Posted on 12/28/2018 8:16:08 AM PST by SeekAndFind
A modern verification of an ancient event and tangible evidence of an ancient person. And once again, biblical history is verified.
Our team of thinkers and writers at the Colson Center are archaeology nerds. Seriously, we get giddy whenever another archaeological discovery sheds light on biblical narratives or confirms their historical accuracy. And even more fun, it seems to happen all the time these days.
Keep in mind that biblical faith is grounded in historical events, events to which the Bible testifies. This is one of the factors that sets the Bible apart from other religious texts. Recently, two announcements made illustrate the truthfulness of Scripture, one in a spectacular way and the other more quietly.
The spectacular illustration was the subject of a recent presentation at the annual meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research, held here in Colorado. At the meeting, Archaeologist Phillip J. Silvia of Trinity Southwest University reported on what his team found in Jordan just north of the Dead Sea.
“Samples from the site show that an extremely hot, explosive event,” in all likelihood an exploding meteor, “leveled an area of almost 200 square miles including the Middle Ghor – a circular plain to the north of the Dead Sea.” The blast not only destroyed “100 percent of the Middle Bronze Age cities and towns” in the area, it rendered the area unsuitable for agriculture for about six centuries.
Now unless you dig things blowing up, you might be wondering “What’s the big deal?” After all, in 1908 a similar blast in Siberia leveled more than 500 square miles.
Well, what makes this “extremely hot” event extremely cool is the date and location. Silvia and his team are convinced that “the explosive event” occurred around 3,700 years ago, which is about the same time that Abraham and his nephew Lot were sojourning in the area. And in that area is the Bronze-Age site of Tall el-Hammam, which Silvia’s colleague at Trinity Southwest, Steven Collins, believes could be the site of the biblical city of Sodom.
While this discovery can’t tell us whether, in Forbes’ words, “someone, perhaps a deity, [ordered] an asteroid hit on Sodom,” it’s yet another reminder that the biblical writers were not making things up. They purposely wrote of historical events that took place in the real world, not in some mythical setting.
Now many scholars doubt that Sodom ever existed, much less that it was destroyed in some divinely-ordained cataclysm. This puts us a bit closer to establishing that it did exist and that it was destroyed in a cataclysm around the time the biblical narrative reports.
Less spectacular but not less important was another discovery of a ring bearing the inscription “of Pilates” in the ruins of Herodium in the West Bank. The ring was excavated in 1969, but only recently did advanced photographic techniques enable researchers to read the inscription on it.
Unlike Sodom, Pilate’s existence was never in doubt. The discovery of the “Pilate stone” in 1961 convinced researchers that New Testament references to the Roman prefect who ordered Jesus’ crucifixion weren’t made up.
Still, apart from the New Testament and the writings of the first-century Jewish historian Josephus, we know very little about Pilate.
Part of the significance of this discovery is where Pilate’s ring was found: in the ruins of Herod’s fortress, hence the name “Herodium.” And so, we have physical evidence of two biblical characters carrying on in the way the New Testament tells us that they did.
Another word for that is “history.”
Both the Apostles and Nicene creeds assign Pontius Pilate a central role in the story of our salvation. He’s one of only three people named in the creeds along with the Virgin Mary and our Lord. It’s obvious why the latter two are in there, but why is Pilate included?
Because the reference to Pilate anchors our confession in human history. Jesus did not suffer, die, and undergo burial in some gauzy “once-upon-a-time,” but in actual history on the orders of a real person who even left evidence of his existence.
Unlike other religions, our salvation is grounded in history, and the restoration for which Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate” will also take place within history. In other words, Christianity is the real deal.
Editor’s note: Dr. Silvia’s paper, “The 3.7kaBP Middle Ghor Event: The Catastrophic Termination of a Bronze Age Civilization” posits that a “cosmic airburst event obliterated civilization” in the Middle Ghor area around 1700 B.C., the paper itself does not mention the biblical city of Sodom. Dr. Silvia’s colleague (and one of the paper’s co-authors), Dr. Steven Collins, has published elsewhere his belief that one of the sites wiped out by the airburst, Tall el-Hammam, was indeed Sodom. We have amended the above commentary to clarify.
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I am somewhat perturbed by the article’s attributing so much to Dr Silvia. I have been following Dr. Steven Collins and his dig at Tall el-Hammam for a good number of years. It is his research and dig that has identified everything and more that this article writes about.
I’m not sure why Dr. Silvia, who came onto the project much later is being given so much credit. Dr. Stevens has been going up against those archaeological minimalists for years to get the Tall el-Hammam site recognized as the Sodom of biblical times. The Gamorah site has also been uncovered.
Wonder if the author’s have any opining to do on the possibility of the most recent finding of Cleopatra’s and Alexander’s tomb. Combined that with theory there is more than one Arc of the Covenant.
Here is a website with pictures, and no I do not know if the tomb is Alexander’s or not. The discovery is in Jordan and its location, other than Jordan, being kept secret. It’s interesting to hear a description of the layout of the tomb where they surmise Cleopatra’s sarcophagus is stone not gold like the rest. Whether true or not to be Alexander and Cleopatra’s tomb, along with 16 others, then it is still a discovery like none other due to the fact the tombs have never been opened and were still sealed with its contents intact. Its one of the biggest discoveries in the Egyptian and Roman archeological field since that of King Tut.
the website link mentioned in the above post:
http://www.difallahfoundation.com/alexander-great-gallery/
This reveal happens in France in 2014. I first heard about it on Dec 20, 2018, so it’s being a well-kept hush-hush over it since there is so much gold in the tomb.
I watched a really good documentary video about this find about a month ago...
Highly recommended!
https://youtu.be/vLEJ1sZxjA4
Note for some reason this link starts at 7 minutes in...
you need to manually start it from the beginning.
Little is known about Pontias Pilate? Consult the Coptic Church. He is a venerated Saint who is celebrated each June 25th.
When will we find evidence of Mohammed’s ride to heaven?
What would have happened if Pilate had spared Christ’s life and prevented his crucifixion? We’d be without a Savior, that’s what! Christ HAD TO DIE. His purpose in coming to Earth was to die; to shed His blood for our sins. It just happened to be Pilate’s unknowing job, to see that the crucifixion HAPPENED.
RE: He is a venerated Saint
And what is the reason for this veneration?
Thanks a fool in paradise.
If you doubt my report, google it. Many sources and historical records, count him as a believer, who led many to Christ, based on his first hand knowledge, and miracles he performed in Christ’s name. His wife is a saint too. You do not achieve sainthood, and a day of celebration, without good cause.
https://aleteia.org/2018/02/25/why-do-some-christians-consider-pontius-pilate-a-saint/
I agree, some theologians even grant that same sort of eternal clemency to Judas, and the Sanhedrin. Scripture is clear, the MOB shouted for Christ’s death. In any event, we shall KNOW when we enter heaven. I hope to see you there, along with all the other sinners, whom Jesus came to save.
That, that is astonishing!
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