N) Archaeological Findings

No 1

(An overview)

This is the first of many studies that we will be doing in this often-neglected area of God providence. Just as fossils give us a blueprint of what happened to God’ s creation in antiquity, archaeology maps for us an outline of what transpired many, many centuries ago in the areas of religion, politics and culture. The Bible that we hold in our hands today did not just fall from heaven. It was put together by dedicated scholars who, under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit, assured that following generations would have God’s Word and that it would be genuine. By genuine, I mean that it would follow the many thousands of pieces of papyrus, the scores of scrolls and the many stones that were etched in Biblical times that contained God’s Holy Word. In Jesus’ time, we read in the four gospels of persons who were called “scribes”. These persons would painstakingly copy word for word, letter for letter the text of the Old Testament on scrolls and would hide them in safe places. Many centuries later, we would find these documents in dusty corners of ruins and caves and thus confirming God’s Word. Similarly, the Early Church letters of Paul and the Apostles were preserved for future believers. Archaeological findings have proved, beyond doubt, certain supposedly “unbelievable myths” to be God’s perfect Word.

No 2

(Antioch)

“And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11 :26b). The city of Antioch is located some 300 miles north of Jerusalem on the west bank of the Orontes River. In ancient times it was called “The Queen of the East” because of the beauty of its surroundings, the importance of its commerce and its strategic location for the caravans. It was from this city that the apostle Paul launched three of his missionary voyages. The city was founded in 300 BC by Seleucus, the Greek ruler of that area. It was the capital of Syria from the 900’s to the 1000’s and in 1939, it became a part of modern-day Turkey. It is now called Antakya and has a population of 123,900. The area was excavated in 1932 and during the six years that followed twenty churches, several baths, two cemeteries and a stadium were unearthed. Also, several beautiful artifacts were found and the most sensational of all was a cup that was carved out of a solid piece of silver. It has an engraving of a grape vine in the middle of which twelve people are seated who were thought by many to be Jesus and His eleven disciples at the Last Supper. Some, but not all, consider it to be the Holy Grail, the cup that was used by Jesus at the Last Supper. It has been variously dated from the first to the sixth century but most scholars prefer a date between the fourth and fifth century. Many important discoveries were made in that whole area that we will be looking at in coming studies.

No 3

(Bethlehem)

The city of David lies 5 miles south of Jerusalem. Here Rachel was buried, Ruth gleaned in Boaz’s field, David was anointed to be king, Jesus Christ was born in a manger and wise men from the East came seeking the Savior. Rachel’s tomb is one of the most venerated and most authentic sites in the Holy Land; Jews, Christians and Mohammedans consider it to be a very important part of their religious history. The Church of the Nativity was built in 328 AD by Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine over the traditional site of Christ’s birthplace. There is a sign in the chapel in Latin that reads “Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary”. They even constructed a manger to complete the setting a described in Luke 2:7 – “And she brought forth her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn”. The spot where they believe the Nativity occurred is actually a cave-like chapel that measures 12 x 40 feet and is beneath the choir area of the church built by Helena and Constantine. Modern-day Bethelem is under Palestinian control and pilgrimages are done there every year.

No 4

(Caesarea Philippi)

Caesarea Philippi is located at the foot of Mount Hermon where a sparkling stream of water pours out into the Jorden river and because the whole area is well-watered, it is one of the most beautiful localities in the Holy Land with a variety of trees, vines and shrubs. In Old Testament times, it had a shrine dedicated to Baal; later on, the Greeks built a shrine to Pan, the god of nature and the Romans also used it as a place of worship for their gods. Herod Philip, who gave the place its name, did so for two reasons. First, he wanted to gain favour with the Caesars and second, he wanted to distinguish it from Caesarea that is located on the coast of the Mediteranean Sea. It was at this quiet place that Jesus and His disciples had the following conversation : “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? ¹⁴And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. ¹⁵He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? ¹⁶And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16: 13 – 16). In Medieval times, the Crusaders built a castle here in 1120 AD and called it The Castle of Subeibeh. Today, there are masses of building stones with all sorts of engravings and inscriptions. Archaeological findings reveal a lot of information of times past but many secrets still remain and may never be revealed.

