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Cuneiform Tablets : archives of Syrian city Ebla, 2,300B.C.

The 15,000 clay cuneiform tablets from the palace consists of administrative records for the trade

and commerce of that time. There is also a flood story and account of Creation found in the

cuneiform tablets. Some of the city names in the Bible are mentioned in these tablets. There are

also codes of law in this library, which affirm the existence of a complex law system well beforethe time of Moses (around 1,300 B.C.). A nineteenth century theory suggests that Mosaic law in

the Bible is a product of the 4th century B.C. These tablets refute that theory and add to the

reliability of Old Testament.

Law Codes of Hammurabi of Babylon : 1792 -1750B.C.

This Babylonian stone stele is engraved with an ancient code of law. This code of law, as well as

the Hurrian Nuzi clay tablets (15th century B.C.), bear close resemblance to the customs in the

Bible, such as the inheritance of property, adoption of heirs and the purchase of land (Genesis

23). These archaeological findings affirm the reliability of Genesis.

Jacob Scarab : A seal with the name of Jacob was found in Israel and dating shows it to be from

the 18th century B.C. According to some scholars, the name Jacob was common during the

second millennium B.C. but increasingly rare thereafter. This suggests the name used in the

Bible was the actually a name from that period.

Bible Truth of the Old Testament



Amarna Tablet - Egyptian record of “Apiru” Disturbance in Canaan, 15th - 14th century B.C.

This and many other tablets belonging to the royal archives of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenophis

IV, were the letters written by the vassal kings of Canaan. The tablets record conflicting

accusations among Canaanite kings and complaints about the lack of support from Egyptregarding a disturbance in the land of Canaan from a group of people, called "Apiru", which

sounds like Hebrew. These clay tablets show us clearly that there was a mixed population in

Canaan and wars waged among them (as described in Genesis 14). Archaeological findings show

that their cities were fortified with great walls as described by the Israelite spies in Numbers,

Chapter 13.

"They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!

Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very

large..." (Numbers 13:27-28)

Semitic clan arriving at Egypt - 19th century B.C. A tomb painting in Egypt shows Semitic foreigners arriving in Egypt. In the 18th century B.C.,

the Egyptian empire was taken over by immigrants who were called Hyksos. It was during this

time, the 15th and 16th dynasties, that Joseph, a non-Egyptian, could possibly have a chance tobecome the prime minister of Egypt.

It was a period in which foreigners, like the patriarchs, were welcomed more than usual into the

land. This explains how Joseph could have held high position in the Egyptian government as

described in Genesis. Discoveries in Egypt show striking similarities between the details of

Joseph's life in Egypt described in Genesis Chapters 40 and 41 and the details of Egyptian daily

life, such as official titles and duties, the prison system, magic practices, records of famine and

the storage of food.

"So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet

ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around

his neck." (Genesis 41:41-42)




Kamose stele from Egypt : struggle against Hyksos - 16th century B.C. The stele, found in Karnak, records the native Egyptian leader Kamose driving the Hyksos king

out of Egypt. The Hyksos dynasty was ended in 1550 B.C. by Kamose's brother Amosis I. Egypt

then returned to the rule of native Egyptians and once again resumed a hard line position againstforeigners. This matches the description of the Israelite experience in the book of Exodus. "Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt...So they put slave masters over them to

oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh." (Exodus 1:8-11)

Asiatic Slaves at work - 1458 B.C.

A painting found in a tomb in Thebes shows Asiatic slaves at work under a taskmaster making

bricks. In the reigns of Rameses and Merneptah, Asiatics were employed in various type of work

for the king. It was in the 19th dynasty, 1310-1200 B.C., that the capital cities were located to the

north of the Nile. There were massive building projects in the north at this time. The towns

recorded in Exodus 1:11 have been identified as Tell el-Retaba, and Ramses as Tanis-Avaris.

