The very thing which is now called the Christian religion existed among the ancients also, nor was it wanting from the inception of the human race until the coming of Christ in the flesh, at which point the true religion which was already in existence began to be called Christian.

S Augustine, Retractationes 1:12:3

Is the Bible Fact or Fiction? 3

The Bible, like other areas of Christian theology, has actually failed to stand up to the trust that Christians, rightly or wrongly, had put in it.
John Bowden, SCM

Overwhelming Evidence?

Abstract

The “truth of the bible is of vital importance to all of us”, Christians tell us—a matter of life and death, meaning eternal life and eternal death, because it promises believers eternal life. It is the core of the Christian scam. Christians therefore claim evidence for the truth of the bible is overwhelming, and one offers us over 40 major archaeological discoveries which endorse scripture. Christians are also fond of claiming biblical critics have been “roundly defeated by scholars”. The skeptic wants to know what position these “scholars” held vis-a-vis biblical truth. Were they objective or did they have a biblical axe to grind? Here the evidence offered is examined.

Overwhelming Evidence?

Let us look at the list Billington gives as his overwhelming evidence of the truth of the bible, remembering that the realistic setting of a novel does not make its storyline true. A lot of the evidence is merely commonplace historical information that was well known when the bible was written, and can not be used as evidence that the events in it actually happened. For this reason, simple historical facts from the bible that have been shown to be historic are simply listed at the end. They show the biblical authors were not dunces, but that ought to be clear enough anyway.

And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.
Genesis 10:10-12

Billington says, these cities, the earliest that are mentioned in the bible were uncovered by archaeologists over a century ago and have been positively identified. So also the ancient Canaanite and Egyptian civilizations are known. Thus the setting for the Genesis narrative, the call of Abraham and his journey of faith has a historical basis to it that cannot be denied.

Typical Christian trickery. The setting is not denied. The argument is not that the bible is set in an imaginery place. It was written in the ancient near east where these cities were famous cities of ancient civilizations. Why should anyone imagine that the ancient authors did not know about them? The fact that it is set in the ancient near east does not make its content true! Compare the film, Gladiator. It was convincingly set in the second century Roman empire, and even had some historic characters in it, but the story and the main characters were still fictional.
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Numbers 6:22-27

Billington says a silver scroll dating to 600 BC quotes this passage, showing that this scripture existed before the date admitted by critics.

This is outrageous trickery. The scroll does not quote this passage but only: “May Yehouah bless and keep you; May Yehouah cause his face to shine upon you and grant you peace”. The trickster wants his converts to think that Moses, Aaron and the Children of Israel are all mentioned. They are not. The scroll has a plain and simple blessing which does not say “the LORD” but Yehouah, a god that no one doubts was Canaanite, but he was one of the Canaanite pantheon of deities. The old scroll shows that the authors of the bible wrote into it a simple, and doubtless well-known blessing.
Balaam the son of Beor
Numbers 22-24

Billington says an inscription found in 1967 and published in 1976 refers to Balaam Son of Beor and records a prophecy similar to that found in scripture.

The inscription was found in the Jordanian village of Deir Alla, which was Moabite territory in the first millennium BC. This inscription tells of a Balaam ben Beor, known to the locals as a prophet who would receive his prophecies at night. The biblical Balaam was a Moabite, but lived in Mesopotamia, not in Moab. Another minor detail is that there is a 700 year difference between the Balaam in Numbers, supposedly about 1400 BC and the Balaam in the Ammon inscription, supposedly about 700 BC. Most scholars would be troubled by a difference of 700 years but not Christians. Balaam might have been famous locally as an oracle (his donkey talked like Francis, the talking mule) or perhaps even a god (“Lord of the People”) and was incorporated into the Hebrew bible because Moabites lived in Abarnahara under the Persians too.
Exodus route maps?
Numbers 33

Billington says Egyptian maps found at Karnak confirm the geography of the exodus route taken by the children of Israel as recorded in the bible.

Maps? Most of the cities along the alleged route that the Israelites traveled immediately before reaching the Jordan River—Iyyim, Divon, Almon-divlatayim, Nevo, and Avel Shittim (Num 33:45-50)—have not been located, and those that have been found did not exist at the time the bible reports. Yet Charles Krahmalkov notes what are apparently the same names on the walls of Egyptian temples like Karnak, not in any context of exodus. It seems it was part of a standard highway to Jordan. If the places are marked on the temple walls in precisely the same order, and are so obviously places on the way from Egypt to Canaan, then that could have been the source of them used by the much later author.
And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
Judges 10:6-9

Billington tells us the earliest known reference to Israelites says that they were “laid waste”. It appears on the Merneptah Stele dating to 1209 BC.

