Archaeological investigation has consistently proved to be a supporting ally of the Bible. While honest archaeological science is not, and should not be undertaken to verify the Bible because real science strives for an unbiased objectivity, none-the-less, one dig after another has served to validate the claims of Scripture. Despite the numerous charges over the decades offered by liberal critics of the Bible, one by one they continue to be buried as the spade of the archaeologist proceeds. Names, places, events and dates, too many to enumerate, insist on verifying what the Bible records… who was involved, what happened, and where.
For years, critics insisted Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible. Their reason was simple: writing hadn’t been invented when Moses lived. Eventually, the spade of the archaeologist was put to ancient Ur of the Chaldees, homeland of the patriarch Abraham. To their surprise, they discovered clay tablets. The Cuneiform language was unmistakable. There, written in the tablets… thousands of tablets… they found not merely writing, but shopping lists, deeds, and legal documents, and intricate formulas utilizing mathematical principals of square root and cube root. So, what did this prove? For one thing, it proved Moses, skilled in the advance learning of the Egyptians, was a very likely candidate to have written the Pentateuch, since writing was well underway hundreds of years before he was born.
Time and again, archaeology has confirmed the historical accuracy of statements set forth in Scripture. And while the Bible does not need archaeological findings to verify itself, it does serve to silence critics and offers additional verification for the Believer. Dr. William F. Albright, considered dean of archaeologists and one who never professed Christianity, none-the-less offered the following conclusion following decades working in the field, (quote) “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition.” (unquote) Quite a statement coming from one with no axe to grind concerning the Bible.
This is but a small sampling of the multitude of like confirmations coming from the research of unbiased scientists over the past two hundred years. One need not even have an open mind, but one that’s just slightly ajar will have to admit these and others like them constitute very serious food for thought to anyone looking for evidence about the historical accuracy of the biblical record. “Thus saith the Lord” remains significantly unchallenged. Every season devoted to unearthing the sites of the Bible merely adds to the ever-increasing conclusion: The Book had it right.
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