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store

cities for Pharaoh." (Exodus 1:11)

Brick of Ramesses - 1279-1212BC This type of brick, found in Thebes in 1835, is made of mud and straw. They are 38 cm in length

and have hieroglyphics stamping them as the property of Rameses.

"That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people: "You are no longer

to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw." (Exodus 5:6-7)




Exodus Inscription: Some archaeologists suggested the ancient sites along the Biblical exodus

route did not exist during the time of the exodus, and they concluded that the Biblical account is

fiction, but Egyptian inscriptions suggest otherwise. A combination of inscriptions from three

Egyptian Pharaohs (1550-1200 BC) results in a route matching the Exodus route in the Bible

(Numbers 33)..

"The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth. They left Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the

desert. They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol. They left

Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of

Etham, they camped at Marah. They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm

trees, and they camped there. They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea." (Numbers 33:5-10)

Silver scrolls from Ketef Hinnom

The original scrolls were made of silver, inscribed with the Aaronic blessing of Numbers

6:24-25, 'The Lord bless you and keep you . . . ', and are the oldest biblical texts ever discovered.

Rolled into a scroll, they were probably carried as an amulet, perhaps worn around the hand or

forehead. They were discovered in a tomb on the southern side of Jerusalem at a site called

Ketef Hinnom, and dated from about 625 B.C. This artifact also refutes the theory that the first

five books of the Bible are just fourth century B.C. products because of their refined concept of

God and Laws of Moses.




Old Testament archaeology continues to shed light on the historicity of the Old Testament as

Biblical history enters the period of the Judges and the Monarchy, when the descendants of

Abraham grew to be a nation, Israel, on the world stage. Many direct archaeological findings

attest the historicity of Bible as well. In 1947, the discovery of Dead Sea Scroll further attests the

reliability of the transmission of the Old Testament.

Israel Stele from Thebe by Merneptah, 1220B.C.

In the stele, the Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah boasted of his conquest of Palestine. On the 27th

line of the stele, the name of Israel is mentioned for the first and only time in Egyptian records.

Merneptah said Israel is 'laid to waste, his seed is not'. The name Israel is mentioned as a group

of people instead of as a nation. Some suggest that this is because it had only been a short time

since the Israelites had left Egypt and as such, so they were not yet recognized as a nation. This

may be the period of Judges in Bible (from the Book of Joshua to the Book of I Samuel) when

the Israel did not have a king.

Jericho - ancient city. Situated 670 feet below sea level, there was a settlement at Jericho asearly as 8000 B.C. It is the world’s oldest and lowest city. Several important discoveries

collaborate with the Biblical narratives in the Book of Joshua:

The city was attacked and the city walls fell and leveled, and the walls tumbled down outward.




"So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the

people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man

straight ahead, and they took the city.." (Joshua 6:20)

Dozens of storage jars full of grain were discovered, indicating that the attack on Jericho was

during harvest time; the attack was not a siege. It was quick, and the city was not plundered. It

was also discovered that the city had been burned. As such, the archaeological record fits the

biblical record at this point precisely.

"But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them.

Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it." (Joshua 6:18) "Then they burned

the whole city and everything in it... "(Joshua 6:24)

Ai (tell et): Archaeologists have discovered that there was general destruction in the town of Ai

during the time period when Joshua and the Israelites invaded Canaan. The town lay in ruins. In

fact, the name Ai means ruins. It is possible that Ai was only a military outpost for Bethel at

that time.

"So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent

them out at night" (Joshua 8:3)




Hazor : The city of Hazor was destroyed early on during the time of Joshua. Also, Bethel, Debir

and Lachish shared the same fate during this time, which may indicate the overall destruction of

Palestine in this period. And in the town of Lachish and Hazor, the old Canaanite temples were

destroyed and not rebuilt showing a new people moving in. In the early Iron age, starting around

1200 B.C., the towns destroyed were rebuilt by people whose skills were inferior to the old

Canaanites. (Israelite nomadic culture was indeed inferior to Canaanites). In the central andnorthern parts of Israel, findings of inscriptions in Hebrew were discovered showing the

presence of the Hebrew people in these areas from roughly 1200 to 1000 B.C.

