Information Related to "God, Science and the Bible (7/05)"
| Audio/Video |
Archaeology establishes existence of biblical kingdom of Edom
Many scholars believe that the Old Testament is simply a mixture of folklore and bad theology assembled long after the events supposedly took place. Thus, they assume, biblical history bears little resemblance to actual events.
This assumption took another serious hit in recent months when archaeologists from three countries announced evidence that points to the existence of the biblical kingdom of Edom— precisely when and where the Bible says it was, and contradicting the common belief that this kingdom didn't exist until two centuries later.
The kingdom of Edom, mentioned throughout the Old Testament, is described as existing in what today is southern Jordan. The Edomites and Israelites were enemies, almost constantly in conflict.
The Bible shows Israel interacting with Edom after the Exodus in the 15th century B.C. The Edomites were descendants of Jacob's brother Edom or Esau, who lived a few centuries earlier. Yet many scholars have not accepted Edom as coming on the scene until the eighth century B.C. at the earliest.
In recent years, however, a team of archaeologists led by Russell Adams of Canada's McMaster University, Thomas Levy of the University of California at San Diego and Mohammad Najjar of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities excavated at Khirbat en-Nahas in Jordan, in what would have been Edomite territory in biblical times.
When they dated their finds using high-precision radiocarbon-dating methods, the results, as they described them in the British journal Antiquities, "were spectacular" (quoted by Michael Valpy, "Archeologist Unearths Biblical Controversy," The Globe and Mail [Toronto], Jan. 25).
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "God, Science and the Bible (7/05)"
Other Articles by Mario Seiglie, Tom Robinson and Scott Ashley
Humor: