-Canaanite script but employing uniquely Hebrew verb roots, the
text tells readers to protect widows, orphans and strangers in their midst --
themes familiar in the prophecies of Isaiah and other Biblical texts but absent
from documents of neighboring peoples.
To Galil, the discovery "indicates that the Kingdom of Israel already existed in
the 10th century B.C. and that at least some of the biblical texts were written
hundreds of years before the dates presented in current research.”
Archaeology is not an exact science, but current debunkings of the Biblical
accounts are usually grounded in the absence of evidence supporting the
Bible. However, as Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen once said, in archaeology
"absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." The evidence that does
exist overwhelmingly supports the reality of ancient Israel being in the land of
Israel much as described in the books of the Bible.
(Thanks to Brent Nemmers for suggesting this article. The illustration of King
David is from THE BIBLE REVIVAL.)
To read the entire article, click on this link to COMMENTARY MAGAZINE.
COMMENT: Christians do not need archaeology or any other science to
support their belief in the accuracy of the Biblical accounts. We know
something is wrong about any research that suggests problems with the history
recorded in the Word of God. But, such research can cause problems for
those Christians of the "weak faith" variety. So, it is always refreshing to hear
of archaeology that agrees with the Bible.
King David was an important figure in the Old Testament, and for Christians,
the most important thing is the fact he was the ancestor of Jesus Christ, the
world's Savior from sin. Just as unbelieving archaeologists have often cast
doubt about Old Testament accounts and individuals, they do the same thing
with Jesus.
Yet, honest archaeology can never dispute anything in either the Old or New
Testament accounts, because God, who was there when these things
happened, inspired the writers of both Testaments and kept them from error.
This was crucial so that the promise of a Savior could be passed down from
Adam and Eve to the present without interruption.
****************************************************************************************************
Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail
your request to [admin@lutheranscience.org].
****************************************************************************************************
QUESTION OF THE DAY
What's the #1 reason couples get divorced?
Money issues. Student and car loans, credit cards and weddings (which now
average $20,000 in cost) all mean newlyweds on average are starting off with
more debt than ever before.
Source: Dayana Yochim quoted in USA Weekend (January 1-3, 2010)
****************************************************************************************************
1 Comment
Patrick Winkler, P.E. said... When you mention, "So, it is always refreshing to
hear of archaeology that agrees with the Bible" it should also be pointed out to
the reader that archaeology, even when it agrees with the Bible, does nothing to
strengthen the faith of the Christian. Such strengthening only comes from direct
exposure to God's Word. Therefore, to clarify, the answer to a weak faith in such
a circumstance, is not exposure to "correct" archeological conclusions but rather
exposure to God's Word since it is through His Word, alone, that we have His
promise to work and strengthen faith in us.
Patrick Winkler, P.E. said... When you mention, "So, it is always refreshing to
hear of archaeology that agrees with the Bible" it should also be pointed out to
the reader that archaeology, even when it agrees with the Bible, does nothing to
strengthen the faith of the Christian. Such strengthening only comes from direct
exposure to God's Word. Therefore, to clarify, the answer to a weak faith in such
a circumstance, is not exposure to "correct" archeological conclusions but rather
exposure to God's Word since it is through His Word, alone, that we have His
promise to work and strengthen faith in us.
| LSI stands for the Lutheran Science Institute, an organization of WELS and ELS Lutherans interested in science and health issues with a special emphasis on the creation and evolution controversy. This blog's purpose is to search the Internet to find articles of interest to Christians. Views expressed are those of the author (Warren Krug) and are not necessarily those of the Lutheran Science Institute, Inc. |