What dishonesties will these Christians not sink to? The passage in Judges does not say “laid waste” but “sorely distressed”, and it has nothing to do with the Merneptah Stele which told us that the Pharaoh, not the Philistines was doing any “laying waste” to be done. If Merneptah laid Israel waste in the time of the Judges, the bible does not record it!
An inscription discovered by archaeologists refers to “the House of Yehouah”—Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem (1 Kg 6).

Billington assumes that the House of Yehouah mentioned on the inscription is Solomon’s temple. Yehouah was a Canaanite god and will have had more than one “house”. Solomon’s temple is more likely to have been a temple to the god, Solomon (Shalim, the sun). The Jewish scriptures are full of names of temples to gods and goddesses other than Yehouah. They are names like Beth-El (Bethel), the House (Temple) of El.
An inscription found at Tel Dan in 1993, refers to the “House of David” and thus shows that David is a real historical character. (1 Kg 12:19-20)

Billington repeats what has been noted above. Here his juxtaposition of the “House of Yehouah” meaning a temple and the “House of David” meaning a dynasty shows perfectly well why some scholars will not jump to the conclusion that “bytdwd” refers to a historic David. David and Solomon, in the biblical myths, could have been popular gods brought down to earth as heroes, to leave Yehouah as the only “true” god. That would explain the absence of any mention in external annals of any such astonishingly great men in reality.
A seal bearing the inscription “Shema servant of Jereboam” is but one confirmation of this king’s existence in history. (1 Kg 12:20)

There are two Jereboams in the biblical account of Israelite history. One is likely to be historic and one is likely to be a myth, perhaps based on the historic one but set 200 years earlier. This seal is obviously of the historic one.
Jereboam’s “High Place” was discovered at Dan in 1979. (1 Kg 12:28-31)

Billington assumes the “bamah” is Jeroboam’s. The Canaanites probably set up their temples in high places, and this one might have been there for centuries.
Victory relief of Shishak discovered at Karnak in 1799 shows him with prisoners from Palestine. (1 Kg 14:25-26)

This has already been discussed above. Christians assume biblical Shishak is Sheshonq I.
The Royal buildings of Omri and Ahab were found by archaeologists in 1933. (1 Kg 16:23-24)

Omri is accepted by biblical critics as the founder of the statelet of Israel. The historical setting of the bible approximates more closely to the historic from Omri onwards. The details of Israelite kings will have been taken by the Persian authors of the scriptures from Assyrian annals.
The black basalt Moabite Stone discovered in 1868 describes the battle between Mesha King of Moab and Ahab son of Omri. (2 Kg 3:4-5)

What is surprising, among other things, about the stone is that it does not mention Ahab even though it mentions Omri! The attitude of the king of Moab to his god, Chemosh, is precisely that of the Israelites to their god, Yehouah, including the savage use of the “ban” (herem) whereby whole populations are murdered as a promise to the god!
An inscription of Shalmanezer II, known as the “Kurkh Monolith” mentions Ahab the Israelite. (2 Kg 17:3).

The monolith mentions “Akha-Abbu matu Sir-’la-ai”, who, most scholars agree, is Ahab.
The Assyrian Black Obelisk discovered in 1846 depicts king Jehu. (2 Kg 10:31-32)

This is correct and it is the only picture ever found of a contemporary likeness of a king of Israel. The rubric to the relief describes the king as “Iaua (Yehouah) the son of Khumri (Omri)”, but the main account around the top and base of the obilisk makes no mention of him. The bible says Jehu was “the son of Nimshi” (1 Kg 19:16) or he was “the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi” (1 Kg 9:14), and not of the “House of Omri”, the dynasty founded by Omri, which he rebelled against!
The tomb of the Caiaphas family was discovered in Jerusalem in 1990. Scholars believe that the tomb of Caiaphas himself is among them. (Mt 26:57)

What is Billington trying to prove? No one doubts that Caiaphas was the High Priest at least some time during this period. What is in question is what happened when he was.
Two separate inscriptions have been found mentioning the name of the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. (Mt 27:2)

What is Billington trying to prove? No one doubts that Pontius Pilate was the Prefect of Judaea. What is in question is what happened when he was.
The foundations of Jesus’s synagogue at Capernaum were identified in 1983, it lay underneath a later construction built by Jews around the third century. (Mk 1:21)

