Scripture Confirmed.

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19765, 21 December 1935, Page 15 (Supplement)

Scripture Confirmed.

Historic Accuracy : What Research Proves.

(Albert F. Gilmore In Christian Science Monitor)

WITH INCREASING FREQUENCY the Bible is finding its way onto the front page of many a leadins ; newspaper of the world. And the reason is this: The spade of the archaeologist Is -turning up important witnesses of the long past in the form of libraries of clay tablets, potshepds, papyri, and other objects, Inscribed with written records of a civilisation reaching far back Into the shadows of antiquity. Modern scholars are now able to decipher these inscriptions, although often written In characters that have not been in use for thousands of years. The result of all this Is a corroboration of facts recorded in the Bible that is having a tremendous Influence In strengthening faith in the Aoouraoy of The Borlpture Narrative.

And what is even more important, this enhanced faith in the historic accuracy of the Bible is generally increasing faith in its spiritual message. When new discoveries are made, items are of almost daily occurrence in the press, telling of the discoveries. Now it is ancient Babylonia, again it is Lachish, a city of southern Palestine, which gives up its long-burled secrets. On the potsherds found near Lachish are inscriptions written In Ink in the Hebrew language, dealing with events of the time of Jeremiah; and it is believed thfrt, when finally translated they will shed much light upon that important period of Jewish history. Lachish is mentioned many times in tho Bible narrative, its history extending over a long period, from the joining of the ‘City in a coalition carried on by the King of Jerusalem against the Gibeonites (Joshua 10). The campaign carried on by Sennacherib against Lachish is commemorated by a sculpture from Nineveh, now deposited in the British Museum.

The disoovery at Tel el-Amarna, in Egypt, nearly 40 years ago, of tablets inscribed In cuneiform characters, gave the first great impetus to, or at least an intensified interest in, modern archaeology. The Inscriptions on these tablets when translated were found to be messages written by kings of Syria and Palestine to the Pharaohs of that period,. 1400-1360, B.C. Ten years later at Boghazkeui, Asia Minor, were found other tablets, which remained untranslated until after the Great War. These inscriptions, it is found, refer to tho Hlttitcs of the Old Testament, and tell of Abraham’s

Purchase of The Cave of Machpolah.

Also they recite the inveighing of Ezekiel against the wickedness of Jerusalem, when that robust prophet reminded the people that their Holy City was founded by heathen Amorites and Hittltes. Thus is established the fact that these tribes inhabited territory In the south of Palestine.

Sir Flinders Petrie lias added much to our knowledge of the past through his untiring labours during half a century. Amid the ruins of a Semitic temple on a mountain in the Slnaitic Peninsula, lie discovered the earliest alphabetical writing yet known. These Inscriptions have been assigned to a period between 1850-1800 B.C. Of even greater importance is a discovery made a few years ago at. Has Shamra, on ttie coast of Northern Syria. Amid the ruins of an ancient temple was found a library of clay tablets written in cuneiform characters,’ some in Sumerian, others in Hie Babylonian conventional form. Also, oilier tablets were written in a then unknown language, of 27 characters, as compared with the numerous literal combinations o"f the older Babylonian methods. One of llie most Important discoveries of

recent years was made by Professor Garstang in the ruins of Jericho. There researches carried on for a period of years have quite definitely fixed the date of the entrance of the Israelites into the Promised Land, as it is established with a degree of certainty that the City Was Overthrown By An Earthquake at a date near 1400 B.C. Sir Charles Matston points out that since earthquakes are recorded in the .Bible (Judges 5.4 and Psalm 114), it is not improbable that the Divine Power may have used this instrumentality to destroy the walls of a heathen city. Be that as it may, it is a fact that the walls fell; and now modern research has fixed the date with reasonable accuracy. Professor Garstang has uncovered proof of the accuracy of many accounts In the Bible Incidents In the conquest of Canaan by Joshua. But much more than this has been accomplished. In Mesopotamia, for example, proof has been uncovered that during a flood the Euphrates Inundated its valley some 5000 years ago. Thus the Bible story of Noah and his adventures receives corroboration.

The Palestine Exploration Fund, an English institution operating in Jerusalem and other sections of the Near East, has done much. The universities of Chicago, Pennsylvania, Harvard, Oxford, and others in America and Europe, are still carrying forward the exploration of many localities, which premise returns In uncovering the facts regarding Important events which occurred in the long ago. The purpose of this enterprise is primarily to learn of ancient peoples, and especially to gain knowledge of the race out of which came the Bible and the development of two forms of worship, the Jewish Religion and Christianity.

Whatever sheds light upon the early history of these important world movements not only satisfies the scholar in his search for historic but it strengthens the faith of the countless followers who have sought the way of life through these teachings. The rapidity with wTiich new discoveries are made is almost startling. Quite recently, the press of the world was telling of the finding of a second-century manuscript—to be sure, only a fragment—apparently of a Gospel similar to the Fourth; perhaps of a Fifth. It was written on papyrus in the Greek language. It was found in Egypt and now reposes In the British Museum, where competent scholars are deciphering it. If it proves to he what it was at first believed, it is the oldest extant manuscript of any portion of the Bible.

Only a few years ago, that veteran archaeologist, Sir Flinders Petrie, found in Egypt, on the site of an early Christian church, rolled up and posited in an earthern jar, a manuscript of the Fourth Gospel written in Coptic. It, lias now been translated and published in book form. While it varies somewhat in form of expression from the earliest Greek manuscripts from which our present 'Bible was translated, in its fundamental statements there is no substantial disagreement. In fact, an important result of the discovery in modern times of many manuscripts lias been the substantial

Corroboration of tho Accepted Facts of llie New Testament, as they appear in the Authorised Version. While, to he sure, much light lias been thrown on various passages by modern scholarship; the essential teachings have stood the test without loss of prestige.