Many today who watch "biblical" shows on Discovery channel, or the History channel believe that the Bible is not an accurate account of history, especially that which is before the time of Jesus. We surely admit that not every incident, battle, king or other person mentioned in the Bible can be identified with certainty. However, to a reasonable person we can identify enough of them historically that it should remove any doubt as to whether or not the Bible is accurate. We can say with complete confidence that there is no known fact of the history that disproves any historical character, people or fact mentioned in the Bible! There are always many theories or opinions that disagree with the Bible, however most of these are easily disposed by the light of archaeology or history.
A great example of how some enemies of the Bible deceived many was the argument that there are a number of references during Joshua's time (15th century B.C.) about a strong nation of people that were called Hittites. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. For hundreds of years critics of the Bible argued that there was no such people. We now know that there was such a people as early as Abraham (Genesis 15) and that they were of the Canaanites, and that there was a great deal of interaction between the Hittites and Babylon, as well as Egypt. There are about 48 references to such a people in the Old Testament. Today archaeologists have discovered many records of the ancient warlike people who were called Hittites. Bathsheba, King David's wife after their adulterous affair, may have been a Hittite, as we know that her first husband was Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11, 12). There are even references to the Hittites as early as the days of Abraham (2,100 B.C.). Egg is on the face of those who declared that the Bible could not be accurate since "no such nation, as the Hittites existed." Actually many of the battles and other major events mentioned in the Bible are confirmed by history today!
One of the common distortions of the critics of the Bible has been that Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible "since there was no written language of the Hebrews in his time" according to them. Moses lived between 1,500 and 1,700 B.C. and today it is known that not only did the Semitic or Hebrew people have a written language in Moses time, but that there was much inter-action between the Hebrews, Babylon and Egypt. Jesus Himself endorsed Moses as the writer of the books of the Pentateuch (Mark 12:19, 26; John 1:45). Not only do we know that Moses had access to a written language, but archaeologists have found instances of translations of business records and other communications. Many of the sites have yielded tablets of clay that preserve records of the day and confirm that language, by the time of Moses, was not just pictures but rather alphabetic language that could communicate thoughts and ideas rather than just action pictures as do the ancient hieroglyphics of Egypt and Babylon. Ancient Greek and Roman historians such as Hecataeus, Tacitus, and of course, the Jewish historian Josephus all attribute to Moses the "writing" of the first five books of the Bible.
In the news recently (March 2015) it is mentioned that ISIS in Iraq is, "bulldozing" many of the ancient artifacts in Museums and sites that have been opened by archaeologists. Their explanation is that they were objects of idolatry. Without doubt, many of them were. However, we have to wonder if their motive might well be to destroy ancient discoveries that might confirm evidences of Judaism and Christianity? It could even be stronger evidence that would militate against the Koran and thus further disrespect Mohamed and Islam! The facts at present are that the Bible has and will withstand the probing investigation of those pseudo-historians who disparage it! Bring it on!
Ed Rodgers, Forney, TX
