Good morning Grace Family!
I have been hosting a class for 1st through 6th graders this summer entitled “Proof”. I have really enjoyed spending time with these kids and a few parents looking at newer Biblical archaeological discoveries. In preparing for this class, I look for videos that show and explain artifacts and dig sites that give evidence for what is written in the Bible. There are hundreds of discoveries lately, so some of these videos are done in the form of top ten videos. Recently I watched a video on the top ten discoveries related to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ-The Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries: Digging for Truth Episode 140. Amazing, huh?! I really want to share this list with you in case you haven’t heard of these discoveries. I haven’t shared this list with the kids yet, but I hope to before our summer is over.
Now since this is a top ten list, it will be listed backwards, starting with number 10 and leading to the most significant find being number 1.
#10. A fishing boat from Galilee. Most of you have probably seen photos of this by now. It was discovered earlier and was put in a chemical bath for 10 years so it could be displayed recently without being damaged. This find is significant because it has been dated to the time of Christ and would have been the type of boat Jesus would have been in in many situations written about in the Gospels.
#9. Synagogues. “And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” Matthew 4:23. Skeptics of the Bible have disputed that there were actually synagogues at this time. They believe they were built after 70 AD when the temple was destroyed so Jesus couldn’t have taught in the synagogues or they argue that the timing of the Bible is fallible. There have been ten first century synagogues discovered so far. Archaeologists have proven that the Bible is accurate here.
#8. Pool of Siloam. “Having said these things, He spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then He anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.” John 9:6-7. The Pool of Siloam was discovered exactly where the Gospel of John described it would be. It is also dated to the first century.
#7. Jacob’s Well. The site of Jacob's Well is agreed upon by all religions. It was actually discovered long enough ago that there is a church built on top of it. This well was used for centuries before Christ, but is also mentioned in John 4 when Jesus meets the woman at the well and offers her Living Water.
#6. The Second Temple in Jerusalem. The temple was destroyed by Romans as Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:2 “But He answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” There have since been many buildings erected upon this site on top of the temple. Recently, certain parts of the Second Temple have been unearthed. Archaeologists have found the Southern Steps and a sign warning Gentiles, foreigners, and ritually unclean people to not enter upon pain of death. A Herodian street around the Temple has also been discovered. This is significant to Jesus as He spent a considerable amount of time here.
#5. Caiaphas Ossuary. Caiaphus was the high priest who presided over Jesus’ trial before His crucifixion. The Jews in ancient times would typically bury their loved ones in a niche in a cave until there are only bones left. They would then place the bones in a bone box, or ossuary. This ossuary was found with many other bone boxes, but was quite ornate and included the name of Joseph Son of Caiaphas on it. Inside there were bones from various family members, but one was of a 60yr old man. Scholars agree that this is the same Caiaphas mentioned in the Gospels.
#4. Pilate Stone. In the Bible, it is written that Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death. Pontius Pilate has always been noted as a historical figure, but there has been a stone unearthed that gives evidence for Pilate to be the Prefect of Judea (or governor). It also has been dated to the first century. A ring has also been discovered recently with Pilates' name engraved on it.
#3. Heel bone of a crucified man. In a discovered ossuary, there has been found a heel bone of a man with a nail through it (crucifixion). This not only proves that it was a practice of the time, but it also proves that one who was crucified could also be buried by their family. This was a point of contention by scholars surrounding the death of Christ.
#2. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Traditionally, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been believed to be the location of the tomb of Jesus. Scholars believe this to be dated to the first century as a Jewish cemetery. It was also near a limestone quarry and there were gardens in the area as described in the Bible. During the second century, there was a shrine to Aphrodite built over the tomb, which was the practice at the time of conquering kingdoms. This gives credence to the fact that this was an important tomb. During recent excavations, the platform over the burial bed within the tomb was removed and samples affirmed written history.
#1. (drumroll please) The Nazareth Inscription. This stone showed an Imperial edict from Caesar. It imposes the death penalty to anyone in Israel caught removing bodies from family tombs, specifically sepulchre sealing tombs. This is dated to within a decade after Jesus was buried. This is an amazing find because why would this be an edict given by such high authority? Tomb raiders stole goods from tombs, not bodies. Why in the world would there be a death penalty for stealing bodies at this time? This has to be due to Jesus’ death and the threat that Christianity was to Roman rule. Wow!
I love sharing this information with you and with the kids. We are taught wonderful strong scripture to help lead others to Christ, but some nonbelievers we speak to will point out that just because it is in the Bible doesn’t mean it is true. They believe the Bible is just a book. The Bible isn’t all of a sudden true just because there is tangible evidence. The Bible is the written Word of God and we use it as Truth to gauge other things, but these findings do give us factual evidence to share with unbelievers to understand that God’s Word is true and trustworthy. I feel God has allowed us to unearth Biblical findings recently to help us squash the doubts that have been arising in our world today. I want to keep displaying evidence for proof of the Bible for our kiddos. Besides the Biblical foundation they are given by their parents, Sunday School teachers, and you mentors, I want to help arm them as much as possible for who and what they will be met with in society. Thank you for remembering to pray for these kiddos, their Biblical foundation, their growing relationship with God, and for strength when they need it.
Thank you,
Amy