By Will Hall, Baptist Message executive editor
ALEXANDRIA, La. (LBM) – The first eight installments of APOLOGETICS 101 presented archaeological discoveries that supported the trustworthiness of the Bible.
NOT JUST RELICS
However, it is important to remember that the physical proof for most of history has been lost simply due to decay, human destruction or natural catastrophe. Therefore, artifacts and monuments cannot be the only evidence used to verify historical accounts.
Instead, there are other valid ways to substantiate ancient records of persons, nations and events that go beyond excavating relics and man-made structures. These methods include studying linguistic links among people groups, comparing social systems between regions, identifying common or distinct human behaviors across geographical boundaries and noting historical details confirmed by multiple independent sources.
For instance, the Old Testament correctly identifies the deities Baal, Asherah and Dagan with the right people groups, strengthening the credibility to the writers of Judges, Samuel, Chronicles, Jeremiah and Hosea.
NOT JUST A NAME
Genesis uses accurate Egyptian titles to detail the circumstances of Joseph’s life journey—including “chief of the butlers” and “chief of the bakers” (Genesis 39:4, 40:2) as well as “Lord of Pharaoh’s House” and Ruler of all Egypt” (Genesis 45:8) —thus attesting to the Bible’s accuracy.
Likewise, Genesis 50 accurately describes Egyptian embalming and burial practices, further verifying the scriptural record.
But even a single word can lend credibility to a biblical account.
For example, Genesis 14:14 uses the Hebraic term “hanakim” to describe Abram’s “three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house,” whom he took to rescue Lot and recover his possessions. “Hanakim” is found only this once in the Bible, and it is used in a passage about an event that took place roughly around 2084 B.C. Archaeologists later found that “hanakim” parallels an ancient term used by the Hittites (who occupied southern Canaan during the time of Abram) which also describes “servants trained in a man’s own household.”
NOT JUST A CLAIM
In Psalm 30, Agur wrote “Every word of God proves true” (verse 5a), and increasingly, discoveries have forced skeptics to concede point after point that confirm the Word.
Indeed, the Hittites are an example.
Many historians once dismissed the name as just an invention of Jewish writers because it was not mentioned outside the Bible. But beginning in the 19th century, archaeologists uncovered remarkable evidence, including more than 30,000 Hittite clay tablets. Consequently, today, more is known about the Hittites than any other ancient culture.
NOT JUST FACTS, TRUTH
In ancient times God spoke audibly to many people, and He can still do so today. However, He also speaks to us through His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), through life’s events and circumstances (James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6-7), and through prayer (2 Chronicles 7:14; Romans 12:2,12; 1 John 5:14-15).
But God primarily speaks to us now through the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in all those who believe (John 14:16-17; 15:26-27; 16:5-15; 2 Corinthians 2:1-16). This is where many historians, researchers, archaeologists and scientists stumble. They reject Him and His truth “without a reason” (John 15:25) because they are “without the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Even when presented physical evidence of biblical history, they dismiss or reject it because such things are “discerned only through the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
You and I can take comfort in the factual truth of the Bible (John 17:17) because Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17. Indeed, our faith is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
Yet, we can also rejoice in the reassurances God provides through what is revealed, even if it is science and archaeology that uncovers the evidence that reinforces our defense of the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).
