archaeology supports the bible
TRANSCRIPT
Archaeology supports the Bible.
It cannot prove the Bible true but it
does give us excellent reasons :-
Why we should read the Bible with
care and greater confidence.
/
0. The Bible has foretold the future.
About cities and nations to be Eliminated:-
Nineveh, Tyre, Babylon, Edom, Ammon, Philistines.
About cities and nations to Survive until the Kingdom comes:-
The Jews, Esau (Arabs), Egypt, Persia (Iran), Libya,
Ethiopia.
I propose to look at a tale of Two Cities; Tyre and
Babylon. Both to be eliminated but in different ways.
Probably spending much more time on Tyre than on Babylon!
I shall be using an ESV to help us understand the poetic language a little better
where it is prolific in most of the prophecies./
Genuine prophecies include :-
0. The Bible has foretold the future.
God challenges the heathen Gods to show proof of their
Superhuman knowledge.
Is 41:21 “Set forth your case, says the LORD;
bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.
v22 Let them bring them, and tell us
what is to happen.
Tell us the former things, what they are, that we may
consider them,
that we may know their outcome;
or declare to us the things to come.
v23 Tell us what is to come hereafter,
that we may know that you are gods;” /
When some Israelites followed the idolatry of the then world;
1. The Bible is crammed full of history.
Higher Criticism of the Bible is not always bad.
But in the last 150 years or so they (‘Higher
Critics’) have had to change their tune.
The Bible has proved to be a most reliable
historical record.
/
There is no other world religion that begins to have anything like
this historical and prophetic book of The Bible as their basis.
1. The Bible is crammed full of history.
Evidence of Prof W F Albright, qualified as a
theologian, historian, philosopher and orientalist.
Died 1971. Regarded as the greatest archaeologist in
USA and perhaps one of greatest in world.
He comments on Abraham’s story in Gen 11:27 – 25.
A generation or two ago most critical scholars
regarded these chapter as very late and quite
unhistorical.
We cannot say that today. These chapter (Gen 11ff)
present some exceedingly early allusions carrying us
directly back into the Middle Bronze Age (2100-1600
BC)./
1. The Bible is crammed full of history.
He offers one example found in Gen 14:14.
Gen 14:14 “When Abram heard that his kinsman had
been taken captive, he led forth his trained men,
born in his house, 318 of them, and went in pursuit as
far as Dan.” (ESV) {NB KJV “trained servants”}.
S02593 חניך chaniyk kaw-neek’, a 1x (a oncer); from a root
“initiated, skilled, tried fidelity (Gesenius)”.
Now known to be an Egyptian word used in the Execration
Texts of late C19th BC and used 4 centuries later in one of
the Taanach tablets. Also some of the towns mentioned in
this chapter are now proved to be very ancient.
W F Albright, “The Archaeology of Palestine”, Penguin Books, 1960.
/
1. The Bible is crammed full of history.
Similarly in another book he sums up the situation by
saying:-
“our case for the substantial historicity for the tradition
of the patriarchs (i.e. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) is
clinched.”W F Albright, “The Bible period from Abraham to Ezra”, Harper &
Rowe, New York.
NB. His scholarly caution in the following quotation:-
“the substantial historicity is proved”.
“The real value of Biblical Archaeology is that it has shown
many criticisms of the Bible to be false.”
/
2. A tale of two cities Tyre and Babylon were to be destroyed by God
for their wickedness. They were both great
capital cities of the ancient world. Tyre’s navy
dominated the Mediterranean, she had the
largest merchant fleet of the ancient world.
Each of them were to be destroyed sometimes
taking over hundreds of years. But the nature of
their punishments were to be very different.
Tyre was destroyed but not to remain as ruins, all its
stones were to be cast into the sea.
Whereas Babylon after its destruction was to remain
a collection of uninhabited ruins for all time. /
3. The city of Tyre
/
Note Judah,
Edom, Moab,
Ammon & the
Phoenicians
with Tyre &
Sidon.
