Author Topic: Archaeological Support for the Bible  (Read 6797 times)

Butterbean

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Archaeological Support for the Bible
« on: March 16, 2011, 08:10:32 AM »
-The Hittites were once thought to be a Biblical legend, until their capital and records were discovered at Bogazkoy, Turkey.

-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. Then, Sargon's palace was discovered in Khorsabad, Iraq. The very event mentioned in Isaiah 20, his capture of Ashdod, was recorded on the palace walls. What is more, fragments of a stela memorializing the victory were found at Ashdod itself.

-Another king who was in doubt was Belshazzar, king of Babylon, named in Daniel 5. The last king of Babylon was Nabonidus according to recorded history. Tablets were found showing that Belshazzar was Nabonidus' son who served as coregent in Babylon. Thus, Belshazzar could offer to make Daniel “third highest ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:16) for reading the handwriting on the wall, the highest available position. Here we see the “eye-witness” nature of the Biblical record, as is so often brought out by the discoveries of archaeology.

-The discovery of the Ebla archive in northern Syria in the 1970s has shown the Biblical writings concerning the Patriarchs to be viable. Documents written on clay tablets from around 2300 B.C. demonstrate that personal and place names in the Patriarchal accounts are genuine. The name “Canaan” was in use in Ebla, a name critics once said was not used at that time and was used incorrectly in the early chapters of the Bible. The word tehom (“the deep”) in Genesis 1:2 was said to be a late word demonstrating the late writing of the creation story. “Tehom” was part of the vocabulary at Ebla, in use some 800 years before Moses. Ancient customs reflected in the stories of the Patriarchs have also been found in clay tablets from Nuzi and Mari.

-Many thought the Biblical references to Solomon's wealth were greatly exaggerated. Recovered records from the past show that wealth in antiquity was concentrated with the king and Solomon's prosperity was entirely feasible.

(from christiananswers.net)
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Mr. Magoo

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2011, 08:12:04 AM »
does this prove that Christianity, Judaism, or Islam is true?

Butterbean

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2011, 08:17:07 AM »
does this prove that Christianity, Judaism, or Islam is true?

It is support that the Bible is true.


Here are some interesting comments re: the diff. between the Bible and the Qur'an re: Archaelogical Evidence:

Because Abraham is honoured by both Christianity and Islam it is interesting to look at the archaeological evidence concerning his time which is now coming to light in the twentieth century. What we find is that archaeology clearly places Abraham in Palestine and not in Arabia.

1) Abraham's name appears in Babylonia as a personal name at the very period of the patriarchs, though the critics believed he was a fictitious character who was redacted back by the later Israelites.

2) The field of Abram in Hebron is mentioned in 918 B.C., by the Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt (now also believed to be Ramases II). He had just finished warring in Palestine and inscribed on the walls of his temple at Karnak the name of the great patriarch, proving that even at this early date Abraham was known not in Arabia, as Muslims contend, but in Palestine, the land the Bible places him.

3) The Beni Hasan Tomb from the Abrahamic period, depicts Asiatics coming to Egypt during a famine, corresponding with the Biblical account of the plight of the sons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'.

(from debate.org.uk/topics/history/bib-qur/bibarch.htm)
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Butterbean

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2011, 08:20:20 AM »
Here is some more stuff from that last website:

There is further archaeology evidence which supports other Biblical accounts, such as:

4) The doors of Sodom (Tell Beit Mirsim) dated to between 2200-1600 B.C. are heavy doors needed for security; the same doors which we find in Genesis 19:9. Yet, if this account had been written between 900-600 B.C., as the critics previously claimed, we would have read about arches and curtains, because security was no longer such a concern then.

5) Joseph's price as a slave was 20 shekels (Genesis 37:28), which, according to trade tablets from that period is the correct price for 1,700 B.C. An earlier account would have been cheaper, while a later account would have been more expensive.

6) Joseph's Tomb (Joshua 24:32) has possibly been found in Shechem, as in the find there is a mummy, and next to the mummy sits an Egyptian officials sword! Is this mere coincidence?

7) Jericho's excavation showed that the walls fell outwards, echoing Joshua 6:20, enabling the attackers to climb over and into the town. Yet according to the laws of physics, walls of towns always fall inwards! A later redactor would certainly have not made such an obvious mistake, unless he was an eyewitness, as Joshua was.

