{"id":20671,"date":"2009-03-04T21:45:00","date_gmt":"2009-03-05T03:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=20671"},"modified":"2025-09-04T15:13:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-04T20:13:16","slug":"the-historical-accuracy-of-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-historical-accuracy-of-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"The Historical Accuracy of the Bible (Sasser)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

by Jim Sasser<\/p>\n

\"\"To be divinely inspired, a book must be historically accurate. \u00a0For if its credibility cannot be established on the basis of known events, it certainly cannot be relied upon as an adequate guide in matters beyond our ability to check. \u00a0On the other hand, if we can demonstrate that such a book is correct in historical matters, to an extent unknown among human writings, then we have strong evidence that the authors were inspired by God. \u00a0In this lesson, we shall learn that this is true of the Bible.<\/p>\n

Down through the centuries, enemies of the Bible have attacked its historical accuracy. \u00a0Time after time, the Scriptures have been thus questioned, only later to be shown correctly by archaeology. \u00a0Archaeology is a study of relics, monuments, tombs, artifacts, etc., of ancient civilizations. \u00a0Peoples and events, known before only in Biblical accounts, have been brought to light by the excavations of ancient cities. Always, the Bible has been proven right. \u00a0Let us consider a few of the cases of such findings:<\/p>\n

Grapes In Egypt<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\"\"In Genesis 40 we are told how Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s butler. \u00a0In this dream, grapes are mentioned. \u00a0But the ancient historian, Herodotus, states that the Egyptians grew no grapes and drank no wine, and many therefore questioned the accuracy of the biblical account. \u00a0However, paintings discovered on the ancient Egyptian tombs, show the dressing, pruning, and cultivating of the vines, and also the process of extracting the juice of grapes, as well as scenes of drunkenness. There can be little doubt then that Herodotus was wrong and the Bible right.\n

The Bricks Of Pithom<\/strong>:<\/h3>\nIn Exodus 1:11, we are told that the children of Israel built the treasure cities of Pithom and Raamses for Pharaoh. \u00a0In Exodus 5, we are informed that they made bricks first using straw, and then using stubble because no straw was furnished for that purpose. \u00a0In 1883, Naville, and in 1908, Kyle, found at Pithom, one of the cities built by Israel, that the lower courses were built of bricks filled with good, chopped straw. \u00a0The middle courses have less straw including stubble. \u00a0The upper courses were made of pure clay, with no straw whatever. \u00a0It is difficult to read the biblical account and not be astonished at the amazing confirmation which archaeology here has given to the Bible.\n

The Hittites<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\"\"Forty-eight times in the Scriptures, a people called the Hittites are mentioned. \u00a0We find them blocking Israel’s path as it sought to enter the promised land. \u00a0We read of Uriah, the Hittite, whom David sent to his untimely death. However, in all the records of antiquity, not a reference to those people was to be found, and therefore, the skeptics attributed them to the imagination and fiction. \u00a0In 1876, George Smith began a study of monuments at a place called Djerabis in Asia Minor. \u00a0This city proved out to be old Carchemish, the capital of the ancient Hatti. \u00a0We now know that the Hatti were the Hittites of the Bible, who, according to Prof. A.H. Sayce, “contended on equal terms with both Egypt and Assyria.” \u00a0The Hittites not only proved to be real people, but their empire was shown to be one of the great ones of ancient times.\n

Sargon<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\"\"In Isaiah 20:1, we read, “In the year that Tartan came unto Ashdod, (when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him)…<\/em>” This is the only mention of King Sargon in the Bible, and the only one in ancient literature. \u00a0His place in history was severely questioned on this account. \u00a0But in the years, 1842-1845, P.E. Botta, uncovered the tremendous royal palace of Sargon. \u00a0Among the other things discovered was an account of the siege of Ashdod mentioned in Isaiah. \u00a0Once more the Bible was right, the critics wrong.\n

The Flood<\/strong>:<\/h3>\nGenesis 7 and 8 tell us of the destruction of the world by a great flood. \u00a0To many, the story of the flood is actually a recording of ancient myths. \u00a0However, we have much evidence outside the Bible to show that the flood was a reality and that the Bible is true. \u00a0Notice the flood traditions of ancient peoples. One scholar lists 88 different traditional accounts. \u00a0Almost all of these agree that there was a universal destruction of the human race and all living creatures by a flood. \u00a0Almost all agree that an ark or a boat was the means of escape. \u00a0Almost all are in accord in saying that a seed of mankind was left to perpetuate the race. \u00a0Many add that the wickedness of man brought about the flood. \u00a0Some even mention Noe. \u00a0Several speak of the dove and the raven, and some discuss a sacrifice offered by those who were saved. \u00a0To anyone familiar with the biblical account, the similarity is astounding. \u00a0The universality of this tradition is such as to establish that the biblical flood was not a figment of someone’s imagination.\n

