Bible Archaeology Resources

BRYAN WINDLE 2017 When I was a teenager, I received a beautiful, leather-bound Thompson Chain Reference Bible as a prize at church. One of the resources it had at the end, just before the concordance and maps, was an “Archaeological Supplement,” written by Dr. G. Frederick Owens. It was a fascinating, faith-boosting experience to read about the excavation of the very sites I was reading about in the Bible. Thus began my fascination with the archaeology of the Holy Land. The Indiana Jones movies only fueled this interest. Now that I’m writing regular updates on current events in the world of biblical archaeology for the Associates For Biblical Research (shameless plug: http://www.biblearchaeology.org/currentevents.aspx), I’m sometimes asked where I find my information. Others have asked if there are any good resources that describe discoveries in archaeology which demonstrate the historical reliability of the Bible. In answer to those questions, I share this blog with some of the resources I’ve found helpful. I should add a disclaimer before I begin. I’ve limited my recommendations to authors and websites that I believe hold to a high view of Scripture (as I do). By that I mean, they believe that the Bible is i[...]

nspired by God, inerrant in it’s original autographs, and authoritative. Because so much of archaeology is interpretation (some have estimated that only 10% of archaeology is digging and 90% is interpretation), one is never free of their biases. This is why two archaeologists can look at the same data from the same site and come to very different conclusions. Anyone who has done any research on the excavations of the city of Jericho know this to be the case. Thus, since the purpose of this blog is to present resources that illustrate the historicity of Scripture, I’m only recommend these types of books and websites. In the interest of full-disclosure, I wanted to admit this at the outset.

PRINT RESOURCES

When it comes to books, the first resource I would recommend is the Archaeological Study Bible, published by Zondervan. As a Study Bible, it has helpful articles throughout on a variety of topics, including ones on Ancient Peoples, Lands and Rulers, Cultural and Historical Notes, Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible, Archaeological Sites, etc. Since these articles are placed at the appropriate places throughout Scripture, one can read about the archaeological evidence at the same time one reads the biblical account of that person, place or event.

A second book that is a good overview of this field of study is The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible, by Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler. This resource is broken into seven sections:

Part One: The Reliability of Old Testament Manuscripts
Part Two: The Reliability of Old Testament History
Part Three: The Reliability of New Testament Manuscripts
Part Four: The Reliability of New Testament History
Part Five: Introduction to Archaeology
Part Six: Archaeology of the Old Testament
Part Seven: Archaeology of the New Testament

Holden and Geisler’s book is excellent as a summary, but due to its intended focus, lacks the depth of information on some archaeological finds as its only an overview. Still, for people looking for a quick reference, this is an excellent resource.

The third book I would recommend is an older one: Archaeology In Bible Lands, by Howard F. Vos, presents the history of excavations of numerous cities and regions. Many of the places that were excavated in the 1800’s and early 1900’s are no longer accessible to archaeologists today. Thus, many of the findings are still relevant, since, in some cases, political and military situations no longer permit access to these sites. In other cases, knowing the history of archaeological excavations is helpful, as excavators have moved on to other areas in city or region. Knowing about the the work of John T. Wood in excavating the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, for example, is helpful to students of the Bible. In this regard, while it was published in 1977 and does not contain current information, Vos’s book is an excellent resource for those looking for information about what has been referred to as “Bible Archaeology’s golden age” in the 19th and early 20th century.

I’d also recommend a book about the archaeology related to Jesus; Craig A. Evans has published a helpful work entitled, Jesus and His World: The Archaeological Evidence. This book goes beyond evidence for the historicity of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to looking at the world in which Jesus lived. Does the world described in the gospels match up with archaeological findings from New Testament-era sites in Israel? For example, critics have suggested that synagogues were not used by Jews in Israel prior to the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Yet the Bible describes Jesus teaching in synagogues around Galilee. Evans presents inscriptional evidence and current archaeological findings from 8 known pre-70 AD Jewish synagogues to demonstrate that the Bible is correct in it’s description of the world Jesus lived.