No 5

(Calvary)

The exact location of Calvary or Golgotha (skull) where Jesus was crucified is unknown because Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD and for sixty years the city lay in ruins. According to the Bible, the place of Jesus’ death was outside the walls of Jerusalem (John 19:20), near a gate (Hebrews 13:12) and on a hill where He could be seen from afar (Matthew 27:39). John also states, “ Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.” (John 19:41). There are various sites that have been suggested but only two have received serious consideration – they are: The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Gordon’s Calvary with its Garden Tomb. The site called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre came into being in 312 AD by Emperor Constantine who gave orders to excavate the city and found a hill where the remains of three crosses were discovered along with a tomb. Constantine erected a magnificent group of buildings on the site and the dedication ceremony was in 335 AD. Over the centuries, the buildings were demolished and rebuilt a few times by various conquerors. No place in the Catholic world has been regarded with such awe and reverence as this location; there is just one problem – it is located within the walls of Jerusalem. The other site called Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb is located on a grey hill north of Jerusalem and some 700 feet from the Damascus Gate. It was brought into being by an English general by the name of Charles G Gordon in 1885 who had observed its peculiar shape. The place has rock formations that closely resemble a skull – caverns for eyes, a protruding rock for a nose and a long slit for the mouth. The area was excavated and an ancient garden was found along with a tomb that had once been sealed by a rolling stone. Both these sites are hypothetical because the true site of Jesus’ death and resurrection is not known.

No 6

(Capernaum)

Capernaum was located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. I say was because it no longer exists – Jesus had predicted its downfall and today its scattered heaps of stone extend for a mile along the shore of the sea. The Bible says “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.” (Matt 11:23). Luke, in his gospel also says “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.” (10:15). This is where Jesus called Matthew from his job as a tax collector and Capernaum is where Jesus did many mighty works in healing and preaching in the synagogue; Capernaum was also Peter’s second home. All excavation work here has been centred on a synagogue whose ruins are indicative of Jesus’ curse. Many archaeologists believe that this synagogue is the one where Jesus taught “And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath days.” (Luke 4:31). Others believe that it was built in the 3^rd or 4^th century on top of the one in which Jesus taught. The modern name for Capernaum is Kefar Nahum and it has become a tourist attraction. This just goes to prove that whenever Jesus curses something or someone, the result is always dire and in this case, the best that Capernaum became, is a tourist attraction.

No 7

(Damascus)

Damascus, the Pearl of the East, is said to be the oldest city in the world with a continuous history – reaching from the time of Uz (Noah’s grandson) to the present day. Through the centuries, it has been called the “the head of Syria” and the “metropolis of the desert peoples.” Damascus is located in one of the most fertile areas in the world being fed by two well-known rivers in Biblical times, the Albana and the Pharpar (2 Kings 5:12 Naaman); these rivers are now called Barada and Awaj. It was in Damascus where Paul received his first Christian training by a devout follower named Ananias who was instructed by God to “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth.” (Acts 9:11) The street called “Straight” still exists today and the “house of Ananias” is a cave-like chapel some twenty feet below the normal street level. The Great Mosque which ranks next in sanctity to the Mosques in Medina, Mecca and Jerusalem is the oldest and most venerated building in the city. During Constantine’s time, this structure was used by Christians and was dedicated to John the Baptist in the fourth century by Theodosius. When the Moslems captured Damascus in 634 AD, they turned it into a magnificent mosque. In its present state, the Great Mosque consists of a structure measuring 480 by 324 feet surrounded by masonry walls and has a magnificent dome; there are also a multitude of graceful minarets. One of these minarets is called the “Minaret of Jesus” where, according to Moslem tradition, Jesus will appear on the great Judgment day. There is an inscription over one of the doorways that says “Thy kingdom, O Christ, is an everlasting kingdom.”

