Subject: ARCHAEOLOGY SUPPORTS
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Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:12:22 -0500

ARCHAEOLOGY SUPPORTS
THE NEW
TESTAMENT

Anonymous

(Investigator 25, 1992 July)

INTRODUCTION

About 50 non-Jewish kings and rulers mentioned in the Bible have during the
past century had their existence independently confirmed from inscriptions,
tombs, monuments, etc. Hundreds of geographical locations referred to in
Scripture have also been identified. Hundreds of historical events narrated by
the Bible writers have been verified. In the present discussion, however, I’ll
focus on findings relevant to the New Testament.

MINISTRY OF JESUS

The Gospel of Luke says that Jesus was born during a census by Quirinius,
governor of Syria. (2:2) However, the only Quirinius known to historians until
recently conducted a census in 6 AD. This was nine years after the death of
Herod the Great in 4 BC.

[Since writing this Anon has argued for Jan/Feb 1 BC as the date of Herod's
death and 2 BC for Jesus' birth—See Investigator No. 81. Ed.]

Jesus, however, was born when Herod was still alive. Some defenders of
the Bible tried to solve the problem by assuming that Quirinius was governor of
Syria twice. The correct answer now seems to be that there were two prominent
men named Quirinius. An ancient coin has been discovered with the name of a
Quirinius who was proconsul of Syria and Cilicia from 11 BC until Herod died.
(McRay 1991)

What about the census itself which forced Joseph and Mary to go to Bethlehem?

Luke wrote:

"a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
enrolled."Ancient papyrus census forms have been discovered confirming
that a census was scheduled every 14 ears. A census form in the British Museum
has been dated to 104 AD. There is nothing yet from 90 AD or 76 AD but forms
have been discovered dated at 62, 48, 34 and possibly also 20 AD. The census
which affected the birth of Jesus should therefore have started about 10 BC
although it may possibly have taken several years to reach and involve
Palestine. The 10 BC date was two years after the appearance of Halley’s comet
and so we might speculate that the comet was the "star of Bethlehem" but that is
another story.

Luke wrote:

"And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city." (2:3)

That such was the procedure in a Roman census is firmed by British Museum
papyrus 904 from 104 AD:

"Gaius Vivius Maximus, Prefect of Egypt [says]: seeing that the time has
come for the house to house census, it is necessary to compel all those who for
any cause whatsoever are residing out of their provinces to return to their own
homes, that they may both carry out the regular order of the census and may
attend diligently to the cultivation of their allotments."

Jesus, according to Luke, grew up in Nazareth. Skeptics have argued that
there was no Narareth in the 1st century. Neither Josephus nor the Talmud nor
the Old Testament nor the New Testament after book of Acts mention Nazareth. One
argument was: "The mistake of inventing a town named Nazareth was an attempt to
make sense of the word Nazarene by a non-Jewish writer." (Investigator 1992
January p. 32)

Excavations by Belarmino Bagatti in 1955 below the Annunciation Church and
the Church of Saint Joseph in Nazareth revealed pottery dating from the Iron Age
(900-600 BC) to about 500 AD including 1st century Roman pottery. Twenty-three
ancient tombs 180 metres north, west and south of the Annunciation Church
indicate the limits of ancient Nazareth. The Nazareth of Jesus’ time was an
agricultural village with many wine and olive presses, cisterns for storing wine
and water, and caves for storing grain.

Jesus, according to Luke 3:1-2, began his public ministry:

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate
being governor of Judea…and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene in the high-priesthood
of Annas and Caiaphas…"

Tiberius became joint emperor with Augustus in 12 AD and sole emperor in
14 AD. The "fifteenth year" was therefore either 26/27 AD or 26/29 AD. In 1961
an Italian expedition discovered a stone at Caesarea with the words "Pontius
Pilate, Prefect of Judea."  The only "Lysanias" known for centuries was a
local ruler from 40-36 BC—a generation before Jesus lived. An inscription,
however, has now been discovered from the reign of Tiberius which refers to
Lysanias as tetrarch of Abila (near Damascus Syria). The existence of Annas and
his son-in-law Caiaphas is not in dispute—the latter having been high priest
from18-36 AD.

At the start of his ministry Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist at
"Bethany beyond the Jordan". (John 1:28) There is still dispute
concerning the exact site of this Bethany. As regards John the Baptist he has
long been considered a member of the Essene sect of the Qumran community. This
is the community from which the Dead Sea Scrolls originated. Much of this,
however, is again uncertain since Qumran now appears to have been a fortress and
not a religious community. John’s diet of "locusts and wild honey" was not
unique since the Cairo Damascus Document mentions locusts as food.