8) David's capture of Jerusalem recounted in II Samuel 5:6-8 and I Chronicles 11:6 speak of Joab using water shafts built by the Jebusites to surprise them and defeat them. Historians had assumed these were simply legendary, until archaeological excavations by R.A.S. Macalister, J.G.Duncan, and Kathleen Kenyon on Ophel now have found these very water shafts.

Another new and exciting archaeological research is that which has been carried out by the British Egyptologist, David Rohl. Until a few years ago we only had archaeological evidence for the Patriarchal, Davidic and New Testament periods, but little to none for the Mosaic period. Yet one would expect much data on this period due to the cataclysmic events which occurred during that time. David Rohl (in A Test of Time) has given us a possible reason why, and it is rather simple. It seems that we have simply been off in our dates by almost 300 years! By redating the Pharonic lists in Egypt he has been able to now identify the abandoned city of the Israelite slaves (called Avaris), the death pits from the tenth plague, and Joseph's original tomb and home. There remain many 'tells' yet to uncover.

Moving into the New Testament material we are dependant on archaeology once again to corroborate a number of facts which the critics considered to be at best dubious and at worst in error.

9) Paul's reference to Erastus as the treasurer of Corinth (Romans 16:23) was thought to be erroneous, but now has been confirmed by a pavement found in 1929 bearing his name.

It is to Luke, however, that the skeptics have reserved their harshest criticisms, because he more than any other of the first century writers spoke about specific peoples and places. Yet, surprisingly, once the dust had settled on new inscription findings, it is Luke who has confounded these same critics time and again. For instance:

10) Luke's use of the word Meris to maintain that Philippi was a "district" of Macedonia was doubted until inscriptions were found which use this very word to describe divisions of a district.

11) Luke's mention of Quirinius as the governor of Syria during the birth of Jesus has now been proven accurate by an inscription from Antioch.

12) Luke's usage of Politarchs to denote the civil authority of Thessalonica (Acts 17:6) was questioned, until some 19 inscriptions have been found that make use of this title, 5 of which are in reference to Thessalonica.

13) Luke's usage of Praetor to describe a Philippian ruler instead of duumuir has been proven accurate, as the Romans used this term for magistrates of their colonies.

14) Luke's usage of Proconsul as the title for Gallio in Acts 18:12 has come under much criticism by secular historians, as the later traveller and writer Pliny never referred to Gallio as a Proconsul. This fact alone, they said, proved that the writer of Acts wrote his account much later as he was not aware of Gallio's true position. It was only recently that the Delphi Inscription , dated to 52 A.D. was uncovered. This inscription states, "As Lusius Junius Gallio, my friend, and the proconsul of Achaia..." Here then was secular corroboration for the Acts 18:12 account. Yet Gallio only held this position for one year. Thus the writer of Acts had to have written this verse in or around 52 A.D., and not later, otherwise he would not have known Gallio was a proconsul. Suddenly this supposed error not only gives credibility to the historicity of the Acts account, but also dates the writings in and around 52 A.D. Had the writer written the book of Acts in the 2nd century as many liberal scholars suggest he would have agreed with Pliny and both would have been contradicted by the eyewitness account of the Delphi Inscription.

It is because of discoveries such as this that F.F.Bruce states, "Where Luke has been suspected of inaccuracy, and accuracy has been vindicated by some inscriptional evidence, it may be legitimate to say that archaeology has confirmed the New Testament record."

In light of archaeological evidence, books such as Luke and Acts reflect the topography and conditions of the second half of the first century A.D. and do not reflect the conditions of any later date. Thus it is because Luke, as a historian has been held to a higher accountability then the other writers, and because it has been historical data which has validated his accounts, we can rest assured that the New Testament can be held in high regard as a reliable historical document.

We have no reason to fear archaeology. In fact it is this very science which has done more to authenticate our scriptures than any other. Thus we encourage the secular archaeologists to dig, for as they dig we know they will only come closer to that which our scriptures have long considered to be the truth, and give us reason to claim that indeed our Bible has the right to claim true authority as the only historically verified Word of God. This is why so many eminent archaeologists are standing resolutely behind the Biblical accounts. Listen to what they say (taken from McDowell's Evidences 1972:65-67):

G.E. Wright states,"We shall probably never prove that Abram really existed...but what we can prove is that his life and times, as reflected in the stories about him, fit perfectly within the early second millennium, but imperfectly within any later period."

Sir Frederic Kenyon mentions, "The evidence of archaeology has been to re-establish the authority of the Old Testament, and likewise to augment its value by rendering it more intelligible through a fuller knowledge of its background and setting."

