TRIBUTE TO THE BIBLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21036, 21 November 1931, Page 3 (Supplement)

TRIBUTE TO THE BIBLE.

USE AS GUIDE-BOOK

GEOGRAPHICAL ACCURACY

That the Bible is almost the best guidebook to Palestine even to-day was claimed by Sir John Chancellor, late High Commissioner for Palestine, who presided on October 2 over the general meeting of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, held in London. Sir John mentioned that on a visit to the city of Mizpah he was struck with the extraordinary geographical accuracy of descriptions in the Old Testament. On the exact spot indicated in the Bible were the remains of a . tower and a wine press. It was remarked by Sir John that it was only in the sphere of control of archaeological research that the activities of the Government of Palestine had escaped violent hostile criticism and condemnation. Mr. J. W. Crowfoot, when describing the work carried on by the school in the excavation of Samaria, stated that the Bock of Kings mentioned the purchase of Samaria at a time between 900 B.C. and 850 B.C. No remains of an earlier city had been found, which proved the accuracy of the biblical account. The walls of the earliest city and its palace were incomparably fine stone work, probably finer than any work of the same period to be found in Greece or Egypt. The second city was of the Hellenistic period. The number of wine jars found seemed to indicate that that time was prosperous. That city was blotted out about 107 B.C. by one of the Maccabean kings. Miss D. A. E. Garrod and Mr. TurvillePetro described the work carried out at the Caves of Athlit and the finding of what is hoped may be the complete skeleton of a child buried 30,000 years ago