3. The city of Tyre “Tyre” (20x) and “Tyrus” (22x)/42x come from same Hebrew term 06865 צר
Tsor or צור Tsowr Tyre or Tyrus = "a rock“. Former used in all historical books, Psalms &
Isaiah.; the Latter chiefly used by later prophets from Jeremiah onwards. Exactly same Hebrew word.
According to Herodotus Tyre’s history began BC 2750.
Josh 19:29 of boundary of tribe of Asher “Then the boundary turns to Ramah,
reaching to the fortified city of Tyre. ...”.
In the days of David & Solomon the city became a great maritime commercial
centre with mutually beneficial trade. Expanded to include Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia
and much of the Mediterranean coast as far as Spain.
In days of king David (2 Sam 5:11) and Solomon (1 Kin 9:11) Tyre greatly helped
them with materials to build their house and the LORD’s house.
Tyre had successfully resisted a 5 year invasion by Shalmaneser (of Assyria) when
the 10 tribes of Israel were deported ~ BC 722.
Tyre became rich, arrogant and morally decadent.
No evidence that it ever showed any interest in the God of Israel and His promises.
/
3B The city of Babylon Yet later in days of Zedekiah (last king of Judah) Jer 27:2 “Thus the LORD said
to me: . . .
3 Send word to the king of Edom, /Moab, /Ammon, /Tyre, /Sidon ...
4 Give them this charge for their masters: . . .
5 “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made
the earth . , and I give it to whomever it seems right to me.
6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon, my servant, . . .
7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the
time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall
make him their slave.” . . . .
12 To Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke in like manner: “Bring your necks
under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people
and live.
13 Why will you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by
pestilence, as the LORD has spoken concerning any nation that will not
serve the king of Babylon?” /
3.The city of Tyre Tyre was a growing city on the coast of the Phoenicians with
Sidon originally as its capital. It was sited in a very fertile and
irrigated area. They developed a large and proficient navy
which allowed their trade with many other nations to grow.
About half a mile offshore were two sandy reefs which they
joined together by infill and made a separate off-shoot of the
city. They transported by boats food and water from the
mainland “Ancient Tyre” to support “Insular Tyre”. Two
harbours were built on north and southern ends of the island.
/
3. The city of Tyre Let’s look at Ezekiel’s recorded prophecy against Tyre in ch 26.
Its structure is important and greatly aids its interpretation..
(A) 26:2-6 THE REASON FOR THE JUDGEMENTS
NB. – general over-all effects of “many nations” (v3) invading .
v2 “Son of man, because Tyre said concerning Jerusalem, ‘Aha,
the gate of the peoples is broken; it has swung open to me. I
shall be replenished, ...’
v3 “therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O
Tyre, and will bring up many nations against you, as the
sea brings up its waves.
v4 “They shall destroy the walls of Tyre ... and I will scrape her
soil from her and make her a bare rock.
v 5 “She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the
spreading of nets, ...”
v6 “and her daughters on the mainland shall be killed by the
sword.... Then they will know that I am the LORD.”/
3. The city of Tyre (B) 26:7-11 INVASION BY NEBUCHADNEZZAR (ESV)
v7 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will bring against
Tyre ... Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ... with horses and
chariots, ... and a host of many soldiers. KJV “Nebuchadrezzar”.
v8 “He will kill ... your daughters on the mainland. He will set up
a siege wall ... Throw up a mound ... Raise a roof of shields ...
v9 He will direct ... battering rams against your walls, ... with his
axes he will break down your towers.
v10 His horses will be so many ... Your walls will shake at the
noise of ... wagons and chariots, when he enters ... a city that
has been breached.
v11 With ... his horses he will trample all your streets. He will kill
your people ..., and your mighty pillars will fall to the ground.” (similar to RV)
NB 3rd person singular pronouns He and His, cf with section (C). All here relating to Nebuchadnezzar.