William F. Albright (a renowned archaeologist) says, "The excessive skepticism shown toward the Bible by important historical schools of the 18th and 19th centuries, certain phases which still appear periodically, has been progressively discredited. Discovery after discovery has established the accuracy of innumerable details, and has brought increased recognition to the value of the Bible as a source of history."

Millar Burrows of Yale states, "On the whole, archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record."

Joseph Free confirms that while thumbing through the book of Genesis, he mentally noted that each of the 50 chapters are either illuminated or confirmed by some archaeological discovery, and that this would be true for most of the remaining chapters of the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Nelson Glueck (a Jewish Reformed scholar and archaeologist) probably gives us the greatest support for the historicity of the Bible when he states, "To date no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a single, properly understood biblical statement."

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MCWAY

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #4 on: March 16, 2011, 08:45:41 AM »
All these things and many more were historical items that, at one point, were primarily or exclusively documented in Scripture.

Therefore, Bible critics and atheists swore up and down that they were fabricated. Of course, the archaeological evidence dashes their claims to bits.

Butterbean

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 07:35:38 AM »
All these things and many more were historical items that, at one point, were primarily or exclusively documented in Scripture.

Therefore, Bible critics and atheists swore up and down that they were fabricated. Of course, the archaeological evidence dashes their claims to bits.

We just learned a little about the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser which is another supporting find.


Assyrian policy was to deport conquered peoples to other lands within the empire, to destroy their sense of nationalism, and break any pride or hope of rebellion and replace them with strangers from far away. Assyrians were great warriors. Most nations at that time period were looters, building their state by robbing other nations. Assyria was the most ferocious of them all. Their very name became a byword for cruelty and atrocity. They skinned their prisoners alive, and cut off various body parts to inspire terror in their enemies. There is records of Assyrian officials pulling out tongues and displaying mounds of human skulls all to bring about stark horror and wealthy tribute from surrounding nations. Nowhere are the pages of history more bloody than in the records of their wars.


Assyrian annals mention contacts with some nine Hebrew kings: Omri, Ahab, Jehu, Menahem, Pekah, Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh.

Because of the cruelty and paganism of the Assyrians, the Hebrew people harbored deep-seated hostility against this nation. This attitude is revealed clearly in the Book of Jonah. When God instructed Jonah to preach to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, Jonah refused and went in the opposite direction. After he finally went to Nineveh, the prophet was disappointed with God because He spared the city. 150 years later The prophet Nahum spoke against Assyria indicating that they were ripe for the slaughter.

(www.bible-history.com/old-testament/the_assyrians.html)



Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser was erected as a victory stele by the Assyrian King Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC) in about 841 BC. The nearly seven-foot, four-sided, limestone monument contains numerous images and approximately 190 lines of text. The image below shows Israel’s King Jehu bowing in humble tribute after Israel’s defeat to Assyria (2 Kings 9-10).

This artifact is another important source that corroborates the biblical account of the early Israelites. The depiction of Jehu is one of the earliest surviving pictures of an Israelite. Discovered in 1846 in Nimrud, Iraq, the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser currently resides in the British Museum.
(www.allaboutarcheology.o rg)

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Agnostic007

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2011, 09:21:52 AM »
So much for the declaration, at the end of the chapter, that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Here's a short list of some other historical events in the Bible that should be supported by archaeological evidence, but aren't:[5]

There are no Egyptian records of the events of the Exodus, had they happened as described in the Bible. The confrontation with the Israelites, the natural disasters, the pursuit of the Israelites, and the drowning of the Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea are all events that could not have escaped the notice of any Egyptian chronicler.
Joshua's telling the Sun to stop moving across the sky (Joshua 10:12-14) should be recorded in numerous existing chronicles; it would have happened around 1240 BC, when there were scribes at work not only in Egypt and Mesopotamia, but also in ancient Turkey and Crete.
In the Book of Jonah, we find that Jonah got the people of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh to repent of their sins. This remarkable event is not confirmed anywhere else in the Bible, nor in the chronicles and libraries of Nineveh or any neighboring city.
The massacre of baby boys ordered by Herod (Matthew 2) is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, or by any outside historians, some of whom describe Herod in great detail.
The Star of Bethlehem (Matthew 2) is also mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, and historical evidence contradicts the generally accepted birthdate for Jesus as 4 BC. We know from Roman history that Halley's comet appeared over Rome in 12 BC when the famous commander Marcus Agrippa died, and Chinese astronomical records allege a comet appearing at that time, which might explain a moving, not fixed, star guiding the Wise Men to Bethlehem. It's likely that Matthew's story isn't history but rather was constructed from messianic prophecies, and the Wise Men were added as another legend.[6]
How could Jesus (according to Luke) be born at a time when a census was ordered by Caesar Augustus, when Quirinius governed Syria and Herod ruled the Jews? Historical evidence says that Herod's rule ended in 4 BC and the census did not occur until 6 AD when Quirinius was governing Syria.[7]

OzmO

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2011, 04:42:57 PM »
So are there places in other religious books that are supported by archeological finds?

