The following are only a few of the multitude of discoveries that have been made since the mid-1800s which demonstrate the reliability of the Bible record.

 The Elba Archive

In the 1970’s excavations of the Elba archive in northernSyriauncovered writings dating back to ca. 2300 B.C. These writings verified many names of people and places mentioned in Genesis and other Old Testament books that were, prior to these discoveries, thought to be mythical in nature. The authorship of many Old Testament books came into question because many of these names were formerly thought to be younger than the Biblical record would have them appear.

For example, the name Canaan was in use in theElba writings, a name skeptics once said was not used as early as the Biblical record depicts. However, not only is the name used, but the geographic depiction coincides with the Bible as well.

Also, the word tehom (Genesis 1:2) was said to be a word used in much later civilizations than those spoken of in Genesis. It was therefore argued that Genesis must have been written much later then the time of Moses. However, in the writings of the Elba archive tehom appeared repeatedly as a regular word in their vocabulary, proving its usage some 800 years before Moses.

The Hittites

Frequently, throughout the Old Testament, the Bible describes a nation known as the Hittites. Due to lack of archaeological support, they were once thought to be a Biblical legend. Then, in the late 19^th century, tablets were found at the Assyrian colony of Kultepe (ancient Karum Kanesh), containing records of trade between Assyrian merchants and a certain “land ofHatti”. Soon, the Hittite capital was discovered atBogazkoy,Turkey, along with an overwhelming amount of artifacts, verifying the Biblical description.

 Sargon’s Palace

It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. However, French archaeologist Paul-Emile Botta discovered a palace called Dur-Sharrukin (‘the fortress of Sargon’) in the city known today asKhorsabad,Iraq. As it turns out, the event mentioned in Isaiah 20, Sargon’s capture ofAshdod, was recorded on the palace walls. And, if that weren’t enough, fragments memorializing the victory were found atAshdod itself.

 These are only a few of literally thousands of archeological finds that confirm the historical integrity of the Bible. Nevertheless, the question remains: So, what? So, a few thousand things that the Bible says happened have been proven as historical fact. Does that prove the supernatural and spiritual claims of the Bible are reality?

Archaeology may not necessarily prove the Bible’s inspiration directly, or any other spiritual claim for that matter. But, it does prove its historicity. Archeology does confirm that the Bible is a unique book and must be dealt with as such. It is simply more evidence that demands a verdict. A verdict like the one archaeologist Sir William Ramsay came to.

 Ramsay was educated at Oxford University and a professor at both Oxford and Cambridge.  He was a man dedicated to a pervasively anti-biblical bias due to his 19th-century education. For years, he prepared himself to head an expedition into Asia Minor andPalestine, in order to prove that the Bible was the product of ambitious monks, and not the inspired Word of God it claimed to be.

He saw the weakest part in the whole New Testament to be the record of Paul’s travels. He was as equipped as any man could be. He spent fifteen years literally ‘digging for the evidence.’ Then in 1896 he published a large volume, Saint Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen.

The book caused an uproar in the educated elite throughout Europe. The conclusion of the book was in direct contrast to the goal of Ramsay’s mission. Ramsay spent the next twenty years publishing book after book, overflowing with evidence of the precise, minute truthfulness of the New Testament. Many contemporary skeptics came to turn from their unbelief and accepted Christianity. To this day, Ramsay’s books have yet to be credibly repudiated.

Ramsay’s belief came through his own archaeological confirmation of the Bible and the truth of what it taught. His belief came because “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness” and that “Luke is a historian of the first rank…. In short, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”

Sir Ramsay’s work may prove the historical reliability of the Bible. However, his change of heart from skepticism to belief stands as a testimony of the spiritual vitality of the Bible.

In other words, besides the Bible, who says Jesus existed?

A more specific question is, are there sources outside of the Bible that give historical evidence of the existence of Jesus of Nazareth? The answer is a resounding yes. We know of twelve such historical sources. Not only are these sources all non-Christian, and in most cases anti-Christian, they are all dated within a lifetime away from Jesus. These sources consist of historians, leaders in government and official documents. Here is a quick list:

Cornelius Tacitus

Suetonius

Flavius Josephus

Thallus

Pliny the Younger

Trajan

Hadrian

the Babylonian Talmud

Toledoth Jesu

Lucian

Mara Bar-Serapion

Phlegon.