/
3. The city of Tyre (C) 26:12-14 INVASION BY MANY NATIONS
v12 “They will plunder your riches and loot your merchandise.
They will break down your walls and destroy your pleasant
houses. Your stones and timber and soil they will cast into
the midst of the waters.
v13 And I will stop the music of your songs, and the sound of
your lyres shall be heard no more.
v14 I will make you a bare rock. You shall be a place for the
spreading of nets. You shall never be rebuilt, for I am the
LORD; I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.”
NB the “They” 3rd person plural pronouns are so different from
“He” and “His” pronouns of v7-11 section.
How did all these prophecies work out in history?
/
3. The city of Tyre (D) How did all these prophecies work out in history? Brief notes:-
Section (B) After capture of Jerusalem (586 BC)
Nebuchadnezzar patiently besieged ‘Ancient Tyre’ (mainland)
for 13 years. It was captured and turned to rubble, by 573 BC.
During this time the Tyrians took much of their wealth and fled
by boat to ‘Insular Tyre’ on island. Neb. had no navy and was
powerless to invade and complete his conquest.
God makes plain this ‘failure’ of Neb. In the chapters to do with
Egypt (ch 29-32) he says Ezek 29:19-20:- 19 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give the land of
Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth
and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army.
20 “I have given him the land of Egypt as his payment for which he
labored, because they worked for me, declares the Lord GOD.”
So ‘Ancient Tyre’ was left in ~ 573 BC as a conquered and much
reduced city. Whereas Insular Tyre continued its trade as before./
3. The city of Tyre Sections (C & A) deal with “many nations” (26:3) attacking the
great cities of Tyre (Ancient and Insular).
Alexander the Great initially wanted to sacrifice to his favourite
God Hercules in their temple in ‘Insular Tyre’. He was refused
and offered a similar temple in the ruins of ‘Ancient Tyre’.
He became furious, sacked what was left of ‘Ancient Tyre’ on
mainland and then wanted to do the same to ‘Insular Tyre’.
He constructed a new mole (0.6m long and 200’ wide) from
the seashore out to the Insular Tyre citadel. It took 6 months of
construction and he used up all of the walls, towers, pillars,
rubble, stone, rock and even the “soil” from Ancient Tyre.
Alexander was then able to transfer his heavy siege gear over the
mole and properly confront the citadel of ‘Insular Tyre’ so
that it fell. Later the effect of the tides and silt caused the mole
to become a peninsula jutting out into the sea. /
3. The city of Tyre (C) Alexander the Great’s invasion of ‘Insular Tyre’
/
3. The city of Tyre (C) Alexander the Great’s invasion of ‘Insular Tyre’ and ‘Present
coastline’.
/
3. The city of Tyre The more general section (A) includes “many nations” :-
Eze 26:3 “. . . Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and will bring up many
nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves.
4 “They shall destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers, and I
will scrape her soil from her and make her a bare rock.
5 She shall be in the midst of the sea a place for the spreading of
nets, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD.” Been True ever since.
The historian Didorous attests these facts. (Paul Ferguson ARB).
In 315 BC Insular Tyre was taken by Antigomus of Syria (seige of 15m).
In 248 BC treacherously surrendered to Antiochus the Great by Theodotus (lieutenant of
Ptolemy Philopater).
Tyre became a Roman province, was capital of Roman’s Syria-Phoenician province.
AD 1124 taken by the Crusaders from the Saracens (siege 5.5m) when ⅓ assigned to
Venice.
In 1187 it successfully resisted Saladin (a sultan of Egypt & Syria).
In 13th Century the grandeur of ancient Tyre was still visible.