"At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor ....They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that

breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself." (Joshua 11:10-11)

The Monarchy Period

From tenth century B.C. on, Israel firmly established its borders, starting the period of Monarchy

with Kings Saul and David. Direct archaeological evidence continues to affirm the factuality of

Biblical record. About 50 non-Jewish kings and rulers and more than half of the Jewish kings

mentioned in the Bible have had their existence independently confirmed from inscriptions,

tombs and monuments. Hundreds of geographical locations and events referred to in Scripture have also been identified and verified.

Solomon’s Gates in Hazor, Gezer, Meggido: The gates in these three cities are similar. They are dated at the time of Solomon and were

fortified which agrees with the Biblical record.

"Here is the account of the forced labor King Solomon conscripted to build the LORD's temple, his own palace, the

supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, Megiddo and Gezer." (I King 9: 15)




Shishak's inscription - 918 B.C.

The inscription on the temple of Amon at Karnak, Egypt, records the Shishak attack on Palestine,

comprised of both Israel and Judah. Shishak won 150 cities, including Meggido and Gezar. (1

Kings 14:25-28). This direct connection between Egyptian and biblical history once again

affirms the factuality of the Old Testament record. Later, Zerah, the general of Shishak's army,attacked Judah and was defeated by Asa ( 2 Chronicles 14: 9-14).

"In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 26 He carried off the treasures of the

temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields

Solomon had made." ( 1 King 14:25-28).

Kurkh Stele of Shalmaneser III - 853 B.C.

The Assyrian stele records the battle at Qarqar with a coalition of the Israelite king Ahab and the

Aramean king Hadadazer (Benhadad II) in which Ahab is said to have sent 2,000 chariots and

10,000 foot soldiers. This kind of non-Israelite record once again confirms the historicity of the

Biblical record. More than 15 Jewish kings' names were discovered in this fashion.

"The next spring Ben-Ha dad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. When the

Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them." (I King 20;26-27)




Mesha Stone - Moabite rebellion against Israel. ( 850B.C.)

Mesha, king of the Moabites, took advantage of the conflict between Ahab of Israel and the

Arameans to rebel against Israel to recover its independence. The stele boasts about his victory

over Israel. The stone had been broken into three pieces so that it could be sold for more money.

Later, all the pieces ended up in the Louvre Museum in France. There is an inscription showing

the phrase 'House of David' on the broken portion of the stele. The record of this event matches

the Biblical record.

"Now Mesha king of Moab raised sheep, and he had to supply the king of Israel with a hundred thousand lambs and

with the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of

Israel." (2 King 3:4-5)

Dan Stele, “House of David” 850 B.C.

The stele found in Tel Dan in 1993, dated at the first half of the ninth century B.C. was erected

by an Aramean military commander to commemorate the victory over the kingdoms of Israel and

Judah. It may have described events in the war of Ben-Ha dad I against King Baasha of Israel ( I

kings 15: 16-22, 2 Chronicles 16 : 1-6). The stele was later broken and used as building material

for a wall. The inscription shows the phrase "House of David" which is an important extra-

biblical record of the existence of King David who has long been regarded by some as a fictional,

rather than historical, character in the Bible. Hence, the historicity of the Bible is once again

confirmed.




Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III - 841B.C.

The Assyrian king, Shalmaneser III, king at Qarqar in 852 B.C. again invaded Palestine 12 years

after the war with the Israelite kings Ahab and Aramean. He exacted heavy tribute from Jehu of

Israel and the king of Tyre. This extra-biblical record attests to Biblical historicity. In the second

panel of the Black Obelisk, it shows Jehu bowing down in submission.