I would like discuss what each of these sources have to say, but for sake of time (and attention span) I will save that for another post. For now, here is a summary of what these historical witness show us:

• Every witness confirms that a man named Jesus actually existed, most by actually refering to Jesus, only two by mentioning those who followed Jesus.
• Two witnesses explicitly state that Jesus was considered an abnormally virtuous man.
• Six of the witnesses explicitly state that Jesus was worshiped by His followers.
• Seven of the witnesses explicitly state that Jesus had certain disciples that took preeminence as leaders of His other followers (The 12 Apostles, perhaps?).
• Four of the witnesses mention that Jesus was a renowned teacher.
• Seven of the witnesses refer to the fact that Jesus was crucified. Only one of those seven were by inference.
• Seven of the witnesses refer to the discovery of an empty tomb. Three of those are very specific.
• Two of the witnesses explicitly refer to Jesus’ followers’ belief in His resurrection.
• Six of the witnesses explicitly refer to the rapid spread of Christian belief.
• Seven of the witnesses explicitly refer to the persecution that Jesus’ followers faced because of their belief.

All twelve of these witnesses confirm the Biblical record of Jesus and His followers.

So why are these twelve so important? To appreciate their importance more fully, three things must be understood about these sources.

The Time Span

First, they are all confirmed to have been written within 150 years of the ministry of Jesus. Some of the people responsible for the documents probably lived at the same time as Jesus! Though 150 years may seem like a long time for us, we can put things into perspective by comparing the to records of other religion-starting leaders.

Although the Gathas of Zoroaster have been authenticated to date back to 1200 BC, most of the Zoroastrian scriptures were not put into writing until after the third century AD. That’s a span of over 1,500 years. The first biography written about Zoroaster was written in AD 1278. That’s a span of over 2,200 years.

Buddha is believed to have lived in the sixth century BC. However, the Buddhist scriptures were not put into writing until after Christianity took hold as a religion. That’s a span of about 800 years. The first biography of Buddha was written in the first century AD. That’s another span of about 800 years.

We have the sayings of Muhammad in the Koran, but his first biography was not written until a full century later.

By comparison, all of the New Testament was completed in less than 70 years after the life of Jesus. As for these extra-biblical sources, Thallus wrote of Jesus within 20 years of His crucifixion! The very latest of the twelve sources, Mara Bar-Serapion, stretches the time period to within 150 years.

The Number of Sources

Next, twelve doesn’t seem like that many, considering how big of a deal Jesus became. One would think that more would have been written outside of the Biblical record. However, when you consider the fact that Tiberius Caesar, the Roman Emperor of Jesus’ day, is only mentioned in nine other places outside of the Bible within 150 years of his lifetime. So, if twelve sources are not enough to prove Jesus existed, Tiberius Caesar, Emeror of Rome, is deffinitely a myth! 

The reality is, this Jewish Teacher and His followers got more coverage than an Emperor.

The Nature of the Sources

The final thing to understand about the twelve sources is that their record is secular in nature, and that they are all markedly anti-Christian.

In the field of law enforcement, a good witness is priceless. There are, however, types of witnesses whose testimony is more telling than others. For example, there are “friendly” witnesses who will likely want to “help out” the one on trial. These, of course, are not very valuable. Then, there are “impartial” witnesses. These are strong witnesses because they have no connection to the person on trial and therefore no reason to want to help them out or hurt the one on trial. Finally, there are “hostile” witnesses. These are obviously opposed to the defendant. If a hostile witness admits to anything good about the accused, or if they testify to the truthfullness of the defendant’s story, this will carry the most weight with any jury.

All of the twelve sources, falling under the “hostile” category, offer a most valuable testimony. The wealth of historical corroboration is undeniable.

In conclusion, it is obvious from both this evidence and other later writings on the subject that not even Jesus’ enemies thought to challenge what we see fully in the New Testament until centuries after His death. The fact is, with the confirmation of these twelve non-Christian sources, there is no way we can challenge Jesus’ existence.

News Flash!!! The “Missing Link” has been found!…again!

OK. To be fair, it isn’t so much that the “Missing Link” has been found as it is that Ida has been replaced — replaced by Ardi.