Finally, I’d suggest a subscription to “Bible and Spade” magazine, the a non-technical quarterly publication published by the Associates for Biblical Research. It is written by scholars and archaeologists for the average person and supports the accuracy of the Bible. You can subscribe here:

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/publications/bibleandspade.aspx

ONLINE RESOURCES

While books are great resources, they become dated rather quickly. This is where online resources are helpful, as they are continually being updated with the latest research. Here is a list of websites I follow regularly to track the latest happenings in the world of Bible archaeology:

http://blog.bibleplaces.com/ – Todd Bolen, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s College oversees the Bible Places blog. His “Weekend Roundup” of news in biblical archaeology is a must-read!

https://ferrelljenkins.wordpress.com/ – Ferrell Jenkins has been leading tours in the Holy Land since 1967 and taught in the Biblical Studies department at Florida College, Temple Terrace, FL for 25 years. His Travel Blog is a great way to visit biblical sites vicariously.

https://holylandphotos.wordpress.com/ – Carl Rasmussen is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. His website is devoted to discussing sites, peoples, and events related to the Bible, the Ancient Near East, and classical studies.

http://www.ritmeyer.com/ – Leen Ritmeyer is an archaeological architect who has been involved in all of Jerusalem’s major excavations for over 30 years. He was chief architect of the Temple Mount Excavations directed by the late Prof. Benjamin Mazar of Hebrew University from 1973-78. He is the world’s leading expert on the Temple Mount, and his website is a great resource of information for those who have an interest in the history and location of the Jewish temples.

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/ – Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t promote the work of the Associates for Biblical Research (again!). Several years ago, I stumbled across their website and have been impressed with their research and scholarship and their commitment to a high view of Scripture. I highly recommend searching the hundreds of articles they have on their website. It is easy to navigate as they have grouped their articles by category.

Finally, let me finish by emphasizing that our trust in the truth of Scripture should not rest on findings in biblical archaeology. Archaeology does not prove the Bible is true. It does, however, demonstrates that the Bible is a historically reliable document describing actual people, places, and past events. While not the “proof-beyond-the-shadow-of-a-doubt” that many unrealistically demand, it helps to establish the reliability of Scripture. Archaeology provides answers and assurance that the faith we proclaim is not built upon fairy tales. I hope the resources I have shared above help to this end.

FREE e-Book: Evidence for the Exodus and Conquest

NOVEMBER 22, 2019 BRYAN WINDLE You can download this FREE eBook HERE. This ebook contains articles from Bible and Spade that highlight evidence for the Israelite exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan. Each author demonstrates that there are indeed details in the accounts recorded in Scripture that have been affirmed through archaeology. It is our prayer that your faith is encouraged and that you grow to trust the truth of God’s Word in a greater way as a result of these articles. Bryan Windle, Editor September 2019 https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2019/11/22/free-e-book-evidence-for-the-exodus-and-conquest/

Nazareth Inscription

BIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY REPORT: A recent study analyzed the composition of the marble of the Nazareth Inscription tablet and concluded that the marble likely came from a quarry on the Greek island of Kos (Cos). The authors of the study suggest an alternate historical context: that the inscription was ordered by Caesar Augustus, decades before Christ, in response to an event described in an ancient poem in which the people of Kos are said to have broken into the tomb of the tyrant-ruler, Nikias, and desecrated his corpse. As a historian, how do you respond to this theory? https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2021/03/19/scholars-chair-interview-dr-clyde-billington/

New Analysis Refutes Nazareth Inscription’s Ties to Jesus’ Death https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-analysis-refutes-nazareth-inscriptions-ties-jesus-death-180974485/ These findings, published recently in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, could clarify some of the inconsistencies in the tablet’s tale. Inscribed with a Greek “Edict of Caesar” that threatens capital punishment for grave robbers, the document doesn’t mention any specific people or places by name. But its approximate age of about 2,000 years—suggested by the style of its Greek lettering—and ambiguous origins led some to consider it the oldest physical artifact connected to Christianity, John Bodel, an epigraphist at Brown University who was not involved in the new study, tells Science magazine’s Ann Gibbons. To investigate the slab’s origins, a team led by Kyle Harper, a Roman historian at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, extracted a small sample from its reverse side and chemically analyzed its composition. The marble wasn’t a match for anything found in the Middle East, instead bearing a much closer resemblance to rocks in a small quarry on the Greek island of Kos. “Our argument about the tyrant Nikias is not 100 percent certain, but it’s the best explanation we have,” Harper tells Science News.

The Nazareth Inscription. Photo Credit: Poulpy / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0

DR. CLYDE BILLINGTON: This chemical study of the origin of the Nazareth Inscription’s marble was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, but this article has several major problems, not with its scientific study, but with its assumptions and conclusions.

The first major problem is the assumption that because the marble on which the Nazareth Inscription is inscribed came from Kos, and also the likely fact that it was inscribed on Kos proves that it could not have dealt with the resurrection of Christ. I actually accept these two facts as reliable, but I believe that they support the connection of the Nazareth Inscription to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Shipping goods, including white marble, overland by donkeys, camels, or oxen was at least 10 times as expensive as shipping by sea. In addition, with good winds, ships could average 4-6 mph, in other words more than 100 miles a day by sailing both at day and at night. Pack and draft animals could only average at most about 20 miles a day, and then they had to be fed, watered, and rested.

