Biblical People, Places and Events As Recorded In History

by

Damien F. Mackey

[Written for a reader]

I am using only conventional dates here, which I do not accept as being accurate.

The Ebla tablets (c. 2500 BC) give the names of cities thought to have been founded much later, such as Beirut and Byblos, leap from the tablets. Damascus and Gaza are mentioned, as well as two of the Biblical cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah. Most intriguing of all are the personal names found on the Ebla tablets. They include Ab-ra-mu (Abraham), E-sa-um (Esau).

Hammurabi’s Laws (c. 1800 BC) are thought to have much affinity with the Mosaïc laws (Torah), which they are said to pre-date.

It is generally thought that the first (non-Biblical) historical reference to Israel occurs in the Stele of Pharaoh Merenptah, the son of Ramses II ‘the Great. Merenptah records for his 5th year (the textbook date is C13th BC): “Israel is desolate, his seed is not”. Historians disagree over how to interpret this.

Israeli archaeologist, Eilat Mazar, has recently been making a name for herself by uncovering the palace in the city of King David.

Shalmaneser III, ruler of Assyria (mid-C9th BC) refers to [king] Ahab of Israel as one of his major opponents at the battle of Qarqar, when the king of Assyrian fielded about 120,000 men.

He also mentions a Jehu son of Omri in his Black Obelisk inscription. Omri, a king of Israel, was of course the father of Ahab. Shalmaneser took tribute from this Jehu.

The Tell Dan inscription, which refers to “the House of David”, tells of the defeat of king Jehoram of Israel and king Ahaziah of Judah.

There is also the Moabite stele, written by King Mesha of Moab known from the Bible at this time.

The El Amarna letters at the time of Pharaohs Amenhotep III and IV (Akhnaton) (dated to the C14th BC) refer twice to “the House of Solomon”. In these letters, Jerusalem is called ‘Urusalim’.

There is also the famous Seal of Jezebel.

The Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser III (mid-C8th BC) refers to various biblical kings and characters, including kings Uzziah and Ahaz of Judah; Menahem of Israel; and Rezin of Syria.

Down through the centuries, Isaiah 20:1 was the only witness for the reality of Sargon II of Assyria (mid-700’s BC): “In the year that the commander-in-chief, who was sent by King Sargon of Assyria, came to Ashdod and fought against it”, until the palace of Sargon was unearthed in 1842. This Isaian verse fuelled great controversy back in the early days of archeology. Some researchers had uncovered a stone obelisk with an engraved list of Assyrian kings. But it didn't include Sargon! So the University of Chicago announced that they saw a "glaring contradiction in the Bible." They were wrong! When Sargon's royal palace was finally excavated, researchers found his name engraved on numerous bricks in the palace walls -- along with boastful references to his conquest of Ashdod.

The Assyrian king Sennacherib (late 700’s BC) mentions “the strong proud [king] Hezekiah” of Judah and records his spoil from his assault on Jerusalem which tallies well with the biblical account.

Petra: Years ago, we visited Petra, the "pink city" dramatized in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The trip to ancient Edom’s capital began in Amman, Jordan, with a four-hour drive south through the desert. Finally, at the mountainous entrance to Petra, the passage once blocked to Moses and his followers, we walked through a narrow gorge. The vertical rock walls on both sides framed a sliver of the "pink palace,” permitting a teasing glimpse of the rose-colored columns and sculptured ornaments of a palatial wall.

But when we reached the once-flourishing city, the stark sunlight exposed the faded facades of a lifeless ghost town. Behind the broken ruins of a lost civilization were empty caves - the stripped tombs of a people who long ago rejected God. The path led no further. The well-traveled old roads were gone -- just as the Bible prophesied: "... it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it.... thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and brambles in its fortresses.... The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals... There the arrow snake shall make her nest..." (Isaiah 34:9-15)

Edom literally dried, wilted, and died. Its streams and vineyards turned to dust -- but not because of chlorofluorocarbons! God did it, because the smug Edomites rejected His ways. But –

"This is what the Sovereign LORD says about Edom... 'The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you ... make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down'” (Obadiah 1, 34)

The Philistine city, Ekron (now called Tel Miqne): This confirmation of Biblical accuracy was published by the Archaeological Institute of America: "An inscription carved into a limestone slab found at TEL Miqne, 23 miles southwest of Jerusalem, confirms the identification of the site as Ekron, one of the five Philistine capital cities mentioned in the Bible. The inscription is unique because it contains the name of a biblical city and five of its rulers, two of whom are mentioned as kings in texts other than the Bible.... It also strengthens the identification of Ekron with a... city-state recorded in Assyrian texts of the seventh century B.C.... "In 712 B.C. this city was conquered by the Assyrian king Sargon II. For a short time, beginning in 705 B.C., it came under the control of Hezekiah, king of Judah.... In 603 B.C. the city was sacked by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar."

There is some historical record (albeit scant) of Nebuchednezzar II’s destruction of Jerusalem (587 BC).

Several of the Judaean and Babylonian officials referred to in the Book of Jeremiah (C6th BC) are known from contemporary inscriptions, and some think that they can even identify in the cuneiform records of Babylonia, as high officials, the three young men of the Book of Daniel.

The Pool of Bethesda. Liberal scholars, intent on maintaining their criticism of the Bible, claimed that the Gospel of John could not have been written by the actual disciple. They argued that verses such as John 6:1 had to be wrong, since it refers to "five porches" at the Jerusalem's pool of Bethesda. But more recent excavations verified John's account: "...approximately eight years ago archaeologists discovered underneath what they had previously thought was the earliest level at the site of Bethesda an older mikveh (pool) which had a fifth portico transecting it! One would hope that at some point the critics would concede the historical reliability of the biblical narrative.

That's unlikely! Millar Burrows, the renowned Professor of Archaeology at Yale University, explained why: "The excessive skepticism of many liberal theologians stems not from a careful evaluation of the available data, but from an enormous predisposition against the supernatural."

The accuracy of the Biblical record has been proven again and again. As Dr. Joseph Free wrote, "Archaeology has confirmed countless passages which had been rejected by critics as unhistorical or contrary to known facts."

Unlike the myths and legends of other spiritual traditions, the Bible's meticulous recording of historical events matches both secular history and archeological discoveries. Even the Old Testament droughts (that led to famines and wars) match the migrations, climatic changes, tree rings and other discoveries charted by scholars. God's Word is true. We can count on it!

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Easter 2012 (“He is Risen!”)