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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Nine – Silver Scrolls

Posted: October 21, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, reliability of the bible

This day’s archaeological discovery the Silver Scroll or Ketef Hinnom Valley Scrolls. Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics has another graphic for Pontius Pilate’s ring. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

Find Hinnom Valley, south of the old city of Jerusalem in 1979. Written in biblical Hebrew Numbers 6:24-26 which is the priestly blessing. Words appear on two small, silver amulets and dates to around 600 BC, hundreds of years before the oldest known copy of any biblical manuscript.

Contains Numbers 6:24-26. Known as the “Priestly” blessing saying, “May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause his face to Shine upon you and grant you Peace.” First, they are the oldest copy we have of Scripture. The amulet scroll is older than the Dead Sea Scrolls by more than 400 years. Second, the amulet scroll powerfully shows the Old Testament being used before, not after, the exile. The amulet scroll disproves decades of liberal biblical studies in one small discovery. Third, the scroll is the oldest mention of the name Yahweh outside of the Bible.

Here is a short video from the Museum of the Bible:

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Eight – Taylor Prism

Posted: October 18, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, reliability of the bible

On day eight in our series of 10 Days of Archaeology we examine the Taylor Prism or Sennacherib’s Prism. Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics has another graphic for for this archaeological discovery. Here is day six with the Isaiah Bulla. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

Discovered in 1830 in Nineveh, Iraq by Geoffrey Taylor are congruent with the biblical texts of 2 Kings 18, 2 Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36. The prism recounts the military campaigns of Sennacherib against the Jewish king Hezekiah.

This six-sided hexagonal clay prism, commonly known as the Taylor Prism, was discovered among the ruins of Nineveh, the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire. It contains the Annals of Sennacherib himself, the Assyrian king who had besieged Jerusalem in 701 BC during the reign of king Hezekiah. On the prism Sennacherib boasts that he shut up “Hezekiah the Judahite” within Jerusalem his own royal city “like a caged bird.” This prism is among the three accounts discovered so far which have been left by the Assyrian monarch of his campaign against Israel and Judah. It is currently located at the British Museum.

Here is a short video discussing this discovery.

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Seven – Cyrus Cylinder

Posted: October 17, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, reliability of the bible

Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics highlight various archaeological artifacts that relate or even support the biblical narrative. Continuing the “Ten Days of Archaeology” posts featuring some of the infographics Epic Archaeology has produced. Here is day seven with the Cyrus Cylinder. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

Found in 1879 in Babylon, Iraq the Cyrus Cylinder contains a decree from Cyrus which seemingly corroborates Ezra 1:1-3, 2 Ch 36:23, and Is 44:28.

Here is a short video concerning this archaeological discovery:

Here is a longer video from the British Museum which housed the Cyrus Cylinder:

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Six – Isaiah Bulla

Posted: October 16, 2019 in Apologetics, archaeology, history, reliability of the bible
Tags: bulla, Isaiah, isaiah bulla, old testament

Day Six in our seires of 10 Days of Archaeology we examine the Isaiah Bulla which was discovered just three feet from the Hezekiah Bulla. Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics has another graphic for for this archaeological discovery. Here is day six with the Isaiah Bulla. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

A clay seal stamped with the prophet Isaiah’s name was found recently. This seal, that would be impressed upon scrolls, is over 2,700 years old and was found next to the other much reported clay seal (or bulla) for Hezekiah. It would be the first extra-Biblical evidence of the prophet Isaiah.

In a statement Dr. Eilat Mazar of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem said that, “We found the eighth-century B.C.E. seal mark that may have been made by the prophet Isaiah himself only 10 feet away from where we earlier discovered the highly-publicized bulla of King Hezekiah of Judah.”

Here is an extended video on the bulla:

The clay seal is only a half and inch in width. The seal reads “[belonging] to Isaiah nvy.” Bible History Daily reports that:

archaeologist Eilat Mazar and her team have discovered a small seal impression that reads “[belonging] to Isaiah nvy.” The upper portion of the impression is missing, and its left side is damaged. Reconstructing a few Hebrew letters in this damaged area would cause the impression to read, “[belonging] to Isaiah the prophet.”

