Jericho in Archaeology

Are you ready to see the Bible to come to life in archaeology?

Following on the heels of the compelling evidence we have seen for Israel in the wilderness, we now come to the beginning of the Conquest of Canaan.

This month we discuss Jericho, where the Bible says walls fell down around an inhabited city, which was then burned by Joshua and his men. After this time, the text indicates that it was not rebuilt for some significant period of time. All of this should not be hard to find in archaeology.

Once again, the Bible runs into trouble at the traditional dates. No walls, no burning, not even a city—nothing at all is present in archaeology at Jericho within the traditional timeframe. This leads to some troubling questions. Could the biblical tale actually be just invented “history” or even “propaganda” for the nation of Israel? Currently, the “…strong consensus among scholars is that the Book of Joshua holds little historical value.”

This is a real problem.

Or, we should say, was a real problem. Once you get the biblical chronology straight, and look at the right dates, the Bible indeed comes to life. A unified story is told in detail by both the biblical text and by the archaeologists themselves. And what a story it is!

Yes, there was a city, and yes, the walls fell. Yes, the ancient city was burned with fire at the very time predicted by modern biblical chronology, and after that time the city was not inhabited again for a long, long time. Come and see!

Also on this episode:

• Quote of Note by C.S. Lewis
• “As a Matter of Fact…”: Were there dinosaurs on the ark?
• Aging research testimonial by Steve
• Helen’s View: Thanksgiving Memories

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