For centuries the Bible was accepted as true and accurate. Then, in recent centuries, it came under blistering attack. How has the Bible fared when archaeologists have compared their findings with the record of Scripture?
Archaeology is the recovery and study of the material remains of past people's
lives and activities. It involves the excavation and systematic study of their
tools, weapons, cookware, inscriptions and other objects and remains. Biblical
archaeology is a smaller subset of the broader field of archaeology, limited
to the study of ancient civilizations in the ancient Middle East, the geographical
setting of the events recorded in the Bible.
Modern biblical archaeology is a fascinating and sometimes controversial
subject. Its aim, in general, is to compare the findings of archaeology
to the writings of the Bible. Biblical archaeologists seek to establish
the historicity, or the lack thereof, of the people, places and events
of the Bible.
For many centuries the events of the Bible were accepted as a true history.
The great sagas of the Bible were approved as accurate down to the smallest
details. However, with the arrival of the "Enlightenment" of the 17th and
18th centuries, this outlook began to change. Scholars began to exalt human
reason and scientific exploration above the Bible, mounting a frontal attack
on Scripture.
Biblical heroes and other towering personalities, as well as their experiences
as recorded in Scripture, came to be considered by many scholars as mere
myths. The existence of mighty empires, some of which were recorded in
the Bible as having ruled for centuries, was doubted or even denied. Skepticism
became the rule of the day among "critical" scholars.
Where previous generations had taken the Bible at face value, now a supposedly
enlightened generation viewed it with doubt. The net effect was to deal
a staggering blow to the credibility of the Bible in the minds of many
people.
