A Book to trust #17 Biblical archaeology vs Historical science or study #2 Relevance of Biblical record

Throughout the years there came to exist extreme believers of one or the other human theory and did we get some extreme religious groups which took on a fundamentalist attitude. The current discourse on scientific proof for the bible continues to be fuelled by the insertion of moralistic views and matters of faith and even modern political agendas and nationalist sentiments. Some keep questioning the relevance of the Biblical record for historical reconstructions of the past. Most, though, forget the Bible never had the intention to be a factual day to day record of what happened throughout the ages.

Biblical archaeology as a historical discipline can contribute to our understanding of Bible history. William G. Dever, Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Arizona, suggests that one possibility is to deal with the Biblical texts and archaeological data independently and then look for “convergences”. But it did not escape Dever’s critics that in checking the Bible against material evidence (or vice-versa), archaeology is not speaking for itself. For his approach, Dever has been castigated with others for actually falling into the trap of “proving/disproving the Bible” — an honorable pursuit for some, a methodological trespass for others. As an experienced archaeologist, Dever rightly points to the chronic cause of disappointment and frustration among Biblical scholars: people have been asking the wrong questions of archaeology!

At the same time—as his critics object—Dever acknowledges the privileged position of archaeological data as being closer to the “real” life and, hence, more reliable for the Bible history than are the Biblical texts, which were written or edited centuries after the supposed events that they relate. And while recognizing that most of the Pentateuch, or Torah, is contaminated by legendary and even fantastic materials, which might disqualify the first four books from historical consideration, Dever with other maximalists also believes that these Bible books are a result of long oral traditions with a real historical core and that history can be distilled from the books immediately following them: Deuteronomy through 2 Kings. Dever’s critics, therefore, point out that his positivist method based on verifiable data is incoherent and circular and that his scholarship actually demonstrates the pitfalls of any attempt to use Biblical archaeology in the quest of uncovering the “true” Bible history. Some critical voices would also question whether Dever’s cautious judgments about the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers still qualify as maximalist.{Marek Dospěl–Who Tells the Truth—the Bible or Archaeology? The struggle for the true history of ancient Israel}

We may never forget that all scientific proof man assembles in a certain period is always looked at with the knowledge and searched with the material which was available at that time and of which people believed it was the right tool to investigate certain things.
We also should remember that the idea of a “scientific proof” is not always the essence of the investigating scholar. To say

it is proven

would or should mean a finality, it being so and not differently. But history has shown how many times scientists had ideas which seemed very acceptable at the time of their life, but many decades later were proven to be wrong or not totally correct. We always should remember that what is claimed to be a scientific truth can always in the future be overturned by an other theory. Never should we forget that everything in science is tentative. but when we look at the bible its words, those showed that they always could stand any other new finding in time.

Great problem with human beings is that some with new evidence do not want to revise their view. As such we may find lots of people who do not see that the accepted theories can and should be challenged and/or replaced. So, by several stubborn Christians we can find people who do not want to accept that archaeologists have found older manuscripts which show some faults or missing parts in the King James Bible, for example, though they keep swearing by the King James Bible only, not willing to see that several of the more contemporary translations are closer to the original bible texts than the 1611 King James bible and several of its later versions.

For King James Only Folk — From the Babylon Bee (satire)

(One such person who does not want to see how time has evolved and how we have now many more older and original manuscripts of Bible fragments than in 1611, so that we can make better translations, is Vake Biblia, who by keeping to claim the version (in English) he is using is the only right one, is working as an adversary to Jehovah God, by not accepting the new light God has provided to come into the world by all the research of those Biblical archaeologists, and Bible students and researchers. + (Saying the English KJV is the only real bible or true bible, all other translations being falsifications of God’s Word is the same as saying God cannot control Himself the reproduction of His Own Word and wanting that all people all over the world should come to learn English to be able to come to know the word of God.)

Some want to find proofs in the arguments there are going on continually, but should know that in arguments no proof can be found really. But man should see how by the years little zig-zaw puzzle pieces were found and can be put together bringing, plus showing, us enough proof of certain matters.

Frederick Buechner wrote

We all want to be certain, we all want proof, but the kind of proof we tend to want — scientifically or philosophically demonstrable proof that would silence all doubts once and for all — would not in the long run, I think, answer the fearful depths of our soul at all.

With a lot of people who are against those who love God and who worship only One True God, we see that they look up to the human being more than the Supreme Unseen Being and that they prefer to put they stubbornly persists in the morality, laws, and government of the major Western capitalist countries with their ungodly way of life.

Daily we encounter atheists but also people who call themselves Christian, who never read the Bible but claim, it are all mythical stories. When talking to such anti-Jehovah people, often we do find they, when they might see the  Inconvenient Truth they still would go against it because they do not want to change. Concerning that Charles Spurgeon wrote

I have noticed that whenever a person gives up his belief in the Word of God because it requires that he should believe a good deal, his unbelief requires him to believe a great deal more. If there be any difficulties in the faith of Christ, they are not one-tenth as great as the absurdities in any system of unbelief which seeks to take its place.

When looking at how many times scientists changed of opinion about certain matters and how the world also tried out different political systems, always thinking to have found the right system, but falling with their nose in sour butter, we can find that we should follow the biblical advice and learn from the stories told in scripture.

All those “King James bible only“- people and those who question the validity or credibility of the bible we would advice to tastefully exhibit the infallible Word of God in its original Hebrew form, looking at the most ancient documents, and to compare them with translations throughout time,  so all can see the Creator’s Words as they were given and how they were and are now reproduced and distributed to people all over the world in many languages.

We would advice all atheists and unbelievers plus other believers to go to an exhibition of  Hebrew Scrolls, the Dead Sea Scrolls,  and various other biblically based artefacts which can show the ‘goyim or gentiles‘  the roots of the non-Trinitarians their faith.

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Preceding

A Book to trust #1 Background book for debate

A Book to trust #2 Book of Truth

A Book to trust #3 Creation and Creator

A Book to trust #4 Cause of Being and Truth

A Book to trust #5 Words directed to create order

A Book to trust #6 True God and true words

A Book to trust #7 Heavenly Father not withholding knowledge

A Book to trust #8 Father of the universe wanting His creatures to know Him

A Book to trust #9 Consistency

A Book to trust #10 Archaeology confirming or denying claims of the Bible #1 Old Testament

A Book to trust #11 Archaeology confirming or denying claims of the Bible #2 New Testament

A Book to trust #12 Archaeology confirming or denying claims of the Bible #3 Material evidence to survive

A Book to trust #13 Books for education and adjustment

A Book to trust #14 Writings to show The God #1 The I Am that I Am

A Book to trust #15 Writings to show The God #2 Importance of Being

A Book to trust #16 Biblical archaeology vs Historical science or study #1 Flat or round earth

Next

A Book to trust #18 Available in many languages

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Additional reading

1. Religious matters
2. Are Science and the Bible Compatible?
3. Science, belief, denial and visibility 2
4. Can a scientist believe in God
5. Scientific Evidence for God
6. Science, 2013 word of the year, and Scepticism
7. Jehovah steep rock and fortress, source of insight
8. The First English Catholic New Testament in English,printed in England. ……. translated by the papists of the traiterous seminarie at Rhemes
9. Old Earth creationists and other conservative Christians denying any evolution

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