No 8

(Egypt)

There is so much archaeology in Egypt that I won’t even attempt to cover it in this brief study, but I will talk about Egypt as they relate to Israel. There is a specific word for Egyptian archaeology – Egyptology and when you think about it, archaeology is all that Egypt has today. It was one of the most powerful nations that ever existed. Its beginnings date back to 3200 BC and through the centuries, it has been ruled by many foreign powers; beginning with the Hyksos nomadic people in 17^th century BC down to the Assyrians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans and recently (1882), the English; Egypt was declared an independent Muslim monarchy in 1922 by Britain.

There are no less than 668 references to Egypt in the Old and New Testament and God used Egypt many, many times to advance His plan for His people Israel. There were times when Egypt was useful for the Lord – Joseph, the son of Jacob (Israel) was sent there to prepare the arrival of his family during a famine in Israel“I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” (Gen 46:4).; Egypt also served as a refuge for the child Jesus when Herod wanted to kill Him “When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt” (Matt 2:14). There were also times when Egypt was a curse for the Lord’s people – Moses delivered the Israelites from pharaoh’s hand as told in the book of Exodus with much pain and suffering “Then the LORD said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, let my people go, that they may serve me” (Exod 9:1). Recently, when Israel became a nation in 1948, Egypt was one of the Arab nations who wanted to throw the Jews in the Mediterranean Sea. They were soundly defeated by Israel in the ensuing wars.

The pyramids and the ancient structures stand as a testimony to the world how a powerful civilisation such as Egypt can crumble under the hand of the God of the Bible. I personally believe that Egypt is in the situation that it is today because of it’s ill-treatment of the children of God, the Jews.

No 9

(Ur)

As we know, the Lord called Abram out of this city in the Chaldees and told him “..get thee out of thy country (Ur), and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation..” Genesis 12:1,2. When Abram entered Canaan sometime around 2070 BC according to the Hebrew Masoretic text, Ur was at the pinnacle of its power. However, it met its end during the period of 1960 – 1830 BC and so complete was its destruction that it remained in oblivion until it was resurrected by modern archaeologists, notably Sir Leonard Woolley in 1922. The expedition lasted 12 years and in 1934, the long lost buried city of Ur had become one of the best-known sites in all of the ancient Near-East.

The splendid temple-tower or ziggurat built by King Ur-Nammu is still preserved today in the flat territory of Lower Mesopotamia in the basin of the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers. In present-day Iraq, the site of Ur is known as Tall al Muqayyar. Ur was the principal center of worship of the Sumerian moon god Nanna and of his Babylonian equivalent Sin. Isn’t it odd that the Lord would choose someone whose family was involved in idol worship (Joshua 24:2) and turn him into the father of many nations?

Abraham is the father of the Jews, the Arabs and the Christians; today, these three groups make up a huge portion of the world’s population. God knew what He was doing when He chose Abraham because, as we read in Romans 4:3 “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Abraham trusted God and He blessed him for that.

No 10

(Ras Shamra Texts)

The ancient city of Ugarit, now known as Ras Shamra, Lebanon was a great religious and commercial center which lay on the coast forty miles southwest of Antioch, opposite the island of Cyprus. One of the most important discoveries of the 20^th century was the recovery of hundreds of clay tablets which had been housed in a library between two temples – one dedicated to Baal and the other to Dagon.

These tablets turned out to be written in a literary style very similar to Hebrew. Here is a text in this language that resembles a passage in the Psalms: “Behold thy enemies, O Baal; Behold thine enemies shalt thou crush; Behold thou shalt smite thy foes”. In Psalm 92:9 we read, “For, behold thine enemies O Lord; For behold thy enemies will perish; All who do iniquity will perish.”

By far the most important contribution of these religious texts from Ras Shamra (Ugarit) is in giving the background material for the study of the Old Testament. The texts speak of the Canaanite deity and how they were degenerate. In Genesis 15:16, when the Lord declared to Abraham “…for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full”, He was speaking about this degenerate Canaanite deity. When Joshua and his army entered the Promised Land 400 years later, this iniquity had reached its height and had to be eradicated. Exterminating the Canaanites was not a question of destroying innocent people. Archaeology helps us to see this in an entirely different light and that God’s destruction of this irreligious people was warranted.