There are solid reasons for hope

When I say the world “archaeology,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Indiana Jones? Raiders of the Lost Ark? It is for me. However, in the real, non-Hollywood world, archaeology is the fascinating science of discovering long lost cultures.

Gotquestions.org describes the study of Biblical archaeology as the study of architecture, language, literature, art, tools, pottery, and many other items that have survived time and its ravages. There have been thousands of archaeological finds that advanced the study of Biblical archaeology, but there are some very significant finds in there.

Let’s talk about some of the biggies.

Dead Sea Scrolls:

One of the biggest finds in Biblical archaeology is the Dead Sea scrolls that were discovered in 1947 in the Qumran area on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The first thing that jumps out is there were roughly 900 documents and fragments that made up the find.

Here’s another amazing fact: the scrolls predate 100 AD and include a COMPLETE copy of the book of Isaiah. What jumps out at scholars was how little those ancient texts varied from the Bibles that we have today. The vast majority of the differences, 99 percent, are punctuation or spelling errors.

A small part of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

What’s even more amazing? None of the differences changed the meaning of the texts or contained any significant theological differences. What this means is simple:

We can be assured that the texts we have today in our Bible is the same as what the early Church had 2,000-plus years ago. No other secular manuscripts can match that claim. Isn’t God amazing?

The Nash Papyrus:

The Nash Papyrus WAS the oldest known Biblical text before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The ancient manuscript was purchased in Egypt in 1902 from an antiquities dealer by Walter Nash. It was written in Hebrew and dated back to the second century BC.

The Nash Papyrus contained the Ten Commandments from the book of Exodus and the Shema prayer: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord God, the Lord is One.” If that sounds familiar, you will find it in Deuteronomy.

The Silver Ketef Hinnom Scrolls:

The oldest Biblical text ever found is on the Hinnom scrolls – they’re two silver amulets that date to the seventh century BC. Think about that: It’s roughly 700 years before Christ was born! These rolled up pieces of silver were discovered in 1979-1980 during excavations in a series of burial caves.

The Bible Archaeology Report website says when the scrolls were unrolled and translated, they revealed the priestly Benediction from Numbers 6:24-26, and it read, “May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause His face to shine upon you and grant you peace.”

As someone who grew up in the Presbyterian church years ago, that sounds so familiar as it’s the traditional benediction that we ended each service with.

The scrolls contain the oldest portion of Scripture ever found outside the Bible and significantly predate even the earliest of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They also contain the oldest extra-Biblical reference to Yahweh.

Given their early date, they provide evidence that the books written by Moses were not written when the Jewish people were in exile or post-exile period as some critics have suggested.

Tel Dan Inscription:

I didn’t know this, but some scholars insist that David, the King of the Jews, wasn’t a real person. But this stone tablet contains an inscription that is the first reference to the David and his rule outside of the Bible. It was erected by Hazael, the King of Aram, which is present-day Syria.

This inscription refers to a military victory and corresponds to the Biblical account in Second Chronicles 22. This inscription also dates to the ninth century BC, thus giving us an accurate dating to the Davidic dynasty as well as verifying its existence. This is the only extra-Biblical reference to the House of David that’s been discovered so far.

Crucified Man:

I didn’t know this either, but some scholars insist that crucifixion wasn’t used as capital punishment in ancient times. However, archaeologists found the remains of a full skeleton of a man crucified in the first century. The foot bone contains a bent crucifixion nail.

These remains verify that crucifixion was being done and that the Crucifixion of Jesus was done as outlined in the Biblical narrative.

Crossway.org says crucified men were affixed to the cross by their feet in a different way than is traditionally taught. The executioner made a crude, rectangular frame of wood in which the heels of the victim were pressed. Then the iron nail was driven through the right part of the frame, through the man’s heels – the largest tarsal bones in the foot – from right to left. The nail came out through the left part of the frame, and the end of the nail was then bent by hammer blows to make sure the heels wouldn’t have any chance of coming loose.

Conclusion:

There are a lot more examples than the few I’ve highlighted. I’m someone who likes logical reasons behind what I believe. I cannot believe how many reasons I’ve found to believe the Bible is the historical and true Word of God.

The world can give you many reasons this isn't true. However, there ARE logical reasons to believe!

Have you read any of the Bible? Why not? Take a look and decide for yourself. If you’re looking for a reason to hope, you’ll find hope in those Words of Life. But you have to read those words.

Have you received the free gift of life from Jesus? My last two articles showed you there are reasons to believe in the Lord. Writings outside of the Bible talk about a Jewish man named Jesus who claimed to be the Son of God and was crucified. Now, we have archaeological finds that correspond to important details of the Bible.

You owe it to yourself to take a look. You’ll find the hope you’re looking for.