Of all that’s being said about the newest addition to the evolutionary hall of fame, ”Ardi”, the simple fact is that all the facts are not in. Nevertheless, the people who are speaking the most matter-of-factly about  Ardi are not creationists, proclaiming that Ardi means nothing. The people who are most sure of themselves are the evolutionists, proclaiming that Ardi means everything.

I guess we’ll see if Ardi does “change everything” and proves to be the “evidence Darwin only dreamed of”, or if it will go the way of its predecessors. (You know the other “missing links” such as: Aegyptopithecus Zeuxis,  Dryopithicus africanus, Ramapithesu brevirostris, Orrorin tugenensis, Australopithecus ramidus, Australopithicus anamensis, Ardipithecus ramidus kadabba, Kenyanthropus platyops, Lucy, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, Neanderthals, Nebraska Man, Piltdown Man, Java Man, and Rhodesian Man.) While all of these are facinating finds, they have all fallen short of being the silver bullet for proving Darwinian evolution as fact.

Here’s what some experts say:

From Answers in Genesis:

•  Meet “Ardi”
• Dr. David Menton was interviewed on Moody Radio about Ardi.

From Apologetics Press:

• Ardi Joins a Long, Infamous List of Losers

From the Institute for Creation Research:

•  The Artistry of ‘Ardi’
• Did Humans Evolve from ‘Ardi’?

Who (or what) is Ida? And, what’s the big fuss?

The History Channel advertized a special about Ida running the punch line, “This changes everything.” That statement pretty much sums up the attitude behind all the hype. That’s how big they think this is.But, the thing is, if Ida ‘changes everything’ then what was Darwinian evolution before Ida? Evolutionists have treated their ideas as settled fact for decades. Ida should only confirm what they say has already been proven. But, the Darwiniam mainstream is acting as if now they’ve really got something. Now they really have it settled. Now they can relax.

This ought to show us something - how insecure Darwinianism really is despite being hailed as fact. And, because the theory is insecure, the theorists are insecure as well. The Christian, on the other hand, can rest assure that what’s found inside of a rock cannot destroy the Rock of our faith.

I, in no way, claim to have expertise in this field (or pretty much any other field for that matter). So, I defer to all the scientists who do have that expertise. Here are some of the many helpful articles I’ve found that are all about Ida.

From Answers in Genesis:

• Ida (Darwinius masillae): the Missing Link at Last?
• Ida (Darwinius masillae): the Real Story of this “Scientific Breakthrough”

From Apologetics Press:

• Ida – A Missing Link?
• Following Up On a Messy, and Still Missing, Link

From the Institute for Creation Research:

• Ida: Separating the Science from the Media Campaign
• Ida Missed Her Link to Humans

Since the mid-1800s archaeological discoveries have demonstrated the reliability of the Bible record. Here are just a few examples:

• The Ebla Archive
  In the 1970’s excavations of the Ebla archive in northern Syria uncovered writings dating back to ca. 2300 B.C. These writings verified many names of people and places mentioned in Genesis and other Old Testament books that were, prior to these discoveries, thought to be mythical in nature. The authorship of many Old Testament books came into question because many of these names were formerly thought to be younger than the Biblical record would have them appear.
  For example, the name “Canaan” was in use in the Ebla writings, a name skeptics once said was not used as early as the Biblical record depicts. However, not only is the name used, but the geographic depiction coincides with the Bible as well.
  Also, the word “tehom” (Genesis 1:2) was said to be a word used in much later civilizations than those spoken of in Genesis. It was therefore argued that Genesis must have been written much later then the time of Moses. However, in the writings of the Elba archive, tehom appeared repeatedly as a regular word in their vocabulary, proving its usage some 800 years before Moses.
• The Hittites (my personal favorite)
  Forty-eight times throughout the Old Testament, the Bible describes a nation known as the Hittites. Due to lack of archaeological support, they were once thought to be a Biblical legend. Then, in the late 19th century, tablets were found at the Assyrian colony of Kultepe (ancient Karum Kanesh), containing records of trade between Assyrian merchants and a certain “land of Hatti”. Soon, the Hittite capital, Carchemish, was discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey, along with an overwhelming amount of artifacts, verifying the Biblical description.
• Sargon’s Palace
  It was once claimed there was no Assyrian king named Sargon as recorded in Isaiah 20:1, because this name was not known in any other record. However, French archaeologist Paul-Emile Botta discovered a palace called Dur-Sharrukin (’the fortress of Sargon’) in the city known today as Khorsabad, Iraq. As it turns out, the event mentioned in Isaiah 20, Sargon’s capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. And, if that weren’t enough, fragments memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.

