The Bible is the most widely read and distributed book in the world.
It's estimated that more than 4 billion copies are in circulation.
While we typically think of it as one volume, the Bible is actually 66 books and letters
written by some forty or more people.
The old testament, which is considered sacred by both Jews and Christians alike, is made
up of 39 books, while the new testament – which covers the era of Jesus Christ and his followers
– is comprised of 27 books and epistles.
The Bible covers a pretty large period of time as well.
Most scholars believe that it took at least 1,500 years for the entire text to be compiled
from Genesis to Revelation.
While it's completely understandable that not everyone would subscribe to the doctrines
outlined within its pages, seeing as how there are myriad of other faiths out there to choose
from, many people doubt the historicity of The Bible in general.
However, over the years, numerous archaeological discoveries have provided tangible proof of
many of the events outlined within the biblical scriptures.
For years, bible students and scholars alike have wondered whether or not the Bible is
a reliable historical source, but recent finds have provided proof that biblical figures
such as King David, Nebuchadnezzar, and the Prophet Isaiah actually existed.
While a large chunk of the biblical text is dedicated to describing miracles, angelic
encounters, and extraordinary events that some might be quick to label as mythological,
much of it also covers such things as royal lineages, documentation of wars and sieges,
and even business transactions.
If you've never opened up the Bible before, you might be surprised to find that it isn't
all about talking snakes and visions of some kind of future apocalypse.
A lot of the text might even be considered mundane by those who aren't versed in its
context.
Surely, these sorts of details have to be based on at least some kind of truth, right?
Join Facts Verse as we thumb through one of the most famous books of all time and discover
what portions of it have been proven to be true by modern archaeological discoveries.
But before we dig into the details, take a moment to show us a little support by giving
this video a like and by subscribing to Facts Verse if you haven't already.
King Solomon's Wall
In the first Book of Kings, we learn that a figure named King Solomon built a wall that
circled around the perimeter of Jerusalem.
In early 2010, the renowned archaeologist Eilat Mazar announced that such a wall was
discovered along with several other defensive structures.
When carbon dated, these fortifications appear to date to the time of Solomon in the 10th
century BCE.
The wall is approximately 230 feet long and measures roughly 20 feet high.
It was found in the area where Jerusalem would have come to an end at that point in history,
stretching between the City of David, which is now the Palestinian borough of Silwan,
and the Temple Mount.
Mazar's team of excavators also unearthed defensive structures in that area, including
a gatehouse, a guard tower, and a royal building.
It's Mazar's belief that only King David and his progeny King Solomon who could have possibly
built these edifices.
Artifacts consisting of pieces of pottery and figurines have been found around the gatehouse
that dates back to the late 10th Century BCE, which happens to be right around the time
of Solomon's purported reign.
One of the pottery pieces even had an inscription that read 'to the king'.
Evidence Of A Catastrophic “Great Flood”
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, we read about a great flood that God cast upon
the earth to purge it of the evil individuals and their false gods that had tarnished his
creation.
As the story goes, God saved one man, Noah, and his family and instructed him to build
a giant boat or ark to safely shield two animals of every species from the floodwaters in hopes
of giving them a chance to repopulate after the deluge had run its course.
While we have yet to discover hard evidence for an all-encompassing flood that occurred
during the time of human existence, a combination of ancient historical texts and modern scientific
analysis does seem to suggest that some kind of extreme and traumatic flooding in the biblical
region might have actually transpired.
To people that were living during this era, such an event would no doubt have given the
impression of a global catastrophe.
Excavations in what's now Iraq have revealed hard evidence of severe flooding sometime
around 2900 BCE, mirroring ancient tales of flooding that supposedly occurred throughout
Sumeria.
Likewise, the regions of the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia are believed to have also
undergone substantial changes in sea levels shortly after the last glacial period.
Rapidly rising water levels would have submerged large regions of low-lying terrain.
It's also well established that a massive flood some 7,000 years ago would have submerged
more than 100,000 square miles of land in the region near the Black Sea.
Beyond that, many ancient cultures also tell tales of a great deluge.
A couple of these include the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh and the Roman and Greek story
of Deucalion and Pyrrha.
Prophet Isaiah
During an archaeological dig in Jerusalem, excavators discovered physical evidence that
the biblical Prophet Isaiah actually was a real person.
In the Old Testament book that bears his name, Isaiah helped protect the ancient Kingdom
of Judah from an invasion led by the Assyrians.
The proof that this team found was a small clay seal that evidently dates back to the
8th century BCE – the time period in which Isaiah lived.
The seal contains the Hebrew name Yesha'yahu or Isaiah as he is better known today.
After his name, there is a small broken word that starts with the letters 'NVY', which
many experts believe is likely part of the Hebrew word for the prophet – Navi.
