Christian History Institute » archaeology

Menachim Named

admin — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:37:11 +0000

The Menachim handle.

Archaeologists love it when they can turn up remains of a figure mentioned in ancient history. This does not happen as often as they might wish. Sometimes the best they can hope for is an archaeological find which supports the general picture of a period.

The recent discovery of an old pottery handle in Jerusalem provides that kind of evidence for a little-known king of Israel. The 3,000-year-old handle is inscribed with the name Menachim (or Menahem), which was also the name of an Israelite king near the demise of the Northern Kingdom. Menachim reigned ten years and, according to 1 Kings 15, did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes. Nonetheless, he died a natural death and was succeeded by his son Pekahiah.

The importance of the find is that it shows the king’s name was in use during the period for which the Bible records it. In other words, the Bible is not anachronistic in its use of the name.

For more on this story, see Ancient handle with Hebrew text found in Jerusalem.

Edom Date Pushed Back

admin — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 21:50:43 +0000

Edom occupied the region south and west of the Dead Sea, shown here in a NASA photo.

Some archaeologists disputed the Biblical chronology for Edom. Edom, they said, did not appear in history until two centuries after David. Once again the Bible proves more correct than its opponents. Recent finds show that Edom was a flourishing center of metal working at least as far back as the time of David. You can read more about the Edom finds at Reasons to Believe.

Moving Huge Stones

admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:13:57 +0000

For centuries, thinkers have speculated as to the means by which huge stones could be moved for the pyramids, stonehenge, and other ancient structures. Now a Michigan man has demonstrated a simple but workable technique, single-handedly building his own “Stonehenge.” View him in action at ttp://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/posts/moving_big_rocks Although this has little to do with the Biblical archaeology usually featured in this blog space, it eliminates some of the wilder speculations about ancient structures (UFOs not needed!) and indicates that such works required smaller economies and fewer workers than previously thought.

Jeremiah Confirmed

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:42:19 +0000

Recently Dr. Eilat Mazar discovered a small clay seal near a tower which was about to collapse at the ancient site of Jerusalem. This seal refers to Gedaliah son of Pashur, one of Jeremiah’s accusers. To read the full story, visit Royal Seal of Prophet Jeremiah’s Accuser Found.

Cave Church?

admin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:38:16 +0000

Biblical Archaeology Review announces the finding of a cave in Jordan which appears to have been used as a church between AD 30 and 70. Details at Oldest Church Found?

Nehemiah’s Wall Found?

admin — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:45:25 +0000

Israeli archaeologists say they believe they have found the wall Nehemiah built when he came as governor over the exiles who had returned from Persia in the 6th century BC. If confirmed, this would be another striking verification of Biblical history. Those who want to invalidate the find are many—among them non-believers, who want to falsify the Bible, and some Arabs who wish to deny Israel’s past inhabitation of Palestine. Read more about Nehemiah’s wall in the Jerusalem Post.

Temple Quarry

admin — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:33:42 +0000

In September, 2007, Jewish archaeological authorities found the quarry from which the massive stones of the temple mount were taken. This is especially significant because Muslims (and some western secularists) try to deny the Jewish historical connection with Israel. Workers discovered the quarry while making an archaeological inspection before preparing land to construct a school. To read more about the find visit Giant Rocks.

Paul’s Remains

admin — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:33:12 +0000

In December 2006, the Vatican announced discovery of a sarcophagus long thought to contain the Apostle Paul’s remains. Paul was executed in Rome around 65 AD and early Christians preserved his remains. In 320, the emperor Constantine housed these bones in a small basilica which Theodosius enlarged in 390. The Vatican has not ascertained whether the bones of Paul actually occupy the stone coffin. To read more about this find, visit the National Geographic web page at Paul’s Remains.

David and Goliath

admin — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:29:31 +0000

Although scholars bicker over interpretive archaeology, such as when Israel left Egypt or which mountain is to be identified as Sinai, or when Jericho fell, and may claim Bible accounts cannot be verified, the finds of objective archaeology have tended to support scripture. In the 19th century, the spade uncovered Babylonian and Assyrian ruins, inscriptions, and writings–directly and indirectly confirming specific Biblical statements. Inscriptions from Israel mention the House of David and King Hezekiah. 2007 brought another inscription confirming scripture–the mention of the name Goliath. There may have been many Goliaths just as there are many men named “David” or “Paul.” While the inscription is not necessarily about the Goliath of scripture, it is from the same time period and shows that, at the very least, the Bible story fits its context. To read more, visit this BBC page: Goliath find.