If so that does them true.?

Agnostic007

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #8 on: April 04, 2011, 08:23:30 AM »
Bottom line, archeological issues are one thing. The anonymous authors of the manuscripts that eventually made it into  what we know as the bible today, obviously existed back then or the manuscripts wouldn't. That someone writes about a city is one thing, that someone writes that graves opened up and dead saints walked among the living during the crucification is obviously another. That I tell you it is raining in california, while it may or may not be true, it doesnt ask you to suspend logic and all known natural laws to believe. However if I tell you it is raining elephants, you would likely require extensive proof of it. Same with biblical claims...   

OzmO

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #9 on: April 04, 2011, 08:45:30 AM »
Cats and dogs for sure, but only elephants in 05  ;D

MCWAY

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2011, 10:54:37 AM »
Bottom line, archeological issues are one thing. The anonymous authors of the manuscripts that eventually made it into  what we know as the bible today, obviously existed back then or the manuscripts wouldn't. That someone writes about a city is one thing, that someone writes that graves opened up and dead saints walked among the living during the crucification is obviously another. That I tell you it is raining in california, while it may or may not be true, it doesnt ask you to suspend logic and all known natural laws to believe. However if I tell you it is raining elephants, you would likely require extensive proof of it. Same with biblical claims...   

For starters, only a handful of the authors of Scripture are anonymous. The rest we know (or at least, have a strong hint as to the authorship).


Butterbean

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2011, 12:41:03 PM »
So are there places in other religious books that are supported by archeological finds?



If so that does them true.?

Does that in an of itself make the whole book true?  Is that what you are asking?
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Butterbean

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #12 on: April 04, 2011, 12:45:24 PM »
So much for the declaration, at the end of the chapter, that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Here's a short list of some other historical events in the Bible that should be supported by archaeological evidence, but aren't:[5]

There are no Egyptian records of the events of the Exodus, had they happened as described in the Bible. The confrontation with the Israelites, the natural disasters, the pursuit of the Israelites, and the drowning of the Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea are all events that could not have escaped the notice of any Egyptian chronicler.
Joshua's telling the Sun to stop moving across the sky (Joshua 10:12-14) should be recorded in numerous existing chronicles; it would have happened around 1240 BC, when there were scribes at work not only in Egypt and Mesopotamia, but also in ancient Turkey and Crete.
In the Book of Jonah, we find that Jonah got the people of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh to repent of their sins. This remarkable event is not confirmed anywhere else in the Bible, nor in the chronicles and libraries of Nineveh or any neighboring city.
The massacre of baby boys ordered by Herod (Matthew 2) is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, or by any outside historians, some of whom describe Herod in great detail.
The Star of Bethlehem (Matthew 2) is also mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, and historical evidence contradicts the generally accepted birthdate for Jesus as 4 BC. We know from Roman history that Halley's comet appeared over Rome in 12 BC when the famous commander Marcus Agrippa died, and Chinese astronomical records allege a comet appearing at that time, which might explain a moving, not fixed, star guiding the Wise Men to Bethlehem. It's likely that Matthew's story isn't history but rather was constructed from messianic prophecies, and the Wise Men were added as another legend.[6]
How could Jesus (according to Luke) be born at a time when a census was ordered by Caesar Augustus, when Quirinius governed Syria and Herod ruled the Jews? Historical evidence says that Herod's rule ended in 4 BC and the census did not occur until 6 AD when Quirinius was governing Syria.[7]


1) How many times should something be mentioned in the bible in order for you to give it more credence than if it is mentioned once?  Don't you pretty much reject it anyway?   ???

2) Do you think we've already escavated every place there is to escavate?
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OzmO

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #13 on: April 04, 2011, 12:47:19 PM »
Does that in an of itself make the whole book true?  Is that what you are asking?

No, what i am getting is, if they found Mt. Olympus would that make Greek mythology any more truer than Christianity? 

