Posted on 07/13/2007 10:19:37 AM PDT by GodGunsGuts
July 11, 2007
Museum’s tablet lends new weight to Biblical truth
Dalya Alberge, Arts Correspondent
The British Museum yesterday hailed a discovery within a modest clay tablet in its collection as a breakthrough for biblical archaeology – dramatic proof of the accuracy of the Old Testament.
The cuneiform inscription in a tablet dating from 595BC has been deciphered for the first time – revealing a reference to an official at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that proves the historical existence of a figure mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah.
This is rare evidence in a nonbiblical source of a real person, other than kings, featured in the Bible.
The tablet names a Babylonian officer called Nebo-Sarsekim, who according to Jeremiah xxxix was present in 587BC when Nebuchadnezzar “marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it”.
The cuneiform inscription records how Nebo-Sarsekim lavished a gift of gold on the Temple of Esangila in the fabled city of Babylon, where, at least in folk tradition, Nebuchadnezzar is credited with building the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. British Museum staff are excited by the discovery. Irving Finkel, assistant keeper in the Department of the Middle East, said: “A mundane commercial transaction takes its place as a primary witness to one of the turning points in Old Testament history. This is a tablet that deserves to be famous.”
The discovery was made by Michael Jursa, associate professor at the University of Vienna, on a routine research trip to the museum. “It’s very exciting and very surprising,” he said. “Finding something like this tablet, where we see a person mentioned in the Bible making an everyday payment to the temple in Babylon and quoting the exact date, is quite extraordinary”...
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
ping!
Nice read... thanks.
I guess the Bible isn't good enough for some people. It isn't really true unless some source outside the Bible verifies it.
*shakes head*
Vis-a-vis old stuff, I think there's also extant a signet ring or cylinder seal that was the property of a priest mentioned in the Bible who lived during the monarchy.
The historical parts of the Bible do not read like fanciful legends. They read like sober historical accounts. I've got no particular reason to doubt them.
Unlike Mormonism, Scientology, and some others, Christianity and The Bible have sizable collections of historical artifacts that back them up.
That's where your wrong, friend. I've seen the Thetan fossils with my own eyes!
your = you’re
I hate that!
How gracious of him to concede this much.
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of accurate history in the Bible. But this tells us absolutely nothing about its religious truth or untruth.
High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]
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We started out with the assumption that the historical books of the Bible were, well, historical. Then came the Higher critics who asserted that no, they are not historical because, well they are “biblical”.
Professor of “Jewish studies” that does not believe the Bible... sad. The Bible has quite a lot to say about what Jews and Christians are.
Thanks for the ping!
I don’t mind finding these things, It is nice to be able to touch your faith sometimes... :)
I know. It’s just that the double standard applied to the Bible and other historical documents sometimes annoys me.
People often treat the Bible as one document when it’s not; it’s many different sources compiled for ease of access. I also don’t see the skepticism directed at other historical documents the same way as it is towards Scripture. There’s the mentality that if it’s in the Bible, it’s suspect but if it’s from somewhere else it’s reliable.
You’d think they’d have learned by now what with all that has been found to support the Bible and give it more credibility that ever and yet they still act surprised to find out the Bible was right. The Bible right-— fancy that..
Are you saying that you doubt that Homer wrote the Illiad?? :)
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