“Major Biblical Discovery: Archaeologists May Have Found the Prophet Isaiah’s ‘Signature’” by James Rogers Fox News | Feb 22, 2018

“Isaiah’s Signature Uncovered in Jerusalem: Evidence of the Prophet Isaiah?” by Megan Sauter | Bible History Daily Feb, 22, 2108

“An Unprecedented Find: Prophet Isaiah’s Seal Mark Possibly Discovered in Jerusalem” by Robert Cargill | Biblical Archaeological Society Feb 22, 2018

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Five – Pontius Pilate Ring

Posted: October 15, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, new testament, reliability of the bible
Tags: pilate, pontius, pontius pilate ring

Today’s archaeological discovery is related to the previous post of the Pontius Pilate Stone Inscription. Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics has another graphic for Pontius Pilate’s ring. Here is day five with the Pontius Pilate Ring. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

This ring was found 50 years ago but has just recently been deciphered to bear the inscription of Pontius Pilate’s name, the Roman prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from AD 26/27 to 36/37 during the time of Jesus.

The ring was found amongst thousands of other artifacts in 1968-69 excavations at Herod’s burial tomb and palace at Herodium. The current director of the Herodium archaeological site Roi Porat ordered the 2,000 year old small copper alloy ring cleaned recently and given a thorough scholarly examination. What was discovered was the inscription “of Pilatus” on the ring. The ring was originally discovered by Professor Gideon Forster from the Hebrew University in the late 1960s.

Borschel-Dan reports for The Times of Israel that:

Pilate, a Roman prefect who ruled the Roman province of Judaea from circa 26–36 CE, is mentioned in several accounts in the New Testament, as having ordered the trial and crucifixion of Yeshua, a Second Temple-period radical preacher from the Galilee, more commonly known as Jesus.

Until know, the only object to bear his name was the Pilate Stone discovered in 1961 at Caesarea Maritima which is now currently located at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The Pilate Stone inscription included the following:

“Pontius Pilatus, Prefect of Judea, has dedicated to the people of Caesarea a temple in honor of Tiberius.”

Hasson goes on the report about the discovery of the inscription on the ring for Haaretz:

The name Pilatus has been linked to that of Roman governor Pontius Pilate, mentioned in the New Testament as Jesus’ executioner. Pilate was the fifth of Roman leaders in Judah, and apparently the most important of them. He ruled in the years 26 to 36, and some say even from the year 19. The name was rare in the Israel of that era, says Professor Danny Schwartz.
“I don’t know of any other Pilatus from the period and the ring shows he was a person of stature and wealth,” Schwartz said.

The Israel Exploration Society published the findings of this inscription discovery in their journal the Israel Exploration Journal Volume 68, Number 2.

Here is a video of the Pontius Pilate Ring:

Resources:

“2,000-Year-Old ‘Pilate’ Ring Just Might Have Belonged to Notorious Jesus Judge” by Amanda Borschel-Dan | The Times of Israel, Nov 29, 2018

“Ring of Roman Governor Pontius Pilate Who Crucified Jesus Found in Herodion Site in West Bank” by Nir Hasson | Haaretz, Nov 29, 2018

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Four – Pontius Pilate Stone

Posted: October 14, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, new testament, reliability of the bible
Tags: pontius pilate inscription, pontius pilate ring, pontius pilate stone

Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics highlight various archaeological artifacts that relate or even support the biblical narrative. Continuing the “Ten Days of Archaeology” posts featuring some of the infographics Epic Archaeology has produced. Here is day four with the Pontius Pilate Inscription. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

I discussed the recent Pilate ring discovery on a previous blog post, but the Pilate Stone discovery occurred back in 1961 at Caesarea Maritima in Israel. Pilate is mentioned by Philo of Alexandria, Josephus, Tacitus, and in all four gospels: Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John. Pilate presided over the trial of Jesus and condemned Him to crucifixion. This story is found in Matthew 27. Here is a short video with Frank Turek discussing the Pilate Inscription:

The actual stone is housed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This damaged monument has a partial inscription mentioning Pontius Pilate, the a prefect (i.e., magistrate, or regional governor) of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26 to 36. Here is a short video of the actual inscription at the museum:

The partial inscription reads:

[DIS AUGUSTI]S TIBERIÉUM

[…PONTI]US PILATUS

[…PRAEF]ECTUS IUDA[EA]E

[…FECIT D]E[DICAVIT]

The translation from Latin to English for the inscription reads:

To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum…

Pontius Pilate…

prefect of Judea…

has dedicated [this]

Pontius Pilate probably made his headquarters at Caesarea Maritima – the site where the stone was discovered, since that city had replace Jerusalem as the administrative capital and military headquarters of the province in AD 6, Pilate probably travelled to Jerusalem, the central city of the province’s Jewish population, only when necessary such as during Passover.