During the early days of his ministry Jesus lived in Capernaum (Mathew 4:13;
Luke 4:31)—perhaps in the house of Simon Peter. (Matthew 14-16; Mark 2:1)
Jesus, according to the Bible, taught and healed in the Capernaum synagogue.
(Mark 1:21; 3:1-5; John 6: 59)

The remains of a limestone synagogue in Capernaum date back to the 4th
century. However, under the four corners are the 1.2 metre thick, black, basalt
walls of a much older synagogue. In 1981 a basalt cobblestone floor was found
and under this some 1st century pottery. Clearly, the basalt walls
could be the remains of the synagogue where Jesus preached and healed!

Even more startling is the possibility that the house of Simon Peter where
Jesus lived has been found as well!  Twenty-six metres south of the
synagogue are the remains of an eight-sided 5th century building with
a mosaic floor. In 1968 excavators discovered multiple levels of occupation
underneath. The findings included the remains of a 1st century house of
basalt—same material as the synagogue—of thin walls which could have supported a
roof of branches but not a masonry roof nor a second story. (Mark 2:4)  In
the mid 1st century the central room (6.1 x 6.4 metres) was plastered
over at which stage also the pottery changed from domestic variety to storage
jars and oil lamps. Over 150 inscriptions were scratched on the walls
including—according to some publications—the name "Peter".

Jesus performed his first alleged miracle at Cana of Galilee. (John
2:1-11)  Josephus, the 1st century historian, wrote that he made Cana his
headquarters just before the Jewish/Roman war. There has been much debate
regarding where Cana was situated. It’s now fairly certain that ancient Cana is
Khirbet Kana 14 km north of Nazareth. The site hasn’t been archaeologically
excavated but pieces of Roman earthenware typical of the time of Christ have
been found there.

During his Sermon on the Mount Jesus said:

"…if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored?"

Can salt become non salty? Albert Barnes, a Bible commentator,
explained:

"In eastern countries, however the salt used was impure, mingled with
vegetable and earthy substances; so that it might lose the whole of its
saltness, and a considerable quantity of earthy matter remain. This was good for
nothing, except that it was used, as it is said, to place in paths, or walks as
we use gravel."

At Gergesa (=Gerasa? =Gadara?) on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee
Jesus is said to have transferred the demons from two demoniacs into a herd of
swine which then rushed off a cliff into the Sea. (Matthew 8:28-34; Luke
8:26-39)  Again, some critics concluded that Gergesa did not exist.

There is only one spot on the eastern coast of the Sea of Galilee where a
cliff rises above the sea. The place is called El Koursi. The excavation of a
church built about 585 AD was started here in 1971.

About 270 metres away is an unexcavated mound covering an ancient village now
called Tell el-Kursi. Nearby also are tombs. (Luke 8:27) The three different
names for the location of the event present a problem. Gerasa, now equated with
Jerash in Jordan 59 km southeast of the sea, and Gadara, at modern Umm Qeis in
Jordan 8 km southeast of the sea, are both too far away for the herd of swine to
have "rushed" into the sea. A possible answer is that the area controlled by
Gerasa and Gadara extended to the Sea of Galilee at Gergesa.

The existence of the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a cripple has been
questioned. It’s now known that there were two pools starting 90 metres north of
northern wall of the Temple Mount. Their sizes were 65 x 58 metres and 53 x 50 x
40 metres. The Copper Scroll from Qumran (written c. 50 AD) has a list of places
in Jerusalem and includes "Beth Eshdathayin" which may mean "House of the Twin
Pools".

Skeptics often point to an apparent contradiction in the reports of the
healing of a blind man at Jericho. Luke (chapter 18) says it occurred when Jesus
was approaching (or entering) Jericho whereas Mark (chapter 10) says Jesus was
leaving Jericho. Excavations have shown that the centre of Jericho varied by
several kilometers in its history. It’s probable that Jesus was leaving one part
of Jericho and entering another.

How was Jesus heard when addressing large crowds?  He probably chose
open areas with natural sound amplifying properties. In one instance Jesus spoke
from a boat to crowds on a beach. (Matthew l3; Mark 4)  R J Bull and B C
Crissler explained:

"Among several coves near Capernaum, there is one that has recently been
found to have just such sound characteristics of a natural amphitheater.
Acoustical tests have been carried out on this site to show that a great
multitude of some five thousand to seven thousand people, assembling
there, could indeed have both seen and clearly heard a person speaking from a
boat located at a spot near the cove’s center."