Assyrian kings : Sargon II ( 722-705)and Sennacherib ( 705-681)( right)

Sargon II ended the Northern Kingdom in 722B.C, after Shalmaneser V besieged Samaria for

three years, and deported 27,000 Israelites to Assyria near Nineveh.

Sennacherib attacked Judah in 701 B.C. during Hezekiah's reign, destroying 46 cities, including

Lachish, and besieged Jerusalem without success (2 Kings 18-19, Isaiah 36-37, II Chronicles

32)"




Sennacherib’s capture of Latish - 701 B.C. A relief in Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh records a clear picture of the seize of the Judean city

Lachish. It was one of the 46 Judean cities destroyed, according to the Assyrian records. The

event took place before Sennacherib's army marched into Jerusalem during Hezekiah's reign. (2

King 18:13). Seize machines being used against the defending city's wall are shown.

Archaeological findings confirm a desperate struggle between the people in the city and the

invaders as well as serious destruction of the city.

"In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah's reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of

Judah and captured them. So Hezekiah king of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish..." (2 King

18:13)

Prism of Sennacherib - 701 B.C. This Assyrian clay inscription records the attack on Jerusalem in 701B.C.: "As for the Hezekiah

the Judahite, he did not submit to my yoke. I laid siege to forty six of his strong cities, walled

forts, and to countless villages in their vicinity, and conquered them. I drove out over 200,000people. Hezekiah himself I made prisoner in Jerusalem, his royal residence, like a bird in a

cage." But Sennacherib was not able to seize the city, so instead, they withdrew and left, just as

recorded in the Bible.

"Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian

camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria

broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there." (Isaiah 37: 36-37)




Hezekiah tunnel. - about 701 B.C.

In preparation for war with Assyrian king Sennacherib, Hezekiah built a tunnel to get a watersupply from the Gihon spring to the pool of Siloam inside the city. The tunnel is 1,750 feet long,

dug into the rock from both sides. There were Hebrew inscriptions Hezekiah tunnel carved in the

side of the tunnel commemorating the accomplishment of the project.

"As for the other events of Hezekiah's reign, all his achievements and how he made the pool and the tunnel by which

he brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?" (2 Kings 20:20,2 Chronicles 32:30)

Babylonian Chronicle (604- 594B.C.) and Cyrus Cylinder - (538B.C.)

The Babylonian Chronicle records the Babylonian conquest of Nineveh and Syro-Palestine (2

Kings 24) and lists the tribute received from the kings of these lands. It also records the first

capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C., the exile of Jehoiachin and the

appointment of Zedekiah.

The Cyrus Cylinder records, Cyrus, the Persian king allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and

rebuild their temple with the help of money from the Persian government. The decree was

publicly announced and circulated by royal messengers(Ezra 1:1-2).




The Dead Sea Scrolls - found in 1947, dated about 100 B.C.

When the scrolls were first discovered in Qumran near the Dead Sea in 1947, the scrolls were

stored in big clay jars found in the caves carved out of the cliffs. It was a library of a sect in

Qumran in which 20% of the scroll's content are Biblical texts, and 80% are non-biblical texts.

The Biblical portion of the content include all the books of Old Testament with the exception of

the Book of Esther. This is the oldest manuscript of the Bible ever found; they are from between

250 BC to 65 AD. The significance of this discovery is not only its tremendous archaeological

value for understanding the religious life around first centuries B.C. and A.D., but also its

confirming the accuracy of the transmission of the Old Testament. Comparing the content of the

Old Testament Bible contained in the Dead Sea Scrolls to the previous earliest manuscript, the

Masoratic text from the 10th century A.D., the accuracy of the text is very high. That shows the

transmission of the Old Testament was very accurate even over a period of 1,000 years. The

scrolls are now stored in, the Shrine of the Book, the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum, in Jerusalem.

Accumulative archaeological discoveries attest to the historicity of the Old Testament Bible.




COURTESY OF FAITHHELPER.COM

For the New Testament study and a in depth look into biblical prophecies, click the link below.

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