It should also be noted that Kos was a major port on a well-known shipping route which connected Israel to ports in Asia Minor and Greece, as can be seen from Acts 21:1-4. In this passage of Scripture, Paul sails from the island of Kos to Rhodes, to Patara in Asia Minor, to Tyre in Phoenicia and then to Ptolemais and on to Caesarea in Israel. Ptolemais was the port city for Sepphoris and Nazareth, which were located only about 25 miles away from the Mediterranean Sea.

The cheapest and quickest way to have a marble tablet cut and inscribed was to order it from Kos, and then have it delivered by ship to Ptolemais and then carted overland to Nazareth. Incidentally, the white marble found in some ancient, floor mosaics in Israel almost certainly also came from Kos since there is no white marble to be found at any site in Israel, and Kos was the closest and most convenient source for white marble.

An aerial view of the island of Kos, Greece. Photo: Karelj / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

The second major problem is the assumption in this article in the Journal of Archaeological Science that the Nazareth Inscription pertains to the hated Greek tyrant Nikias, whom the ancient people of Kos are said to have dragged from his tomb and to have abused his corpse in ca. 20 BC.

Supposedly, according to this recent article, Caesar Augustus was outraged at this desecration of the corpse of Nikias and thus posted the Nazareth Inscription. It should be noted that this story about the abuse of Nikias’s corpse by the people of Kos comes only from a poem and not from an ancient historical source. There is also not a single historical source, including this poem, that mentions Caesar Augustus or his supposed anger at the people of Kos over the desecration of Nikias’s corpse.

In addition, Nikias’s and Augustus’s names do not appear in the Nazareth Inscription. Caesar Augustus is also not mentioned by name in the ancient poem dealing with the desecration of Nikias’s corpse, and there is also no mention made in this poem of any official action of any sort being taken by any Roman official. It should also be noted that there is no mention at all made in the Nazareth Inscription of abusing a corpse but only of moving corpses to other locations in order to perpetrate a fraud, in other words, the fraud of the resurrection of King Jesus Christ.

The third major problem with the Nikias theory is the fact that the Nazareth Inscription mentions multiple bodies being taken from tombs, not just one. It should be noted that Matthew 27:5 states that when Jesus was resurrected, “The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.” In other words, the plurality of bodies mentioned in the Nazareth Inscription matches well with the resurrection of Christ and also of some of His dead saints, but it does not match at all with the single corpse of Nikias.

Incidentally, ancient historian Kyle Harper of the University of Oklahoma has said that the theory that the Nazareth Inscription was written by Caesar Augustus because of the abuse of Nikias the Tyrant’s corpse that it, “has not yet been proven.” I don’t believe that it will ever be proven, because the Nazareth Inscription almost certainly deals with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Tablet thought to have guarded tombs after Jesus’s death may not be what it seems By Ann Gibbons Feb. 28, 2020 , 3:35 PM Then-Emperor Augustus, who knew of Nikias, may have ordered the tablet to re-establish law and order in the region, Harper says, although that inference has not yet been proved. Harper’s team plans to use stable isotope analysis on other Roman and Greek marble artifacts, too, he says. “We want to apply this to other tales.”Posted in: Archaeology Chemistry doi:10.1126/science.abb4961 https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/tablet-thought-have-guarded-tombs-after-jesus-s-death-may-not-be-what-it-seems

One final point, the Nazareth Inscription does not prove that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. What it does prove is that the story of Christ’s resurrection was already well-known, even to the Emperor Claudius less than ten years after His crucifixion. Modern people thus must decide, did Jesus Christ actually rise from the dead or did his Apostle perpetrate a fraud by faking His resurrection. I believe that he rose from the dead.

I want to thank Dr. Billington for taking the time to share with us in detail about the Nazareth Inscription. You can learn more about this artifact in Dr. Billington’s article, “The Nazareth Inscription: Proof of the Resurrection of Christ?” which is available here:
https://biblearchaeology.org/research/new-testament-era/4658-the-nazareth-inscription-proof-of-the-resurrection-of-christ
https://biblearchaeology.org/research/new-testament-era/2857-the-nazareth-inscription-proof-of-the-resurrection-of-christ-part-i
https://biblearchaeology.org/research/new-testament-era/3214-the-nazareth-inscription-proof-of-the-resurrection-of-christ-part-ii

You can learn more about the Institute for Biblical Archaeology and Artifax magazine here: http://bibleartifax.com/

Cover Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Clyde Billington

Disclaimer: I allow each archaeologist to answer in his or her own words and may or may not agree with his or her interpretation of their work.