Biblical Archaeology: Israel proof ,the bible is of God not nimrod !

by kcarres/ The Church The Way

*The Tower of Babel

Archaeologists have found and verified the remains of the Tower of Babel.²⁴⁹ A Professor by the name of Oppert was sent by the French Government to study the inscriptions discovered in the ruins of ancient Babylon. In one of the inscriptions that was recorded by King Nebuchadnezzar, in which he calls the Tower of Babel Barzippa meaning “tongue-tower”, he describes the ruins of the Tower of Babel and the king’s intent to rebuild the tower originally built by Nimrod sixteen centuries earlier. He describes that the original tower had been reduced from its original height until only a huge base of the tower, 460 ft. by 690 ft., standing some two hundred and seventy-five feet high remained. Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt the city of Babylon with gold and silver. He also resurfaced the base of the Tower of Babel with Gold, silver, cedar, and fir on top of a hard surface of baked clay bricks. These bricks were engraved with the seal of Nebuchadnezzar and an inscription in Nebuchadnezzar’s words which, translated by Professor Oppert, stated the following:

“. . . the most ancient monument of Babylon; I built and finished it. . . . The former king [Nimrod] built it, but he did not complete its head. Since a remote time, people had abandoned it, without order expressing their words. . . . Merodach, the great god, excited my mind to repair this building.”^309/40-41

*Joseph and the Seven Years of Famine

In the Nineteenth century an inscription was discovered on a marble tablet in a ruined fortress on the seashore of Hadramaut in present-day Democratic Yemen which confirmed the reign of Jospeh and the seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine (Genesis 41). It was written around the eighteenth century BC which was the time the Biblical account took place. The inscription was translated into Arabic by Professor Schultens and later translated into English by Rev. Charles Forster. A part of the inscription stated the following:

“We dwelt in this castle seven years of good life—how difficult for memory its description! Then came years barren and burnt up: when one evil year had passed away, then came another to succeed it. And we became as though we had never seen a glimpse of good.”^309/42-43

Further evidence was found in Yemen in a rich woman’s tomb. It was discovered in 1850 after being exposed due to a flood. it was later shown to a Mr. Cruttenden by Ebn Hesham, an Arab from Yemen.

In the tomb was contained a woman’s corpse that was covered in jewels and a coffer filled with treasure. Also found was an engraved stone tablet confirming the seven years of famine in Egypt and Joseph’s supervision over the graineries of Egypt. The inscription said some of the following:

“In your name O God, the God of Hamyar, I Tajah, the daughter of Dzu Shefar, sent my steward to Joseph, and he delaying to return to me, I sent my hand maid with a measure of silver, to bring me back a measure of flour: and not being able to procure it, I sent her with a measure of gold: and not being able to procure it, I sent her with a measure of pearls: And not being able to procure it, I commanded them to be ground: and finding no profit in them, I am shut up here.”^310/44-45

*Egyptian Priest-Scholars Confirm Joseph’s & Moses’ Leadership of the Jewish Race

Josephus in Josephus Against Apion. I, 26, 27, 32 mentions two Egyptian priest-scholars: Manetho and Cheremon who in their histories of Egypt specifically named Joseph and Moses as leaders of the Jewish race. Josephus states that Manetho and Cheremon stated that the Jews rejected Egypt’s customs and gods. They noted that the Jews practiced animal sacrifices which they witnessed on the first Passover. These historians also confirmed that the Israelites migrated to “southern Syria” which was the Egyptian name for Palestine. They also mentioned that Israel’s exodus occured during the reign of Amenophis who was the son of Rameses and the father of Sethos who reigned toward the close of the 18th dynasty which places the Israelites exodus between 1500 and 1400 BC. This confirms the Old Testament’s chronology for the exodus occuring in 1460 BC.