This is quite simply Christian trickery at its most elementary and crudest. The Franciscans excavated a site which is most unlikely to be Capernaum, and the foundations are most likely the foundations of the later building, full stop. They are not earlier. Few of the places mentioned in the exploits of Jesus, like Capernaum, are identified, and it is likely that they will never be because they are Essene code names for other places, possibly major cities or possibly simply their own “camps”.
The huge platform upon which the temple was built in the time of Herod is there for all to see in Jerusalem today. Archaeologists have also uncovered amazing evidence of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus in this chapter. (Lk 21:5)

The platform there today might be part of Herod’s, but since Jerusalem was completely razed in 135 AD and rebuilt as a Roman city by Hadrian, what we see now is more likely to be the platform of Hadrian’s temple in Aelia Capitolina, the name of the new city. As for the earlier destruction of Jerusalem being a prophecy of Jesus, it was an easy one to write since the gospels were not completed before the temple was destroyed. The earliest gospel written was Mark, and few will deny that it was written at the earliest, during the Jewish War, and so could easily have been revised in the immediate years after it, to include a prophecy that was already fulfilled. Only drunkards and dunces ignore these truths.
In 1947 the now famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves. They demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of the biblical text. (Isa 30:8).

The usual dissimulation. While it is true that the Great Isaiah Scroll, almost the complete text of Isaiah, is astonishingly similar to the present Masoretic version, other texts are astonishingly different considering these are sacred books that are always assumed to be unalterable. The text of Jeremiah from Qumran comes in two versions, one broadly like the Masoretic and the other broadly in agreement with the Septuagint. The Septuagint version is about 12 per cent shorter.

The same observations are true for 1 Samuel which also seems to exist in different versions equivalent to the Septuagint (33 verses) and the Masoretic (58 verses). One of the Qumran versions supports the Greek over the height of Goliath (four cubits and a span) but otherwise seems like the Masoretic. A whole passage missing from all modern recensions but mentioned by Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews, is found at Qumran. The versions of the Psalms also differ considerably at Qumran.

Thus, though we can praise the abilities of copyists to copy the ancient texts correctly most of the time, no one should imagine that there is some divine perfection in the transmission of these sacred works from a divinely dictated original. The clear evidence from Qumran is that originally there were different versions in circulation. Holy Ghost was being slack as it usually is!

The following set of examples have been considered already in the discussion, but were listed separately by Billington. All are examples of the bible being validated by external sources, but none are anything that an educated man writing in the latter half of the first millennium BC would not know. To repeat, biblical skeptics are not saying that the bible is made up in its entirety. It is set in a historical sequence of kings and major events. What is in question is the detail, which is a fictional, devotional romance about the intervention of God in human affairs, and little or nothing has so far detracted from that view. The history before Omri, however, seems almost total fantasy.

A Hebrew seal found bearing the inscription: “belonging to Jehoahaz son of the king.” (2 Kg 10:35)
A cunieform text discovered about 1850 is the record of Tiglath-pilesar and mentions kings Pekah and Hosea. (2 Kg 15:29-30; 16:7-9)
In 1955 a tablet was deciphered which records the captivity of king Jehoiachin and the appointment of Zedekiah. (2 Kg 24:10,15,17)
A Babylonian tablet describes the capture of Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar. (2 Kg 24:10-17)
The Yaukin Tablet found at Babylon (1932/3) mentions king Jehoiachin and the rations allowed to him. (2 Kg 25:27-30)
A relief discovered at Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh (about 1850) include the seige of Lachish. (2 Chr 32:9)
The famous Cyrus Cylinder—a clay cylinder of king Cyrus describes the restoration of people after the liberation of Babylon. (Ezra 1:1-4)
A reference to Sanballat, the governor of Jerusalem was found. (Neh 4:1-2)
In about 1850, the records of Sargon were discovered. (Isa 20:1)
Evidence of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah (ie when this king supposedly lived) found at Gezer and other locations. (Amos 1:1)
Reliefs found at Nineveh in the 1850s, and which can be viewed in the British Museum are burnt black by the fires of destruction. (Nahum 3:7,15)

This evidence—which to any reasonable man would be considered overwhelming—still isn’t enough!
Paul Billington

This biblical “evidence” is no more convincing that a man rose from the dead than that Bulwer Lytton was able to write a realistic story about the destruction of Pompeii, 1800 years later. Certainly, if anyone wanted to persuade people of impossible things then they would try not to get elementary things wrong. So, it is with the biblical authors. That they knew some battles and some kings should not easily persuade anyone that the supernatural events in these romances actually happened. Only a gullible fool would believe it. “Any reasonable man” would remain skeptical.

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Last uploaded: 19 April, 2008.