Butterbean

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #14 on: April 04, 2011, 12:56:34 PM »
No, what i am getting is, if they found Mt. Olympus would that make Greek mythology any more truer than Christianity?  

Other things in addition to archeological evidence support Christianity as true in my opinion including prophecy.

So in addition to finding Mt. Olympus, there would need to be other evidence for me to accept all that is written about Greek mythology as true.

 
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loco

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #15 on: April 04, 2011, 01:00:20 PM »
No, what i am getting is, if they found Mt. Olympus would that make Greek mythology any more truer than Christianity?  

FYI...I believe Greek mythology, or any mythology, is based on corrupted tales of true events, some of which are mentioned in part in the Bible.

Hercules, son of Zeus the god who fell in love with a human female?

Genesis 6:2
"the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose."

Genesis 6:4
"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown."



In more than one place, the Bible refers to angels as "sons of God."

Job 1:6
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them."


So Zeus I believe is an angel who married a human female and Hercules is their offspring.   Same goes for Thor son of Odin, etc.

OzmO

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #16 on: April 04, 2011, 01:12:17 PM »
So who are the sons of god?  Angels?

loco

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #17 on: April 04, 2011, 01:13:43 PM »
So who are the sons of god?  Angels?

Si, read my updated post.   :)

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #18 on: April 04, 2011, 01:18:08 PM »
So because Satan was mentioned with the "sons of god" and Satan was an angel then that meant the sons of god were angels?

loco

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #19 on: April 04, 2011, 01:23:37 PM »
So because Satan was mentioned with the "sons of god" and Satan was an angel then that meant the sons of god were angels?

No, not because of that.  If you look at the Genesis 6:2 and Genesis 6:4, it says that the "sons of God went to the daughters of humans."  So the sons of God are not human.  Also, in the Old Testament, there are several places where the English word for angel was translated from the Hebrew word for "sons of God."

Job 1:6 (New International Version, ©2011)

 6 One day the angels[1] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan[2] also came with them.

Footnotes:

   1. Job 1:6 Hebrew the sons of God
   2. Job 1:6 Hebrew satan means adversary.

MCWAY

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #20 on: April 06, 2011, 05:45:59 AM »
So much for the declaration, at the end of the chapter, that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Here's a short list of some other historical events in the Bible that should be supported by archaeological evidence, but aren't:[5]

There are no Egyptian records of the events of the Exodus, had they happened as described in the Bible. The confrontation with the Israelites, the natural disasters, the pursuit of the Israelites, and the drowning of the Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea are all events that could not have escaped the notice of any Egyptian chronicler.
Joshua's telling the Sun to stop moving across the sky (Joshua 10:12-14) should be recorded in numerous existing chronicles; it would have happened around 1240 BC, when there were scribes at work not only in Egypt and Mesopotamia, but also in ancient Turkey and Crete.
In the Book of Jonah, we find that Jonah got the people of the Assyrian capital of Nineveh to repent of their sins. This remarkable event is not confirmed anywhere else in the Bible, nor in the chronicles and libraries of Nineveh or any neighboring city.
The massacre of baby boys ordered by Herod (Matthew 2) is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, or by any outside historians, some of whom describe Herod in great detail.
The Star of Bethlehem (Matthew 2) is also mentioned nowhere else in the Bible, and historical evidence contradicts the generally accepted birthdate for Jesus as 4 BC. We know from Roman history that Halley's comet appeared over Rome in 12 BC when the famous commander Marcus Agrippa died, and Chinese astronomical records allege a comet appearing at that time, which might explain a moving, not fixed, star guiding the Wise Men to Bethlehem. It's likely that Matthew's story isn't history but rather was constructed from messianic prophecies, and the Wise Men were added as another legend.[6]
How could Jesus (according to Luke) be born at a time when a census was ordered by Caesar Augustus, when Quirinius governed Syria and Herod ruled the Jews? Historical evidence says that Herod's rule ended in 4 BC and the census did not occur until 6 AD when Quirinius was governing Syria.[7]


As far as the issue of Jesus' birth and Quirinis goes, this has been solved over a century ago. Luke describes Quirinius as being a hegemon, a Greek word that can be translated as "governor" but ALSO means "leader" or "ruler". In Luke 3, Tiberius Caesar is described as having "hegemonia"; he was emperor; Pilate had that same description in Luke 3; he was a procurator.

And since historical documents show that Quirinius was in a Legatus position in Syria, when Augustus started his census, Luke's description is quite accurate in scope and does NOT clash with the account in Matthew. A census was done every 14 years. So, if Quirinius was officially a governor in Syria in 6 or 7 A.D., the previous census would have been around 8 B.C.