*Historical Confirmation of the Exodus of Israel Out of Egypt

The Greek historian Herodotus discussed the Exodus in his book Polymnia, section c. 89: “This people [the Israelites], by their own account, inhabited the coasts of the Red Sea, but migrated thence to the maritime parts of Syria, all which district, as far as Egypt, is denominated Palestine.”^309/36 Strabo, a pagan historian and geographer born in 54 BC also confirmed the history of the Jews and their escape from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. He wrote,

“Among many things believed respecting the temple and inhabitants of Jerusalem, the report most credited is that the Egyptians were the ancestors of the present Jews. An Egyptian priest named Moses, who possessed a portion of the country called lower Egypt, being dissatisfied with the institutions there, left it and came to Judea with a large body of people who worshiped the Divinity”³¹¹

*Ancient Sinai Inscriptions

Concerning The Exodus

Discovered in the Wadi Mukatteb (the Valley of the Writing) in the Sinai Peninsula was a set of inscriptions which describe and confirm Moses’ leadership in leading the Israelites out of Egypt and the miraculous events that followed.^309/48 It is believed that these inscriptions were made by Jews who took part in the exodus or by people alive in the time of the exodus.

These inscriptions were first described by a historian by the name of Diodorus Siculus, who lived before the birth of Christ (10 BC), in his Library of History.³¹⁰ So ancient were the writings that no one in Christ’s day could translate them.

In 518 A.D. Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Byzantine Christian writer, also mentions the ancient inscriptions. Concerning them he stated that they appeared “at all halting places, all the stones in that region which were broken off from the mountains, written with carved Hebrew characters.”^309/49 Cosmos came to the conclusion that they were made by the Israelites fleeing Egypt.

Other explorers which confirmed these inscriptions were Bishop Robert Clayton of Ireland (1753) and Rev. Charles Forster who published these findings in a book in 1862. He came to the conclusion that these inscriptions were a combination of both Hebrew and Egyptian alphabets describing Israel’s exodus out of Egypt.

One of the reasons it is believed that these inscriptions were made by Israelites at the time of the exodus, rather than a copy of the book of Exodus from the Torah, is because they appear to be an original account of the exodus. These inscriptions in rock give account of many of the miracles talked about in the Book of Exodus but have no familiarity with the description accounts given in the book of Exodus.

Rev. Forster found that five out of every six words used in the inscriptions are related to the Hamyarite (ancient Arabic) language which was the vernacular language of Egypt and Yemen. The writings are of two kinds: enchorial or common writing and hieroglyphic style of Egypt that was used by the priests and royalty. The significance of this and why it is believed that whoever wrote these inscriptions were probably Hebrew is, one, because they had to have lived in Egypt to have this kind of knowledge of these two alphabets and, two, because there is no historical records indicating that any Egyptians ever lived in the Sinai. The Bible however tells us that the Israelites lived in the Sinai for forty years.

Mentioned in the inscriptions are the following events of the exodus: the dividing of the red sea and the Israelites passing through safely while the Egyptian army was drowned; Yehovah’s (the name of the Hebrew God) miraculous provision of the quails to feed the israelites; The murmuring of the Jews against Moses; Yehovah’s miraculous provision of water out of a rock; His punishment of Israel for their gluttony and even the name Moses gave to the place where it occurred, Kibroth-hattaavah, which is mentioned in Numbers 11:34; and Exodus 32:6’s account of the Israelites sitting down to eat, drink and play.

In 1761 a German explorer Barthold Niebuhr found an extensive ruined cemetery grave site of Jews which was discovered in the Sinai with inscriptions confirming they died as a result of Yehovah’s supernatural plague mentioned in Numbers 11:34-35.^312/113-114

Also mentioned in the Sinai Inscriptions were Miriam’s rebellion against Moses, Numbers 12:1-3, and the plague of the fiery serpents mentioned in Numbers 21.

