The Historical Bible

Is it confirmed by Archeology?
This is the last, (and in my opinion) the most import test. And, as you will find, the Bible scores high on this test as well. In his book “Surprised By Faith” (p 38) Dr. Don Bierly says, “Perhaps it is safe to say that because of modern archeology, more is known today about first century New Testament background than anyone has known about it since the third century. With so much Data available today, it is no longer difficult to test the New Testament’s claim to history”. Here are a few of the finds that Dr. Bierly listed in his book as positive proof for the Bible’s integrity.

Pontius Pilate
The New Testament Pontius Pilate is the governor of Judea during the time of Christ’s crucifixion. Two historians, as well as a two by three foot cornerstone found at the ancient site of Caesarea Maritima. The stone had an inscription that read “Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea, has dedicated to the people of Caesarea a temple in honor of Tiberius.

James, Brother of Jesus
Time magazine called it “most important discovery in the history of New Testament archeology”. It was an ossuary, (bone box) found in Jerusalem in 2002. The inscription on it reads, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”. This is really exciting because the New Testament identifies a man named James as the brother of Jesus (the son of Jesus’ earthly father). James was martyred in A.D. 62. Expert examinations of the writing style of the inscription, and tests on the limestone of the box confirm that it is from that time period.

Crucifixion with Nails
Critics have long questioned the accuracy of the bible relating to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The gospels claim that Jesus was nailed to a wooden cross (as opposed to tying him on with ropes). And that he was crucified in Palestine (there were doubts that this mode of execution was used in Palestine). Critics say that the writers of the gospels must have embellished their stories with “unhistorical details”. A recent publication says differently. It appears the bones of the only crucifixion victim ever found were unearthed near Jerusalem. The 24 to 28 year-old man still has a five inch long nail imbedded in his foot bones! Also, the calf bones of the victim were “Brutally fractured… clearly produced by a single hard blow.” This corresponds perfectly with the gospel of John. “The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.”

Dr Bierly goes on to list several more such archeological finds. Such overwhelming evidence is not hard to interpret. Once again, the bible gets an A plus on this test.