From Sir William Ramsay ("Was Christ Born In Bethlehem?):

Accordingly, the probability is that in BC. 7, when Varus came to
   govern Syria, Augustus perceived that the internal affairs of the
   province would require all the energy of the regular governor, and sent
   at the same time a special officer with the usual title, Lieutenant of
   Augustus, to administer the military resources of the province, and
   specially to conduct the war against the Homonadenses and any other
   foreign relations that demanded military intervention. Moreover, Varus
   had no experience in war; and an experienced officer was needed. Thus,
   Quirinius conducted the war pretty certainly in BC. 6, perhaps in 7 and
   6, perhaps in 6 and 5.


   The first periodic enrollment of Syria was made under Saturninus in BC.
   8-7. The enrollment of Palestine was delayed by the causes described
   until the late summer or autumn of BC. 6. At that time, Varus was
   controlling the internal affairs of Syria, while Quirinius was
   commanding its armies and directing its foreign policy.


   Tertullian, finding that the first periodic enrollment in Syria was
   made under Saturninus, inferred too hastily that the enrollment in
   Palestine was made under that governor. With full consciousness and
   intention, he corrects Luke's statement, and declares that Christ was
   born during the census taken by Sentius Saturninus. Luke, more
   accurately, says that the enrollment of Palestine was made while
   Quirinius was acting as leader (hegemon) in Syria.



   The question will perhaps be put whether Luke could rightly describe
   the authority of Quirinius by the words "holding the Hegemonia of
   Syria". The preceding exposition leaves no doubt on this point. The
   usage of Luke shows that he regards Hegemonia in the provinces as the
   attribute both of the Emperor and of the officers to whom the Emperor
   delegates his power. Now that is quite true in point of fact. The
   Emperor primarily held the supreme authority in Syria (which was one of
   the Imperatorial provinces, as distinguished from those which were
   administered by the Senate through the agency of its officers, entitled
   Proconsuls). But the Emperor could not himself be present in Syria or
   in Palestine, hence he delegated to substitutes, or Lieutenants, the
   exercise of his authority in the various provinces which were under his
   own direct power.

   These substitutes, when of senatorial rank, bore the
   title Legatus Augusti pro praetore, and when of equestrian rank the
   title Procurator cum jure gladii; but both Legati and Procuratores are
   called by Luke Hegemones, as exercising the Hegemonia that belongs to
   the Emperor. Now Quirinius was exercising this delegated Hegemonia over
   the armies of the Province Syria, and it seems quite in keeping with
   Luke's brief pregnant style to say that he held the Hegemonia of Syria.


   But why did Luke not name Varus, the ordinary governor, in place of
   dating by the extraordinary officer? If he had had regard to the
   susceptibilities of modern scholars, and the extreme dearth of
   knowledge about the period, which was to exist 1800 years after he
   wrote, he would certainly have named Varus. But he was writing for
   readers who could as easily find out about Quirinius as about Varus,
   and he had no regard for us of the nineteenth century. Quirinius ruled
   for a shorter time than Varus, and he controlled the foreign relations
   of the province, hence he furnished the best means of dating.

   But why did Luke not distinguish clearly between this enrollment and
   the later enrollment of A. D. 7, which was held by Quirinius in Syria
   and in Palestine? We answer that he does distinguish, accurately and
   clearly. He tells that this was the first enrollment of the series, but
   the moderns are determined to misunderstand him. They insist that Luke
   confused the use of comparative and superlative in Greek, and that we
   cannot take the full force of the word "first" as "first of many". They
   go on to put many other stumbling-blocks in the way, but none of these
   cause any difficulty if we hold fast to the fundamental principle that
   Luke was a great historian who wrote good Greek of the first century


Migs

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #21 on: April 06, 2011, 06:33:26 PM »
It is support that the Bible is true.

it is support that parts of the Bible are true, not the whole thing.  Even most lies are based on some partial truth

Brixtonbulldog

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #22 on: April 06, 2011, 08:00:10 PM »
another religious icon is known for his tactic of mixing fact with fiction


mitchyboy

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Re: Archaeological Support for the Bible
« Reply #23 on: May 07, 2011, 09:07:28 PM »
Extremely flawed logic and the way a child would look at things. If I wroye a book that detailed were I and my family lived, and also in the same book said the moon was made of marshmallow, would finding out were I lived was a true place make the moon a big marshmallow?