Unfortunately the skeptics said they would not accept these Sinai Inscriptions as being genuine unless someone discovered a bilingual inscription with the Sinai inscriptions on one side and another language on the other side for comparison, similar to the Rosetta Stone. Astoundingly a Sinai explorer by the name of Pierce Butler in 1860 discovered not a bilingual inscription, but a trilingual inscription in a cave on the Djebel Maghara mountain. This inscription contained three alphabets describing the same event, one of which was the same language used in the Sinai Inscriptions.^309/66-67

Three independent scholars have translated these Sinai inscriptions: Professor de Laval, Niebuhr and Rev. Forster. All three agree that these inscriptions were made by the ancient Israelites during the Exodus. Those who have criticized these conclusions have never done a translation of their own or given any historical or archaeological evidence to show otherwise.

Back to Pages 1, 2, 3; Continued on Page 5

Genesis Absolutely Reliable Historically

Chapter Illustration

Page 5 of Pages 1, 2, 3, 4 The significance of this find is that it completely refutes and destroys the assumptions of the higher critics assertions that Exodus was not written by Moses and that the miraculous events recorded by Moses did not take place. They cannot say these inscriptions were made later to refute these discoveries because, as we have already documented, they were discovered centuries before the higher critics came along. It should also be noted that the higher critics of the Old Testament have never in the past 100 years ever come up with one shred of evidence historically or archaeologically to give support or credence to anything they have spoken against the authorship of Moses or the historical reliability of his writings, not one! *The Nation of Israel Confirmed in 1200 BC The fact that Israel was established as a nation in Canaan territory long before David’s reign is confirmed on an Egyptian stone inscription dated 1213 to 1203 BC called the Merneptah Stela Stone. This stone stands seven-and-a-half-feet high. It was discovered in the temple of Pharaoh Merneptah at Thebes in Egypt. Pharaoh Merneptah ruled Egypt at this time and on this stone stated that he had invaded the West Bank of Canaan and defeated the Jewish inhabitants of the land.309/73 Most ancient historian’s writings are nothing more than fiction and hearsay without careful reseach and checking of facts. The Bible, however, shows just the opposite: the writers were careful and very accurate to the events of the day, chronology, sequence and concerning personalities involved. *David’s Existence Confirmed In the past century one of the areas of the Bible that has been hard to confirm archaeologically has been the life of David the King of Israel until recently. Between 1993 and 1994 some archaeologists discovered several stone fragments while digging at Tel Dan in Galilee in Northern Israel which confirmed not only David’s existence but the fact that he was King over Israel in the tenth century BC.235 *Confirmation of Other Kings of Israel On an Inscription known as the Stela of King Mesha of Moab is inscribed the name of Omri King of Israel. His name also appears on the rock inscriptions of three kings of Assyria, the annals of both Tiglath-Phileser III and Sargon II, and the Black Obelisk of King Shalmaneser III. Other Assyrian inscriptions found in Nineveh confirm other kings of Israel: Ahab, Jehu, Joash, Menehem, Pekah, and Hoshea. Other inscriptions found by archaeologists confirm Kings of Judah: Ahaziah, Uzziah, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Jehoiachin. Scholars also found records of the army of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon 606 to 562 BC that mentioned Jehoiachin a king of Judah. In 1846 an explorer by the name of Austen Henry Layard discovered a six-and-a-half-feet-high Black Obelisk in the ruins of Nimrud, present day Iraq. The Obelisk was a for-sided stone inscription that recorded the conquest of the Assyrian King Shalmaneser II over several kingdoms including King Jehu of Israel about 841 to 814 BC The Obelisk also refers to Omri, the son of Jehu which confirms the record of the Book of Kings in the Bible.309/74 Archaeologist Nahman Avigad of Hebrew University with other scholars discovered the