THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF PHILISTIA
The biblical story of Samson pulling down temple of the Philistines seems to be the stuff of legend.
See below the famous painting by Antonio Joli that immortalizes the Samson story.
For many decades, skeptics pointed to the story of Samson and Delilah, along with other stories such as David and Goliath, to demonstrate the obvious unreliability of Scripture.
But archaeological investigation in the territory of Israel once ruled by the Philistines—this land was called Philistia— casts new light on these biblical episodes.
In the mid-1990s, archaeologist Aren Maeir in the Philistine area of ancient Gath found an ostracon—a piece of pottery with writing on it.
Dated to the 10th century B.C., it contained two names ALWT and WLT which are etymologically related to the name Goliath.
No one is saying it’s the same Goliath. Maeier’s point is that Goliath seems to be a Philistine name that can be connected with the biblical Goliath’s own city of Gath.
Moreover we have examples from the ancient literature of Greece and Egypt showing that battles were sometimes settled in one-on-one duels.
In Homer’s “Iliad” we see the Greek warrior king Menelaus challenge the Trojan prince Paris to a duel, with the outcome of the whole conflict riding on the result.
Notice the striking similarity of this scene to the biblical account of David and Goliath.
The Trojan War is dated to around 1100 B.C. The showdown between David and Goliath is dated to the early 11th century B.C.
And were slingshots of the kind David used to drop Goliath used in warfare at the time? Yes, they were!
Turning to the story of Samson and ye temple, archaeologists have found the ruins of Philistine temples in Ekron and elsewhere.
These temples are surprisingly small and have the same design, with an antechamber and central hall supported by two wooden pillars, resting on a stone base.
The pillars were only two meters or roughly six feet sorry, making it possible for an exceptionally large and strong man to tear them from their stone foundations and bring the whole structure down.
According to the Bible, this is what Samson did! And suddenly the biblical account, while still remarkable—it is intended to be remarkable—doesn’t seem so incredible.
The point here is not to prove these stories but to show they are not prima facie ridiculous.
Critics insist, on the basis of no evidence other than personal intuition, that they could not have happened.
Archaeology can show, on the basis of historical and material evidence, that they not only could have happened but there is a circumstantial plausibility they did.
More here: https://a.co/d/00gjUKA3
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Before debating free will, you have to start with the Calvinist view of God.
In Calvinism, God doesn’t merely permit or allow events to happen—He decrees them.
That distinction changes the entire debate over predestination.
This video illustrates how biblical archaeology works by examining a clay seal dated to the 8th century BC and attributed to the prophet Isaiah. It was produced by the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology (http://www.armstronginstitute.org) and narrated by Stephen Flurry.
Archaeology and the Bible
My conversation with Marissa Streit https://www.prageru.com/videos/dinesh-dsouza-on-the-biggest-archaeological-evidence-for-the-bible
THE BEHISTUN INSCRIPTION
Ancient cultures were once largely inaccessible to scholars because they didn’t know how to read their writing.
This affected biblical archaeology because the Bible describes empires hostile to the Israelites such as the Babylonian and the Assyrian.
The discovery of the Rosetta Stone in Egypt led to scholars being able to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.
But another key discovery in this area is the lesser-known Behistun Inscription.
It’s a monumental rock inscription carved high on a limestone cliff in western Iran.
The carved panel is huge: 45 feet high and 75 feet wide.
Dated to around 520 B.C., the panel depicts the Persian king Darius and proclaims his divine right to rule, sanctioned by the god Ahura Mazda.
The same account is given in 3 languages: Persian, Elamite and Babylonian Akkadian.
Since scholars knew how to read Persian, they were able to use the Behistun Inscription to crack the code of Mesopotamian writing.
The inscription helped archaeologists ...
One of the great treasures of biblical archeology is the Madaba Map.
It is a mosaic floor map that was found in a Greek Orthodox Church in Madagascar, Jordan.
Dated to the 6th century A.D., the Madaba Map has a beautiful and detailed depiction of Palestine—the Roman name for Israel.
Jerusalem occupied the map’s central section, showing various sites like the Damascus Gate and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
But it also marks other ancient sites such as Jericho, Shiloh and Bethlehem.
The Madaba map has enabled archaeologists to find several ancient biblical locations that had been lost to history.
More here: https://a.co/d/01EgJy1y
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