Here is a great article by the Bible Archaeology Report which summarizes all of the archeology discoveries related to Pontius Pilate.

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Three – Caiaphas Ossuary

Posted: October 11, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, new testament
Tags: biblical archaeology, caiaphas ossuary

Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics highlight various archaeological artifacts that relate or even support the biblical narrative. Continuing the “Ten Days of Archaeology” posts featuring some of the infographics Epic Archaeology has produced. here is day three with the Caiaphas Ossuary. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

Caiaphas Ossuary

An ossuary is a chest or box made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. Essentially a coffin. Jews in the late 1st century BC and early 1st century AD used ossuaries to keep the bones of the deceased preserved because of the belief that God would use the bones in the resurrection of the dead. Most ossuaries are plane and undecorated, but there is a particular ossuary discovered in Jerusalem in 1990 of particular interest, the Caiaphas Ossuary.

Caiaphas is the high priest mentioned in Mark 14:53-65. In verses 61-64 we read about this famous exchange between Jesus and the High Priest Caiaphas:

⁶¹But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” ⁶²And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? ⁶⁴You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death.

Was Caiaphas a real person? Apparently so. Here is a quick video from Frank Turek of Crossexamined.com about this remarkable archaeological discovery of the bone box (i.e., ossuary or coffin) of Caiaphas:

Here is another video from Drive Through History about Caiaphas and the discovery of the ossuary:

The historical Caiaphas can be crosschecked in history by the Jewish historian Jospehus, as mentioned in the video above.

Here is a bulleted point reference to the history, discovery, and significance of Caiaphas and the ossuary:

Caiaphas was the Jewish high priest of the Sanhedrin.
The primary sources of Caiaphas are the New Testament (Matt 26:3, 57; Luke 3:2; John 11:49; 18:13, 14, 24, 28; Acts 4:6) and Josephus.
Caiaphas ossuary discovered in south Jerusalem in November of 1990.
An inscription on the side of the ossuary contains the phrase “Joseph, son of Caiaphas.
Inside that ossuary where the bones of a man.
Most ossuaries are plain and contain no inscriptions; the Caiaphas ossuary is ornately decorated as would be the case for a high priest such as Caiaphas.

For further information on the Caiaphas Ossuary see:

“Ossuary of the High Priest Caiaphas” | Center for Online Jewish Studies

“House of Caiaphas Ossuary is Authentic” by Gil Ronen | Israel National News 6/29/2011

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

____________________

History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically

10 Days of Archaeology: Day Two – House of David Inscription

Posted: October 10, 2019 in apologetic video, Apologetics, archaeology, history, reliability of the bible
Tags: House of David Inscription, Tel-Dan Stele

Epic Archaeology‘s superb infographics highlight various archaeological artifacts that relate or even support the biblical narrative. Continuing the “Ten Days of Archaeology” posts featuring some of the infographics Epic Archaeology has produced. here is day two with the “House of David” inscription infographic on the Tel-Dan Stele. Be sure to check out the other infographics at Epic Archaeology.

House of David Inscription

The Tel Dan Stele was discovered in 1993 and is a fragmentary stele, discovered in 1993 in Tel-Dan. A stele is a stone or wooden slab set up as a monument like a gravestone. A tel in archaeology is an mound that grows from generations of people living on the same site for hundreds of years. Tel-Dan Discovered by Gila Cook, a member of an archaeological team lead by Avraham Biran, the pieces having been used to construct an ancient stone wall that survived into modern times.

Here are a couple of short videos discussing this important and amazing discovery:

This video discusses the ancient biblical city of Dan along with the stele discovered there:

The Biblical Archaeological Society which produces the journal Biblical Archaeological Review published an article about the Tel-Dan Inscription. A taste of the article:

Few modern Biblical archaeology discoveries have caused as much excitement as the Tel Dan inscription—writing on a ninth-century B.C. stone slab (or stela) that furnished the first historical evidence of King David from the Bible. The Tel Dan inscription, or “House of David” inscription, was discovered in 1993 at the site of Tel Dan in northern Israel in an excavation directed by Israeli archaeologist Avraham Biran. The broken and fragmentary inscription commemorates the victory of an Aramean king over his two southern neighbors: the “king of Israel” and the “king of the House of David.”

You can check out other archaeological discoveries related to the bible here:

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History Has Gone to the Toilets-The Ancient Latrine of Lachish

Ancient Shopping List Provides Evidence of When Bible Was Written

53 People in the Old Testament Confirmed Archaeologically