remains of the wall of King Hezekiah built when the Assyrian army attacked Israel in 701 BC. The Bible tells us that King Hezekiah built this wall in Jerusalem to resist the Assyrian armies (2 Chronicles 32:2-5). So urgent was the building of this wall that they cut through portions of homes to build it (Isaiah 22:10). This is exactly what the archaeologists found to be the case concerning this wall. *Ancient Seals On view in an Israeli Museum are one of two clay seals in existence called bullae which bear the impression of the actual seal used by Baruch who was Jeremiah the Prophet’s personal scribe. The other seal is owned by Shlomo Moussaieff of London. Another seal at the beginning of this century was found with the inscription, “Belonging to Shema servant of Jeroboam.” This indicates that this belonged to an official of King Jeroboam of Israel. Other seals have been found confirming the Biblical records about King Uzziah (777 to 736 BC) and King Hezekiah (726 to 697 BC).309/76 Another seal was discovered in Jerusalem which dates from the seventh century BC. On it was the inscription: “Belonging to Abdi Servant of Hoshea.” It belonged to Abdi who was a high official of King Hosea who was the last king of northern Israel before the Assyrian army conquered it in 721 BC.309/76-77 *King Cyrus of Persia King Nebuchadnezzar had a policy of displacing peoples that he conquered and resettling them in distant parts of his empire. Israel was one of these people. However Ezra in Ezra 1:1-3 tells us that after King Cyrus of Persia conquered the Babylonian Empire he immediately reversed this policy and made a decree allowing all captive peoples to go back to their homelands. This included the people of Israel. Some explorers in the last century found an ancient clay cylinder which had this decree by King Cyrus inscribed on it.309/77-78 CONCLUSION These findings completely refute the arguments of the Documentary Hypothesis that Israel’s laws evolved over several hundreds of years and that the Torah had several editors rather than the one Jesus Himself confirmed: Moses. The historical and archaeological evidence do not support the Documentary Hypothesis but instead expose the complete lack of historical research and scholarship it is based on.236/185 M.J. Lagrange, a man who was involved in biblical and archaeological endeavors in Jerusalem for nearly 40 years, wrote: “It is a fact that the historical work of Welhausen is more than compromised. The evolution which starts from fetishism to rise to monolatry and then to monotheism, or from a very rudimentary rustic worship to complicated social and sacerdotal institutions, cannot be maintained in face of the evidence of the facts revealed by the recent discoveries.”252/312-313 Josh McDowell sums up the value of these historical and archaeological finds: “Its significance for the Bible-based Christian lies in the fact that it disproves three main presuppositions of liberal scholars: that there was no alphabet in Moses’ day; that society’s moral level was not high enough to have given rise to the laws of Deuteronomy; and that the different names of God within the Torah show that there were several writers of these books.” 233/25 Dr. Nelson Glueck, the most outstanding Jewish archeologist of this century, wrote in his book, Rivers in the Desert, this fascinating statement. “It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries.”313/31 The Old Testament: ABSOLUTELY Reliable Historically! Suggested Further Reading: Albright W.F. The Archacology of Palestine. Baltimore: Penguin Books, revised 1960. Glueck, Nelson. Rivers in the Desert. New York, Grove, 1960. Free, Joseph P. & Vos, Howard F. Archaeology and Bible History. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992. Jeffrey, Grant R. Armageddon: Earth’s Last Days. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Frontier Research Publications, © 1997 by Grant R. Jeffrey. McDowell, Josh. Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Vol. 2. San Bernardino: Here’s Life Publishers, 1981. McDowell, Josh. Evidence For Faith Series on tape. Price, Randall. The Stones Cry Out. Eugene, Organ: Harvest House Publishers, Copyright © 1997 by World of the Bible Ministries, Inc. Unger, Merrill F. Archaeology and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1954. Early Christianity – These lead books might have been made by followers of Jesus in the few decades immediately following his crucifixion. A group of 70 or so “books”, each with between five and 15 lead leaves bound by lead rings, was discovered in a remote arid valley in northern Jordan. There is a cross in the foreground, and behind it is what has to be the tomb of Jesus, a small building with an opening, and behind that the walls of the city. There are walls depicted on other pages of these books too and they almost certainly refer to Jerusalem. It is the cross that is the most telling feature, in the shape of a capital T, as the crosses used by Romans for crucifixion were. Dead Sea Scrolls – Bedouin shepherds found seven scrolls or parts of scrolls and fragments, along with store jars and broken pottery jars in a cave overlooking the northwest end of the Dead Sea. Among the more than eight hundred documents represented by whole scrolls, incomplete scrolls, and a myriad of fragments which have been recovered are complete copies or portions of all the books in the Hebrew Bible (our OT), except for the Book of Esther. These texts are older by at least a thousand years than any previous biblical texts written in Hebrew that we had prior to the discovery. Jucal Plaque – This plaque was found in what is believed to be the palace of King David. The discovery of a plaque with a seal dating to 580 BC has a name on it that’s close to the names of one of King Zedekiah’s officers. On the seal is the name “Jucal (also spelled Jehucal), the son of Shelemiah,” the same name that appears in Jeremiah 38:1. This seal dates from before the destruction of the First Temple. These finds, which align with the same time periods in Jeremiah, give historical authenticity to the Bible. Roman Stadium – Archaeologists discovered a Roman stadium dating back to the first century, which is also mentioned in the writings of Flavius Josephus. Inhabitants of this ancient town used the stadium for various events such as chariot racing and a gathering place for special occasions. In 67 AD, the Romans captured thousands of Jews and assembled them in the stadium. After a bloody battle between the Romans and Jews near Migdal, a town on the Sea of Galilee that was home to Mary Magdalene, the Romans executed 1,200 of the elderly and sick, and sold the remaining 37,000 inhabitants into slavery. Jewish Weights – The weight dates back to the time of Bar Kochba (the second century AD) and is decorated with traditional Jewish symbols, including a palm tree and menorah. Ancient Hebrew letters are engraved on the weight, which was a common practice during the first and second Jewish revolts against the Romans. It is one of only four known weights that use the maneh, the measure for weighing gold and silver in Second Temple times. All of them have the following Hebrew inscription: “Shimon Bar Kochba – Ruler of Israel – Freedom.” House of David – This fragment of a monumental inscription from the First Temple Period was discovered in an excavation of the ancient city of Dan. It is the first extra-biblical reference to the “House of David” ever discovered. It appears to have been part of a monument erected by a king of Aram indicating victory over his enemies. Written in Aramaic with the words separated by dots, the inscription dates to the 9th century BCE. Caiaphas Ossuary – From the Caiaphas family tomb in Jerusalem, this ossuary bears the inscription “Yehosef bar Qafa: (Joseph, son of Caiaphas), and it is dated to the Second Temple Period. Caiaphas is the name of the High Priest who presided over the trial of Jesus. The ossuary contained the remains of six people: two infants, a child aged two to five, a boy aged 13 to 18, an adult female and a man about 60 years old. The latter are believed to be the bones of Caiaphas, before whom Jesus was brought for questioning Crucified Man – An ossuary bearing the name “Yehochanan” contained the full skeleton of a man crucified in the first century and buried with a bent crucifixion nail through his heel bone. It is the only physical evidence of crucifixion ever discovered. Galilean Fishing Boat – The hull of a fishing boat from the first century CE was recovered from the mud along the receding shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. Evidence was found that the boat could be both sailed and/or rowed. Apparently