But its final destruction was in AD 1291, (when the Crusaders lost to
the Muslims) ~ 1865 years after Ezekiel was written. /
4. The city of Babylon “Babylon” is the 2nd great city to consider.
/
- In the form of a square, 14 miles on
each side, and of enormous magnitude
- The brick wall was 56 miles long, 300 feet
high, 25 feet thick with another wall 75 feet
behind the first wall, and the wall extended
35 feet below the ground
- 250 towers that were 450 feet high
- The Euphrates River also flowed through
the middle of the city.
- Eight massive gates that led to the inner
city and 100 brass gates
- 2 golden lions, a solid gold human figure
(18 feet high)
- Nebuchadnezzar’s palace was
considered to be the most
magnificent building ever erected on
earth.
4. The city of Babylon Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian empire
/
This is a map of the extent of the Babylonian empire, the biggest the world had
then ever seen. The genius of the teenage Commander Nebuchadnezzar of the
Babylonian army helped him to win battles, succeed his father Nabopolasar as
Ruler and extend Babylon’s power and influence. He ruled 605 – 562 BC.
Babylon
4. The city of Babylon Bible prophecies about the city of Babylon (1 of 2).
Isa 13:1 “ The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them,
who have no regard for silver
and do not delight in gold.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the splendour and pomp of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.
20 It will never be inhabited
or lived in for all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there;
no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
21 But wild animals will lie down there,
and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
22 . . . its time is close at hand
and its days will not be prolonged.”/
4. The city of Babylon Bible prophecies about the city of Babylon. (2 of 2)
Jer 50:1 “The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning
the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet:
39 “Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon, and ostriches
shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor
be inhabited for all generations.
40 As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their
neighboring cities, declares the LORD, so no man shall dwell
there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.”
Jer 51:1 “Thus says the LORD:
“Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer
against Babylon, ...
26 No stone shall be taken from you for a corner
and no stone for a foundation,
but you shall be a perpetual waste,
declares the LORD.
37 and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, . . .
without inhabitant.” /
4. The city of Babylon All that remains of great city of Babylon today is a variety of mounds.
/
Saddam Hussein attempted to rebuild the
great city. IE in opposition to God’s word.
In 1982, Saddam's workers began
reconstructing Babylon's most imposing
building, the 600-room palace of King
Nebuchadnezzar II. ... The original bricks,
which rise two or three feet from the ground,
bear ancient inscriptions praising
Nebuchadnezzar.
Above these, Saddam Hussein's workers laid
more than 60-million sand-coloured bricks
inscribed with the words, "In the era of
Saddam Hussein, protector of Iraq, who
rebuilt civilization and rebuilt Babylon.“ The
new bricks began to crack after only ten years.
The role of Saddam
Hussein's Babylonian palace
was more symbolic than
functional. When American
troops entered Babylon in
April, 2003, they found little
evidence that the palace
had ever been occupied or
used.
5. Quick conclusions
The ancient site of Tyre on the mainland has been destroyed and
thrown into the sea by Alexander’s construction of his mole. It is
difficult to identify the original site except by measurements from the
new ‘Insular Tyre”. But the prophetic words have been fulfilled over a
long time period of “many nations” invading what was left.
All that remains of the great city of Babylon today is a variety of
mounds. It has been reduced to rubble and despite a few attempts to
rebuild the glory of the old city of Babylon they have all failed. Even
nomadic shepherds do not like to bring their sheep to this site feeling it
has been cursed.
I would suggest that God’s words have foretold the end results for both
of these two once great capital cities, in quite different ways.
/
5. Quick conclusions
There is a third capital town (among many other examples)
Which has suffered more conquests and rebuilding than any other
capital city.
It has suffered the indignity of its temple site being plowed like a field
Mic 3:12 “Therefore because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field;”
Fulfilled over at least part of the site by Emperor Hadrian in AD 135.
Yet it is the one city of this world which has been chosen to be the
centre of God’s world kingdom ruled by the returned Lord Jesus.
Mic 4:1 “It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD ...
2 ... For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
But that is all part of another story for another time?
/