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Chapter One: Biblical Archaeology Today
Some notes, musings and interpolated reflections. In this introductory overview, this scribe was forced to review many trips to Egypt, Greece, and Israel, although not internal to Iraq or parts further east of Israel, but this is a digression. And archaeology does something else that's wonderful: it serves to cure narcissism and "it's all about me." We'll close with our great Confession of Faith, the Westminster Confession, and our abiding respect for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Mr. Thompson promises much: we will be “better able to understand and interpret the textbook of our faith” (3). Archaeology goes “far to authenticating the history of written records,” but there are limits. For example, archaeology is limited: it cannot verify that “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Nor can it speak to the miracles (or Montanism), a topic under separate review in our work with Mr. (Rev. Dr. Prof.) F. Nigel Lee.
The values:
• Elucidates general backgrounds, e.g. the life of Abraham was similar to “tens of thousands years ago” (2). Or, David's, Solomon's and other periods.
• Shows that the Biblical record is not a “complete record” (2). There are 1000s of days in the experience of the saints of God that are not recorded, by day, by month and by year. The Biblical record is selective. For example, King Omri, the northern King gets “six verses” in Kings, but Assyrian records state he was the “conqueror of Moab.” Or, again from Assyrian records, King Ahab, another northern King of Israel, “sent a huge contingent of troops to battle the Assyrians” (2). Neither is presented in the Old Testament histories. It’s not that the record is wrong, but that it is selective.
• Third, sometimes words used elsewhere can illuminate in the translation and explanation of a passage
• Fourth, archaeology has rather roundly rebuked the philosophically-governed assumptions found in 19th-20th century liberalism, to wit, “the doubtful historicity” of the Biblical history.
On the last point, a point we have seen elsewhere and have read variously, the strenuous and repeated rebukes offered by one of America’s premier archaeologists, Professor William F. Albright: “There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition” (5).
Mr. Thompson citation is from Prof. Albright.
Albright, William Foxwell. Archaeology and the Religion of Israel. Louisville: Westminster—John Knox Press, 2006.
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The time is near for a retour Mr. Albright. (God enabling, in time.) He never fails to chastise the lugubrious, governing and gratuitous assumptions of 19th-20th century liberal Biblical critics, especially the Germans, but also imbibed by gullible American Episcopalians too...who were caught without answers and defenses, insofar as we can see.
Sources: Material objects, ruined towns, graves, inscriptions, art in tombs, buildings, tools, coins, written records, letters, receipts, jewelry, census lists, contracts and more
Exposed sites:
• Egypt—pyramids, temples. Indeed, some wonderful recollections of this personally. Cairo’s museum utterly abounds with materials
• Greece—Parthenon and the acropolis. Indeed, some wonderful recollections of this personally
• Babylon/Iraq—ziggurats
• Italy—Roman temples, Colliseum, excavated areas surrounding the Colliseum, acqueducts, amphitheaters (e.g. Naples), roads and more. Again, some wonderful recollections as the story is told by Mr. Thompson. While in Naples, 200 feet from where we lived, archaeologists uncovered a major road-stop with a business centre…a road from Naples to Rome, via Capua, consisting of roads and a burial ground for the noblemen (about 80 graves) with jewelry and more. Upon discovery, the Italian archeologists sealed it off. Or, the quay-wall in Pozzueoli (Naples), or in the Biblical record, Puteoli, where St. Paul landed. It's still there. Or, the Roman amphitheater in Naples where, reportedly, some Christians perished. Or, wonderfully, Pompeii and Herculaneum, just south of Naples by one-hour by train, buried by Mt. Vesuvial ash, the wonderful recovery of the entire city. Word pictures do not suffice. One must walk the streets, see the shops, read the graffiti on walls, see the Temple, visit the Hippodrome, wander through the business and residential districts, see the colors of walls in the homes, mosaics of floors, the varied rooms, baths…it gives the clear flavor of the kind of town St. Paul and his travellers encountered. Pompeii and Herculaneum, another buried and excavated city, are quite large.
• Israel or even Greece again—to see the Crusader castles. Again, wonderful, personal recollections. (1) Just south of the Sea of Tiberias by 30-40 miles, an extant and large Norman Crusaders’ castle in the Jezreel Valley. Or, (2) the wonderful Norman castle in acro-Corinth, high above the ancient city which, itself, has been largely excavated. It’s a long hike to the top. In pre-Pauline days, the Corinthians offered sacrifices atop the adjacent quasi-mountain. We could say more. Below, in Corinth, one sees the streets of the agora and the amphitheater. If the walls could talk.
Layered cities:
• Many of these are in Palestine: towns and walls would be destroyed, levelled, broken down, but rebuilders would retool the debris, clear out the rubbish, and rebuild atop the remains
• Biblical examples: Bethel, Jericho, Samaria, Jerusalem, Megiddo, Beth Shean, Beth Shemesh, Debir and Gezer, with 10-20 levels. Again, was privileged to 6 of those 9 enumerated sites, enumerated by Mr. Thompson. However, we visited far more than 6 sites.
Old Testament versus New Testament:
• Egypt, Israel and the Ancient Near are more conducive to preservation due to climate. Egypt, for example, in areas above where the Nile floods, were conducive to preservation. Or, one thinks of the Beni Hasan Mural—located 150 miles north of Cairo, depicting traders and commerce. Again, this scribe had opportunity to view this wonderful mural; the colors were original and preserved by the dry sands in the preservative and protective climate. Or, as noted again, the "Dead Sea Scrolls" offering the entire OT canon or portions of those books, minus two books; also, with 1000 non-canonical manuscripts surviving whole or in part; more as this story develops.
• Typically, one thinks of archaeology informing Old Testament investigators: Sir Leonard Worley at Ur of Babylon; Prof. Garstang at Jericho; Prof. Koldeway and Babylon, seat of Nebuchadnezzar’s empire; or the successes and researches at Assyrian palaces at Ninevah, Nimrud and Korsabad.
• However, there are values for the New Testament investigator: the Temple of Diana in Ephesus (with an amphitheater too), the Market Place in Athens (again wonderful memories there too), or, again, Pompeii.
In retouring Mr. Thompson’s initial pages, this scribe was not expecting to have old memories resurface of so many travels and instances of interaction with these sites. But, oh well, it’s entirely about the Bible and archaeology, not this fallen, but justified saint.
In short, the “artifacts” of the past speak anew and afresh.
Or, fittingly, from that which we confess: The Westminster Confession of Faith, which is ever-fresh, ever-vital, ever-thoughtful, ever-reorienting, ever-recalibrative and towers, we regret to say, over the paltry "Thirty-nine Articles" in most respects.
“Chap. 5, I. God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.”
All glory, laud and honor to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost
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