the boat could accommodate four oarsmen plus a helmsman. It is estimated that the boat could hold some fifteen individuals, similar to the boats in which Jesus and his twelve disciples traveled across the sea (See Matt 8:18, 23-27, 9:1, 14:13- 14, 22-32, 15:39, 16:5; Mark 4;35-41, 5:18, 21, 6:32-34, 45-51, 8:9-10, 13-14; Luke 6:1, 8:22-25, 37, 40; John 6:16-21). Ketef Hinnom Amulets – Two tiny silver scrolls in the form of amulets were discovered at a burial cave at Ketef Hinnom. Written in ancient Hebrew script dated to the 7th century BCE, the scrolls comprise the earliest-known fragments of a biblical text and pre-date the earliest scrolls from Qumran by more than 300 years. A form of what is known as the priestly blessing is contained in the scroll to the left: “The Lord bless you and protect you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance to you and give you peace.” It also contains the oldest-known form of the Divine Name of God” (Known as the Tetragrammaton) Herodian Sundial – This tiny sundial (only 2 inches wide by 2 inches high) may be the only known surviving artifact from the Temple of King Herod. It was found during excavation of a pile of debris attributed to the destruction of the Temple. There is a seven-branched menorah carved on its back, which is a symbol that was usually reserved for the Temple Priests. Pilate Inscription – Discovered at Caesarea in secondary use in a later wall, this inscription bears witness to a major New Testament figure and settles the debate over Pilot’s title of Prefect rather than the inferior Procurator. Ekron Reference – Tel Miqne was the site of one of the main cities of the Philistine pentapolis, specifically biblical Ekron (Josh 13:3, plus 23 other references in the Old Testament). This royal dedicatory inscription carved into a slab of limestone confirmed the place name, along with the names of five of its rulers, and two of them are specifically mentioned in the Bible. This bulla was from the impression of Baruch ben Neriah , the scribe who wrote to the dictation of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 36:4).The bulla is now in the Israel Museum. It measures 17 by 16 mm, and is stamped with an oval seal, 13 by 11 mm. A single line borders the impression, and it is divided by double horizontal lines into three registers bearing the following inscription: lbrkyhw Belonging to Berechiah bn nryhw son of Neriah hspr the scribe. Biblical Royal Ministers – These clay bullae (seal impressions) discovered in the City of David, Jerusalem, bear the names of two royal ministers mentioned in the Bible’s story of Jeremiah, prophet of the Old Testament. The first of the clay bullae bears the name “Yehuchal [or Jehucal] ben Shelemyahu [Shelemiah]” (pictured above left). The second reads “Gedalyahu [Gedaliah] ben Pashur” (pictured above right). These two men are mentioned together in the Bible as ministers of King Zedekiah (597–587 B.C.E.). As the Babylonians closed in on Jerusalem during the last years of the First Temple period, Jeremiah, prophet to Judah’s last kings, advised Zedekiah and the people of the city to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar’s men so that their lives and city might be spared. But not everyone liked Jeremiah’s message, including Gedaliah son of Pashur and Jehucal son of Shelemiah. According to Jeremiah 38:1–13, the two ministers had Jeremiah thrown into a pit because they did not like the message of surrender he was preaching to the people of Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate – Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor of Roman Judea, under whose governance Jesus of Nazareth was crucified (Matt 27:2, plus 60 additional occurrences in the gospels, Acts, and 1 Timothy). This dedicatory stone bears a three-line inscription: Tiberieum/[Pon]tius Pilatus/[Praef]ectus Iuda[eae], “Tiberius [the Roman emperor of the period]/Pontius Pilate/Prefect of Judea.” The inscription not only confirms the historicity of Pilate, it clarifies the title that he bore as governor. It is now on display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Jesus Restores Sight – In 2004, during construction work to repair a large water pipe south of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, on the ridge known as the City of David, archaeologists excavated part of a monumental pool where Jesus performed the miracle of restoring sight to a blind man in the Gospel of John. King Hezekiah – The major city wall shown here, with archaeologist Eli Shukronstanding at left, was built by King Hezekiah in the eighth century B.C.E. as part of a fortification to protect the Gihon Spring and an expanded Jerusalem. Amarna Letters – Among the hoard of cuneiform tablets known as the Amarna Letters—correspondence from the royal archivesof pharaohs Amenophis III and his sonAkhenaten, who reigned during the 14thcentury B.C.E.