These are only a few of literally hundreds of thousands of archeological finds that confirm the historical integrity of the Bible. Nevertheless, the question remains: So, what? So a few hundred thousand things that the Bible says happened have been proven as fact. Does that prove the supernatural and spiritual claims of the Bible are reality?

Archaeology may not necessarily prove the Bible’s inspiration directly, or other spiritual claims for that matter. But, it does prove its historicity. Archaeology does confirm that the Bible is unique book and must be dealt with as such. It is simply more evidence that demands a verdict. A verdict like the one Sir William Ramsay came to.

Ramsay was educated at Oxford. He was a professor at both Oxford and Cambridge. He was a man dedicated to a anti-biblical bias due to his 19th-century education. For years, he prepared himself to head an expedition into Asia Minor and Palestine, in order to prove that the Bible was the product of ambitious monks, and not the inspired Word of God it claimed to be.

He saw the weakest part in the whole New Testament to be the record of Paul’s travels. He was as equipped as any man could be. He spent fifteen years literally ‘digging for the evidence.’ Then in 1896 he published a large volume, Saint Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen.

The book caused an uproar in the intelligencia throughout enlightened Europe. It was such a shock because the conclusion of the book was the opposite of the advertised goal of Ramsay’s mission. Ramsay spent the next twenty years publishing book after book, overflowing with evidence of the precise, minute truthfulness of the New Testament. Many contemporary skeptics came to turn from their unbelief and accepted Christianity. To this day, Ramsay’s books have yet to be credibly repudiated.

Ramsay’s belief came through his own archaeological confirmation of the Bible and the truth of what it taught. His belief came because (in his words)“Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness” and that “Luke is a historian of the first rank…. In short, this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians.”

Sir Ramsay’s work in archaeology may prove the historical reliability of the Bible. However, his change of heart from skepticism to belief stands as a testimony of the spiritual vitality of the Bible.

The picture is of a gate leading into the city of Carchemish, the Hittite captial. (Follow the link to see the source)

Difficulty:

As we read through the first few chapters of the Bible, we are presented with a world that is very unlike ours. One of the characteristics of the world described in Genesis is the incredibly long lives lived by the men listed in Genesis 5.

For example, Adam is said to have lived 930 years (Genesis 5:5), and his son Seth is said to have lived 912 years (Genesis 5:8). These alone make Enoch’s life of 365 years seem short (Genesis 5:23). Of course everyone knows the oldest of them all, Methuselah, lived to be a ripe old age of 969 years old (Genesis 5:27). The average age of these guys was pushing a millennium!

Seeing the long lives of these men, we have to ask two questions: 1) did these men really live to be that old and if so, 2)how?

Solution:

To start off, here are two things we have to consider. First, the Bible isn’t the only piece of ancient literature that includes millennial lifespans. The ancient Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Indians, and Chinese describe their original ancestors as living just as long and some longer. Probably the most famous of these is a list of Sumerian kings which mentions rulers who reigned (not lived) for periods of 28,800, 36,000, and even 43,200 years!

(By the way, in the Summerian account as well as others people stop living so long after a great flood. Hmm, interesting, no? But, we’ll come back to that.)

The second initial consideration is that a lifespan of almost 1,000 years is not that long when you consider the fact that God originally intended for humans to live forever.

So, back to our questions.

 Much longer and more complete answers than this amatuer can give have been given. However, all signs point to one central answer. At the time of the men mentioned in Genesis 5, one major (and I mean major) event had not happened. You guessed it — the Flood.

Dr. David Menton and Dr. Georgia Purdom write:

“The fossil record reveals that prior to the Flood, most of the earth appears to have had a tropical type of environment. Following the Flood, there was clearly an environmental change resulting in an ice age that covered nearly 30 percent of the earth with ice (primarily in the northern latitudes). This, together with other changes following the Flood, could have adversely affected life spans.”