Tests were done near Capernaum by puncturing balloons out on a rock in
the sea and on the shore and measuring the decibels electronically at various
distances inland. At about 50 to 100 metres inland balloons punctured at sea
were louder than balloons punctured on the shore! It was estimated that 5,000 to
7,000 people could have clearly watched and heard Jesus speaking offshore.

In 1968 in a 1st century tomb near Mt Scopus (Jerusalem) were
found the bones of a crucified man. Two nails (compare John 20:25) were used for
the hands - one nail driven into each wrist - and a single nail was used for the
two heel bones which were positioned so that the left heel overlapped the right
heel. [The picture is here deleted]  Also two Dead Sea texts have been
published which use the phraseology of Acts 5:30: "hanging on a tree."

The tomb of Jesus was probably on the site where the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre became located. Tombs at that time were two-chambered with the
2nd room the burial chamber behind the first. A rolling stone sealed
the entrance of the first room. The fact of two-chambered tombs may explain some
of the alleged contradictions in the four resurrection reports of the tour
Gospels.

The Shroud of Turin (in which the dead Jesus was allegedly wrapped) is now
known to be of 14th century origin. (Investigator No. 3)  The
Bible says nothing about any 5 metre long shroud but does mention "linen cloths"
(plural) in John chapter 20.

What about the "many bodies of the saints" which were raised and "went into
the holy city" at the time of Jesus’ death? (Matthew 27:51-54) This passage was
difficult to translate and a wrong impression has been given in many Bible
versions. What apparently occurred is that an earthquake threw dead bodies out
of their graves and it was observers of this event who "went into the holy city"
and reported it. Similarly an earthquake at Popayan (Columbia) during Easter
Thursday, 1983, led to "corpses bursting from their tombs". Also in 1976 an
earthquake in Guatamala uncovered a number of coffins!

Earlier this century an inscription found in Nazareth was published
containing a decree probably from Emperor Claudius (41 – 54 AD) that graves
should remain intact and anyone violating a burial place be executed. Some
scholars believe that this decree was made because of the rumours that the body
of Jesus was stolen. However, the only evidence to date that Claudius knew about
Christianity comes from 2nd century Roman historian Suetonius who
mentioned that Claudius expelled Jews from Rome because of riots over a certain
"Chrestus". "Chrestus" may have meant Christ and the expulsion (about 50 AD) is
referred to in Acts 18:1-2.

In 1970 John Allegro (1923-1988) brought out a book The Sacred Mushroom
and the Cross. In it he argued that Jesus never existed in real life but was
dreamed up by people under psylocybin—the hallucinatory ingredient of certain
mushrooms. Allegro worked on the Dead Sea Scrolls 1953-1970. Already in 1956 he
had tried to connect Jesus with the Essene sect who, 100 years before Jesus, had
a leader they called "son of God". (Baigent & Leigh 1991) Virtually everyone
has now rejected Allegro’s: "trac(ing) the source of Christianity to an edible
fungus."  Basically the New Testament supplies too many links with
established history for the story of Jesus to be entirely myth. And as the
decades pass and archaeology progresses the links are increasing in number!

MINISTRY OF PAUL

Let’s move now from the ministry of Jesus to the ministry of Paul. Acts 18
says: "Gallio was proconsul of Achaia." For a long time there was no evidence of
any "Gallio". However, a stone from a wall of the Temple of Apollo (in Greece)
has been discovered with a copy of a letter from Emperor Claudius which read in
part:
"Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus,…Lucius Junius Gallio, my
friend, and the proconsul of Achaia…"

The inscription has been dated to 52 AD.

Acts 19:24 mentions "Demetrius the silversmith". Inscriptions in Ephesus to
silversmiths have been discovered and even the name "Demetrius" but not yet the
Demetrius of the book of Acts.

Iconium (modern Konia) is 240 km south of Ankara in Turkey. A careful reading
of Acts 14:1-11 reveals that Luke implied that Iconium lay outside of Lycaonia
(a region of the province of Galatia). The Wycliffe BibleCommentary has
these conments:

"Other writers of about Luke’s time placed Iconium in the district of
Lycaonia. Many scholars assumed at this point that Luke was inaccurate. Ramsey
tells how this reference caught his attention and how careful examination
vindicated Luke’s statement. This was the beginning of Ramsey’s change in
attitude towards Acts, and he became one of the most vigorous and learned
proponents of the accuracy of the book."