—is this tablet, sent byAbdi-Heba, ruler of Jerusalem. That aruler of Jerusalem was writing an officialletter to an Egyptian pharaoh suggeststhat in the 14th century B.C.E. there wasindeed a city at Jerusalem—referred tohere as “Urusalim.” Christian Gatherings – More than 25 years ago, archaeologists discovered a simple first-century A.D. home in Capernaum that may have been inhabited by Jesus during his Galilean ministry. According to the excavated material remains, the function of the house appears to have changed dramatically, becoming a place for communal gatherings, possibly even Christian gatherings. Scholar James F. Strange and Biblical Archaeology Review editor Hershel Shanks present layer upon layer of circumstantial evidence to support the house’s importance in earliest Christianity and its association with Jesus and his foremost disciple, Peter. Nag Hammadi Library – Until the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library in 1945, the Gnostic view of early Christianity had largely been forgotten. But when two peasants discovered a 13-volume library of Coptic texts hidden beneath a large boulder near the town of Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt, the world was reintroduced to this long-forgotten and much-maligned branch of early Christian thought. Jerusalem Tower – Uncovered during excavations in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter during the 1970s, this 22-foot tower, with walls 12 feet thick, helped defend Jerusalem against the Babylonian invasion in 586 B.C. Around the base of the tower, a thick layer of charred wood, ashes and soot bore witness to the raging fire that accompanied the Babylonian destruction. Among the charred rubble, excavators found five arrowheads: four of iron, and one of bronze. The bronze arrowhead was of the Scytho-Iranian type used by the Babylonian army. The iron arrowheads were typical of those used by the Israelites. Lying in the ashes, these five small artifacts gave poignant testimony to the furious clash that preceded the fall of Jerusalem. Tower of Babel – The base of the Tower of Babel in Babylon where language was confused (Genesis 11:1-9). Palace at Jericho – The palace at Jericho where Eglon, king of Moab, was assassinated by Ehud (Judges 3:15-30). Temple of Baal – The Temple of Baal/El-Berith in Shechem, where funds were obtained to finance Abimelech’s kingship, and where the citizens of Shechem took refuge when Abimelech attacked the city (Judges 9:4, 46-49). Pool of Gibeon – The pool of Gibeon where the forces of David and Ishbosheth fought during the struggle for the kingship of Israel (2 Samuel 2:12-32). Pool of Heshbon – The Pool of Heshbon, likened to the eyes of the Shulammite woman (Song of Songs 7:4). Royal Palace at Samaria – The royal palace at Samaria where the kings of Israel lived (1 Kings 20:43; 21:1, 2; 22:39; 2 Kings 1:2; 15:25). Pool of Samaria – The Pool of Samaria where King Ahab’s chariot was washed after his death (1 Kings 22:29-38). Walls of Jericho – Excavations of Jericho between 1930 and 1936 revealed something so startling that John Garstang and two other members of the archaeological team prepared and signed a statement describing what was found. In reference to these findings, Garstang says: “As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up and over their ruins into the city. Why so unusual? Because the walls of cities do not fall outwards, they fall inwards. And yet in Joshua 6:20 we read, ‘The wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.’ The walls were made to fall outward.” Cyrus the Great Tomb – Cyrus the Great ruled the Persian empire from 559 to 530 BC and is best known for his capture of Babylon in 539 BC, predicted by Isaiah some 160 years earlier. Cyrus was buried in a simple gabled stone tomb outside his capital of Pasargadae in modern Iran. According to the historian Strabo, this inscription once graced the structure, “Oh man, I am Cyrus, the son of Cambyses, who founded the empire of Persia, and was king of Asia. Grudge me not therefore this monument.” Ephesus Theater – Excavations revealed the theater at Ephesus at which Luke records a riot of silversmiths (Acts 19:23-29). King Hezekiah Tunnel – The water tunnel beneath Jerusalem dug by King Hezekiah to provide water during the Assyrian siege (2 Kings 20:20; 2 Chronicles 32:30). Royal Palace in Babylon – The royal palace in Babylon where King Belshazzar held the feast and Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall (Daniel 5). Royal Palace in Susa – The royal palace in Susa where Esther was queen of the Persian king Xerxes (Esther 1:2; 2:3, 5, 9, 16). Royal Gate at Susa – The royal gate at Susa where Mordecai, Esther’s cousin, sat (Esther 2:19, 21; 3:2, 3; 4:2; 5:9, 13; 6:10, 12). Massebah Stone – Massebah, or “standing stone” in front of the fortress temple at Shechem. This may be the stone that Joshua erected at Shechem (Jos 24:26) and the “pillar” where Abimelech was made king (Jgs 9:6). East Gate at Shechem – where Zebal and Gaal watched Abimelech’s forces advance on the city as dawn was breaking (Judges 9:345–40). One entered the gate from a cobbled street that ran along the city wall (left side of photo), through the gate and down five steps into the city. Site of Jesus Exorcism – The foundation of the synagogue at Capernaum where Jesus cured a man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:21-28) and delivered the sermon on the bread of life (John 6:25-59). House of Peter – The house of Peter at Capernaum where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and others (Matthew 8:14-16). Jacobs Well – Jacob’s well where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman (John 4). Pool of Bethesda – The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a crippled man (John 5:1-14). Pool of Siloam – The Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a blind man (John 9:1-4). Paul’s Tribunal – The tribunal at Corinth where Paul was tried (Acts 18:12-17). Herod’s Palace – Herod’s palace at Caesarea where Paul was kept under guard (Acts 23:33-35). Pharaoh Tuthmosis III – 1504-1450 BC – Pharaoh of Egypt during the Exodus Shishak, the Egyptian king – plundered the Temple during the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25-26) Jehu, king of Israel, – took power in a bloody coup; the only surviving likeness of a king of Israel or Judah (2 Kings 9:1-10, 36) Hazael, king of Aram – enem of Israel (1Kings 19:15, 17; 2 Kings 8:7-15, 28-29; 9:14-15; 10:32-33; 12:17-18; 13:3, 22, 24, 25; Amos 1:4) Tiglath-Pileser III, king of Assyria – invaded Israel (2 Kings 18:19, 29; 16:7, 10; 1 Chronicles 5″6, 26; 2 Chronicles 28: 20) Sargon II, king of Assyria – defeated Ashdod and completed the siege of Amaria and took Israelites into captivity (Isaiah 20:1) Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who attacked Judah but was unable to capture Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13 – 19:37) Tirhakah, king of Egypt – opposed Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:9) Esarhaddon, king of Assyria – succeeded his father Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:37) Merodach-baladan, king of Babylon – whose messengers Hezekiah showed the royal treasury, much to the indignation of Isaiah (2 Kings 20:12-19) Xerxes I, king of Persia – who made Esther his queen (Esther; Ezra 4:6) Darius I, king of Persia – who allowed the returning exiles to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:24 – 6:15; Haggai 1:1, 15) Augustus, Roman emperor, 27 BC to AD 14, when Jesus was born (Luke 2:1) Tiberius, Roman emperor, AD 14 to 37, during Jesus’ adulthood and crucifixion (Matthew 22:17 Claudius, Roman emperor, AD 41 to 54, who ordered the Jews to leave Rome (Acts 11:28; 17:7; 18:2) Herod Agrippa I, ruler of Judea AD 37 to 44, who persecuted the early church (Acts 12:1-23; 23:35) Aretas IV, king of the Nabateans, 9 BC to AD 40, whose governor in Damascus attempted to arrest Paul (2 Corinthians 11:32) Nero (referred to as Caesar in the New Testament), Roman emperor, AD 54 to 68, whom Paul appealed to (Acts 25:11, 12, 21; 26:32; 28:19; Philippians 4:22)