By Genesis 6:3, God limits the average lifetime to 120, not as extraordinary by our standard. Then Psalm 90:10 tells us not to expect much more than 70 years, about average these days. The story in other ancient sources including a flood have similar reductions in lifespans.

In conclusion, there are two things to remember:

1. God created for people to live forever; it was the sin that entered the world in Genesis 3 that brought death. (Romans 5:12)
2. God has provided a solution for our greatest difficulty in His Son Jesus Christ, “who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” (2 Timothy 1:10) 

Dr. Bock (for all the Trekkies out there) is the Research Professor of New Testament Studies and Professor of Spiritual Development and Culture at Dallas Theological Seminary. He has more credentials than I have time to list.

Here are four videos from an interview in which Bock discusses a number of issues concerning the many misunderstandings about Christ and the Bible.

So, do we really have to do apologetics? If so, why? Well, I can think of a few reasons.

1. Because God told us to. You just can’t argue with verses like 1 Peter 3:15 and Jude 3.
2. Because God told us to. No, seriously, we shouldn’t need another reason! Nevertheless, I have a few more anyways.
   
3. To grow in our Christian faith. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we do apologetics to win arguments with atheists. However, the study we do in apologetics increases our faith as much as any thing we study as Christians. So often, we talk and act like our faith is a blind leap into nothingness, and that is the accusation that many anti-Christian beliefs bring against us. But, that’s not faith at all. The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The more we examine that substance and evidence, the more we will trust in the things hoped for and not seen!
4. To expose errors inside Christianity. Enemies of Christianity attack from both the outside and inside. Apostasy, or doctrinal error, threatens the purity of Christianity from within. We must constantly be on the lookout for those who claim to hold to the Christian faith, but do and say things that are very un-Christian. This also helps us to be sure our doctrinal positions are correct.
5. To expose errors outside Christianity. The enemies on the inside attack Christianity by trying to change it. The enemies on the outside attack Christianity by trying to, well, attack it. It is our job to prove how Christianity stacks up against such opponents. That’s not to say we are trying to prove that Christians are smarter than people from other religions, or that we are trying to win a “my religion is better than yours” contest. But, the unique character of the Christian faith is one of the strongest testimonies of the power of Christ and the gospel. Which brings me to my next point…
6. To reach people with the Gospel. Winning arguments is not the point. Being smarter is not the point. Pointing people to Christ is the only thing that really matters. For a person to trust Christ as their Savior, they must understand that they need to be saved from their sin. For a person to undstand that, they must understand why their sin is so bad. For for a person to understand that, they need to understand how holy God is. For a person to understand that, they need to understand that God exists. It’s hard to repent to a God you don’t think exists. It’s hard to accept a Savior that you think was just a good teacher. Apologetics breaks down those intellectual barriers and exposes Christianity for what it truly is — life-changing faith in Jesus Christ.
7. Because God told us to. Sorry, I just couldn’t end with only six reasons.

Apologetics is very similar. The question is not if we could or should be apologists. We already are apologists. We became apologists when we became Christians. God has called us to always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks us what we believe and why we believe it (1 Peter 3:15).

Ok, now take a breath. It’s not like every Christian has to give lectures in front of crowds of people or publicly debate those with non-Christian beliefs. God has equipped each of us with the special gifts and talents that we need to accomplish what He wants us to do as individuals. You may be a public speaker who can point people to Christ multitudes at a time. You may be a shy but personal friend to someone who just won’t listen to anyone else. Whatever gifts you may have, you are to use them for the glory of the One who gave them to you.

So, what now? Well, in order to be ready with an answer, you have to get ready with an answer. That’s right, time to study! Dive into the resources you find here and elsewhere (but, mainly here!). Talk to your pastor, youth leader, teacher, or parents. Talk to them about understanding why you believe what you believe. Remember, it’s their job to have an answer for you. Whatever you do, don’t get anxious. You don’t have to have all the answers. God has a specific plan for you. Allow Him to guide you in what you study and the questions you ask. That’s as important as having His guidance in answering the question.

Always remember two things:

1. Jesus said, ”…without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
2. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)