“Does Archaeology Prove the Bible”

Mondo Gonzales, Pastor

CrossRoads Community Church in New Lenox

www.ccc-nl.org

“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea.” Luke 3:1

I am writing this article from Israel and hopefully as you read this, I will still be alive and participating in an archaeology dig in the ancient city of Gath (Goliath’s home town- 1 Samuel 17:4). As most of us probably are, I have been mesmerized by the nature of archaeology ever since Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark! Beyond the dramatic treasure hunting, I am now scraping away dirt with a trowel in the sometimes painstaking, but always exciting sphere of archaeology fieldwork. I have no plans to become a full-time archaeologist, but on the other hand I am finishing up getting a Masters degree in Biblical archaeology so that I can know the Bible, and ultimately God better. What do I mean?

Let me explain. The Bible is a gift given by God to mankind as a way to explain the only way of salvation. This salvation comes to us through the gift of Jesus Christ dying on a cross for us almost 2000 years ago (John 14:6). Not only does it contain this truth, but God’s messages were given to us in an historical and ancient life context. I understand that it might seem difficult to really understand and believe all the stuff we read in the Bible. There are foreign names of people, places, and cultures that are sometimes challenging to sort out while at the same time causing us to ask the question whether this stuff really did happen. Does archaeology really prove the Bible?

Responsible archaeologists are keen at avoiding terms like “proved” or absolutely “certain” when discussing their finds as they relate to the Bible or anything else for that matter. They choose rather to speak in terms of high or low levels of probability. Long gone are the days where archaeologists were nothing more than treasure hunters or others seeking to prove this or that specific Biblical event. Today, most archaeology is done in a very scientific setting where the material finds excavated are very carefully and cautiously catalogued and only later interpreted.

I think as we meditate on God’s word, the Bible, it is ok to ask whether the Bible really is true and whether God really wrote (through human agents) this book. Biblical archaeology can help shed light on the Scriptures in four ways. 1) It can help Complement the narratives found by providing other related data that is not found in Scripture; 2) It can provide a deeper Context through more information about how people lived, ancient customs, etc.; 3) It can Challenge erroneous theories that some assert.; 4) Finally, it can Confirm Biblically related accounts.

I think you will be encouraged at what archaeologists are finding that help confirm the reliability of the Biblical stories and accounts. I quoted the verse above about Pontius Pilate and it wasn’t very long ago that most scholars rejected Luke’s writing of this procurator (governor) ruling at the time of Jesus. Yet within the last 20 years they found a piece of stone in Israel dedicating a temple to Caesar. At the bottom of the inscription, was the name of the one dedicating it. You guessed it: Pontius Pilate! The exact person Luke says was ruling and that scholars denied for so long. This is was a great example of how Biblical Archaeology helped confirm the reliability of the Biblical narrative. I wish I had more time to share hundreds of other finds throughout all of the Bible lands, but if you are interested in seeing more, you can see more stuff at our website: www.ccc-nl.org on the front page. These are all there to let everyone know that Biblical Christianity is an historical faith! God’s Word is true, all of it. Have a blessed week!