In his ministry Paul bypassed Amphipolis and Apollonia (Acts 17:1)
although they were significant cities. In Acts it’s repeatedly suggested that
Paul sought out places with a Jewish population and synagogue. The implication,
then, is that these two cities didn’t have a synagogue. The implication to date
seems confirmed since both have undergone extensive archaeological work without
remains of synagogues being found.

The "Areopagus" (Acts 17:19) referred to the governing body of the city of
Athens. The word also means "Mars Hill" which is probably the location where
juries heard trials during the time of Paul. One man who believed Paul’s message
was a member of the Areopagus named Dionysius. According to Eusebius (264-340
AD) Dionysius became the first Bishop of Athens and was martyred during the
persecution by Emperor Domitian about 40 years later. Further confirmation of
Dionysius is, however, not yet available.

Romans 16:23 mentions "Erastus, the city treasurer". The man’s name was found
on a limestone paving slab dug up in three pieces in 1928, 1929 and 1947 in
Corinth. The slab when translated from the Latin read:

"Erastus in return for his aedileship laid (the pavement) at his own
expense."

An "aedile" was an official elected in a Roman colony who managed the
upkeep of, and revenue from, buildings and other property. They also served as
judge especially in financial and commercial litigation. We can conclude that
the Erastus named on the slab is the same as the Bible one because:

The pavement was laid at the right time, about 50 AD;

"Erastus" was an uncommon name and hasn’t been found elsewhere in
Corinthian excavations;

The position of "aedile" was uncommon.

For decades many critics of the New Testament claimed Luke was wrong in
referring to officials in Thessalonica as "politarchs". (Acts 17:6) An
inscription on a stone (now in the British Museum) from the Vadar Arch starts
off:
"In the time of the Politarchs…"

At least 32 inscriptions using the term are now known. Scholarly debate
has shifted from whether Politarchs ever existed to when the office began!

Philippi being apparently called "the leading city of the district of
Macedonia" (Acts 16: 12) has raised questions since it certainly wasn’t the
"leading city". In 168 BC Macedonia was divided into four districts. Philippi
was in the "first" district but it was not the capital there. Yet similar
phrasing as in the Bible has been found on ancient coins. The answer seems to be
that the Greek text was difficult to translate but could be translated:

"a city of (the) first district of
Macedonia."

IMPLICATIONS

McRay (1991) concludes:

"…the results of archaeological excavations help to restrain the
imaginations of scholars who would mythologize the New Testament...
The
mythological presuppositions of Rudolf Bultmann regarding the Gospel of John are
no longer so compelling." (p. 18)

How does this effect the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Bible?
According to Koch (1980):

"The term inerrant means that God’s Word speaks the truth in all its parts
without contradiction or error." (p. 14)

If perhaps 100 persons out of about 3,000 mentioned in the Bible have
been proven to have existed can we predict that the Bible is correct with the
other 2,900? What about geographical locations? Luke in the book of Acts
mentioned over 100 and apparently might be 100% right. But there are sti1l
hundreds of places mentioned in other parts of the of the Bible which haven’t
been found. Furthermore, being correct in geography and biography would not
assure accuracy in other categories such psychology, astronomy, biology,
futurology, etc. We would have to examine Bible statements in a range of
subjects - especially statements where the Bible is in conflict with other
opinion - and find out which side is right. If after all this research we find
that the Bible never seems to lose then the theory of Inerrancy may need to be
taken seriously!

As regards archaeology we’ve barely scratched the surface. Mounds covering
ancient deserted towns are called "Tells". Such mounds number about 10,000 in
the Levant and Mesopotamia and thousands more in Turkey and Greece.

According to MoRay:

"only about two hundred of the approximately five thousand sites in the
Holy Land have been excavated. As of 1985 about ten thousand sites in
Mesopotamia were officially listed as possibilities for excavation."
(p.22)

Obviously many opportunities for confirming or refuting (!) statements in
the Bible lie ahead.

REFERENCES

Baigent, M and Leigh, R 1991 The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception Jonathon Cape
Britain pp. 45-56
Brown, R E 1983 Recent Discoveries and the Biblical World
Glazier USA
Bull, R J and Crisler B C Come See the Place: The Holy Land
Jesus Knew USA
Koch, Rev. C I 1980 Let The Word Speak Lutheran Publishing
South Australia
McRay J 1991 Archaeology & The New Testament Baker Book
House USA

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