Jesus Christ
Contrary to common misconception, Jesus' last name was not actually Christ.
The word Christ is, in fact, a title that means 'anointed one'.
Likewise, the historical Jesus would not have gone by the name Jesus either, as the letter
J did not become common in Modern English until the 17th Century.
More than likely, he would have gone by the Hebrew name Yeshua – which equates to the
modern-day name Joshua.
Over the years, many people have claimed to have discovered physical evidence of Jesus
Christ.
For example, many people believe that the famous Shroud of Turin was the actual burial
linen that Christ was entombed in.
And there are numerous individuals and groups that claim to have pieces of his crucifixion
cross in their possession.
But the problem with these supposed relics is the burden of proof.
It's next-to-impossible to confirm conclusively that any of these items really are what believers
say they are, even if they are proven to date back to the 1st century CE.
It's not like we have a strand of Jesus' hair or a drop of blood to compare DNA.
But even though we don't have any artifacts at the moment to conclusively prove the existence
of Jesus, we do have the writing of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus which makes mention
of Jesus and his followers.
Josephus wrote his historical accounts only decades after the death of Jesus, and his
texts state that he was a real person.
Josephus confirms that a man named Jesus was condemned to death on the cross by a man named
Pilate.
He went on to say that Jesus seemed to appear to his followers who didn't forsake him three
days after his death.
Josephus also mentioned that the 'tribe of Christians' were 'not extinct' at the time
of his writing.
King David
For many years, scholars and historians doubted the existence of King David.
According to the old testament, King David was one of three kings that ruled over united
Israel sometime around the year 1000 BCE.
When he was just a boy, he supposedly slew the giant Goliath with his trusty sling, and
once he was an adult, he ruled under the direction of God as a mighty king.
Up until the early 90s, however, there was no hard evidence to prove that David was a
real historical figure.
in 1993, Gila Cook, a member of a team led by Israeli archaeologist Avraham Biran, discovered
pieces of what would have been used to build an ancient stone wall that contained a Canaanite
inscription that mentions the 'house of David'.
This fragment is now known as the Tel Dan Stele.
While it doesn't provide much information other than that one phrase, it does confirm
that David's dynasty ruled about 1,000 years before the birth of Christ.
The Tower Of Babel
In the book of Genesis, there's mention of a marvel of ancient architecture called the
Tower of Babel.
Reportedly, this pyramidal tower – or ziggurat – was built by descendants of Noah who survived
the Great Deluge.
As the story goes, they all shared a common language when they settled in the Mesopotamian
city of Babylonia.
But as seems to be the modus operandi of God's people in the old testament, these ancient
folks eventually began to stray from God and decided to build a great tower that would
'reach to the heavens' as a symbol of their pride.
When God saw what they were up to, he struck the tower down and scattered the people throughout
the land, confusing their languages so that they could no longer communicate with each
other.
Although we have yet to find the specific ruins of the Tower of Babel, nearly 30 similar
ziggurats have been discovered in Ancient Babylon, which is just 55 miles away from
the modern city of Baghdad, Iraq.
King Nebuchadnezzar
Speaking of Babylon, the Hebrew book of 2nd Kings makes mention of a Babylonian king named
Nebuchadnezzar who laid siege to Jerusalem, plundered its great temple for its loot and
treasures, abducted the Judean King and his royal family, and exiled 10,000 skilled workers,
officers, and artisans in Babylon.
A decade later, Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem and completely leveled Solomon's
Temple.
Then, in the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar is punished by God for his pride and goes
insane.
In his madness, Nebuchadnezzar wandered the wilderness for seven years, eating grass like
an ox.
While it's difficult to confirm the events of this specific story, archaeologists have
discovered thousands of clay tablets and other inscribed objects from dig sites all across
ancient Mesopotamia that mention Nebuchadnezzar by name.
Apparently, this guy was pretty proud of his many accomplishments because he was all about
slapping his name on just about everything he built.
One might think of him as the Donald Trump of the ancient world.
And as far as the destruction of Jerusalem goes, archaeologists have discovered an incredible
set of tablets known as the Babylonian Chronicles that confirm that he and his men did indeed
level the city in a series of sieges that culminated in its destruction in 587 BCE.
And beyond that, these clay artifacts also specifically mention that after Jerusalem's
destruction, many people, including the royal family, were in fact taken into exile, just
as the Bible says.
These few examples are really just the tip of the iceberg of all the incredible archaeological
discoveries that have been made that seem to confirm many accounts found within the
Bible.
Are you surprised by the fact that countless stories found in the Bible have been confirmed
by modern means?
Can you think of any other biblical events that archaeology has proven to be true?
Let us know in the comments down below.
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