In scholarly circles, unfortunately, to believe in the supernatural is to be ridiculed by one's colleagues. An example is that of Hans Goedicke, who believes that the Egyptian army was indeed drowned in the Red Sea, and therefore has become a laughingstock. But even secularized scholars must bow to the Bible's reliability:
"Now, I surely don't believe that 600,000 people crossed the desert as the Bible says," admitted archaeologist Yigal Shiloh, "but on the other hand, I'm not ready to disregard the Bible altogether. I've dealt with the Bible enough, as a secular person, to understand that it's not just a bunch of legends of the elders to explain what happened. There is something to it" (Biblical Archeology Review, May/June 1988, pp. 45f.).
While speaking of the Exodus, the traditional dating of the departure of the Israelites from Egypt is during the reign of Rameses II (1279-1212 B.C.). Scholars argue that the Exodus never took place, since no inscriptions record it. But as has often been pointed out, no proud king would ever chisel news of his defeats in stone to be read throughout the ages. There is, however, an inscription on the wall of the great Karnak temple at Thebes which declares a victory over Israelites in Canaan by Pharoah Merenptah, the son of Rameses. What would be more natural than the son of a defeated king boasting of victory over his father's enemies?
The names of persons and places in Genesis, and the cultures and practices portrayed, have a resounding ring of authenticity. The first chapters of Genesis have a distinct Mesopotamian flavor. After Abraham's migration to Canaan, the mood changes. Names of people and places, as well as the social, political, and cultural setting, accurately depict the sitation in that frontier area. The laws by which Abraham governs himself conform accurately to those of the period and locale. Then beginning with Joseph's captivity in Egypt, the names are authentically Egyptian, along with the setting. It is unlikely that any one person, were he writing a fictional account, would have had such a grasp of these three diverse regions and cultures.
With the Exodus, the scene changes from Egypt back to Canaan, and so does the flavor. The Scripture often records the original Canaanite place name along with the new Hebrew name (for several examples, see Joshua 15:8-15).
William F. Albright has shown many New Testament names to be authentic to the period. Names such as Mary (Miriam), Martha, Elizabeth, Salome, Johanna, Sapphira, Jesus (Joshua), Joseph, James (Jacob), Judas (Judah), and Lazarus (Eleazar) are among the most common names found in first-century Palestine.
Scholars have sometimes considered names and places in the New Testament, as well as the Old, to have been made up. Such was the case with Pontius Pliate, the Roman governor who had Jesus crucified. But an ancient plaque bearing his name, along with that of Tiberius Caesar, was unearthed in Caesarea in 1961.
Similarly, an inscription dedicated to a Corinthian city official named Erastus can apparently be identified with the Erastus mentioned in Romans 16:23.
The "Altar to an Unknown God" in Athens mentioned by Paul in Acts 17:23 has not been found, but was reported seen by Pausanias about A.D. 150.
A plaque which once marked the burial place of King Uzziah of Judah (Isaiah 6:1) was found in a Russian museum on the Mount of Olives by E. L. Sukenik in 1931.
The water tunnel dug by King Hezekiah has been discovered, along with an inscription of dedication (2 Kings 20:20, Isaiah 22:11).
The family tombs of Tobiah the Ammonite (Nehemiah 2:19) and the Sons of Hezir (1 Chronicles 24:15) have been found.
Time does not suffice to note the many Biblical names which have been found on official seals, on inlaid ivory pieces, in inscriptions in stone, and on pottery shards (used like note paper in ancient times). Nor does it suffice to list the multitude of cities, buildings, and locations (like "The Pavement" of John 19:13) recorded in the Bible which have been found by archaeologists.
Further, I have not even mentioned the evidence of ancient manuscripts of Bible books. For instance, the handwritten Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah, dated to the second century B.C., differs in only a few letters from modern texts.
There are many more things in heaven and earth than meet the eye. There are many cities and archaeological sites yet to be dug. In Jerusalem alone, much of the city has never been excavated because of continuous habitation and modern buildings. But I am confident that, as more facts are discovered, more assumptions will be overturned, and Bible history will be verified.
Copyright 1996 Paul A. Hughes
Last updated November 1996. For more information, comments, or suggestions, write RevHughes@aol.com.