In 1872, George Smith, discovered the now-famous Babylonian flood tablets. \u00a0In these, a certain person was told to build an ark or ship and to take into it the seed of all creatures. He was given the exact measurements and was instructed to use pitch in sealing it. \u00a0He took his family into the boat with food. \u00a0There was a terrible storm which lasted six days. \u00a0They landed on Mt. Nazir. \u00a0He sent out a dove. \u00a0It came back. \u00a0He sent out a swallow. \u00a0It came back. \u00a0He sent out a raven and it flew back and forth over the earth. \u00a0When these people were safely out of the boat, they offered sacrifice to the gods. \u00a0The account differs from the Bible in some particulars but is so much in agreement with the Scriptures as to make one wonder how the historical nature of the flood could be questioned.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, archaeology has found positive evidence of a great flood in some ancient cities. \u00a0At Susa, a solid deposit of earth five feet thick was found between two distinct civilizations. \u00a0The nature of the deposit establishes beyond doubt that Susa was completely destroyed by a flood that was not merely local. \u00a0At Ur, the ancient home of Abraham, a similar deposit of water laid clay eight feet thick was found. \u00a0This deposit clearly shows that Ur was destroyed by a flood of such proportions that is must have been a vast flood such as the one of the Bible. \u00a0Further evidence could be presented, but this should be sufficient to demonstrate that the Biblical flood was a reality.<\/p>\n

Jericho<\/strong>:<\/h3>\nJoshua 6, tells how Israel conquered the walled city of Jericho. For six days they marched once around the city. \u00a0On the seventh day, they went around it seven times. The priests blew their trumpets, the people shouted, and when they did, “The wall fell down flat<\/em>” (Joshua 6:20). The people then rushed straightway into the city and burned it. \u00a0They took none of it to themselves. \u00a0They saved Rahab who lived in a house upon the wall and who had helped them previously.\n

Starting in 1929, Dr. John Garstang, excavated the ruins of ancient Jericho. \u00a0His discoveries corresponded remarkably with the Biblical account. \u00a0Jericho, he found, had a double wall, with houses built across the two walls. \u00a0This explains how Rahab’s house could have been built upon a wall. \u00a0He learned that the wall was destroyed by some kind of violent convulsion such as that described in the Bible and that when the wall fell that it fell outward, down the hillside, or as the Bible says, it fell down flat. \u00a0Had the wall been destroyed by the battering rams of an enemy army, the walls would have fallen inward instead of outward. Furthermore, the city had been burned. \u00a0Once again, the spade of archaeology has established the accuracy of the Bible.<\/p>\n

Sergius Paulus, The Proconsul<\/strong>:<\/h3>\n\"\"In Acts 13:7, mention is made of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Cyprus. \u00a0For a long time, skeptics contended that Luke should have called him propraetor instead of proconsul since this was the usual title. However, coins discovered on Cyprus, have positively established that the governors of Cyprus were proconsuls. \u00a0One such coin found at Soli on Cyprus bears the inscription, “Paulus the Proconsul”, very possibly referring to the very man mentioned in Acts.\n

Confirmation By Non-Biblical Writers<\/strong>:<\/h3>\nSome Biblical accounts have been substantiated by non-Biblical writers. For example, the Jewish historian Josephus has said many things concerning facts in the Bible. \u00a0For example: in Matthew 14:3,4, we are told that Herod put John the Baptist to death for the sake of Herodias, his brother \u00a0Philip’s wife, because John had informed Herod that it wasn’t lawful for him to have her as his wife. \u00a0Josephus tells us why it was unlawful. \u00a0Herodias had originally been married to Herod’s brother, Philip. But she divorced Philip and married Herod. \u00a0this unlawful marriage was the occasion of John’s rebuke. \u00a0The account of Josephus and the Bible are in perfect accord.\n

Apparent Inconsistencies<\/strong>:<\/h3>\nApparent inconsistencies fade away whenever the Bible is studied with an open mind. An example is found in regard to the ruling family of Palestine In Matthew 2:1, we read of “Herod the King<\/em>” who was reigning when Jesus was born. Matthew 2:19 records his death. \u00a0Yet in Acts 12:1-2, we read once more of “Herod the King<\/em>” putting James to death. \u00a0How could he do this if he were already dead? \u00a0Does the Bible contradict itself? \u00a0Josephus, an unbeliever in Christ, explains the difficulty by showing that Herod of Acts 12, was actually the grandson of the Herod mentioned in Matthew 2. The Bible agrees perfectly with the facts.\n

Again, Luke 2:1, mentions “Caesar Augustus<\/em>” as the ruling monarch of the Roman Empire. \u00a0In Luke 3:1, we are told that John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. This shows that Augustus was no longer on the throne. \u00a0Still later in Acts 25:21, we find Paul appealing his arrest to Augustus. \u00a0A superficial reading might lead us to suppose that the Bible contradicts itself. But on close examination, with other known facts, we find that the emperor at that time was Nero, whose full name was Caesar Augustus Nero. \u00a0Of this Albert Barnes says, “The reigning emperor at this time was Nero. The name Augustus properly denotes that which is venerable, or worthy of honour and reverence. It was first applied to Caesar Octavianus, who was the Roman emperor in the time when our Saviour was born, and who is usually called Augustus Caesar. But the title continued to be used of his successors in office, as denoting the veneration or reverence which was due to the rank of emperor.”<\/p>\n

The attacks upon the credibility of the Bible have served to make stronger, not weaker, the conviction of every lover of the true Word of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Jim Sasser To be divinely inspired, a book must be historically accurate. \u00a0For if its credibility cannot be established on the basis of known events, it certainly cannot be relied upon as an adequate guide in matters beyond our ability to check. \u00a0On the other hand, if we can demonstrate that such a book…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[568,219,279],"class_list":["post-20671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-bible","tag-history"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36504,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-it-really-matter-about-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":20671,"position":0},"title":"Does It Really Matter About the Bible?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant Sometimes in talking with people, I ask if they believe the Bible is true. I then give three options: It is inspired by God, and all true; It is just a collection of writings by men through the centuries; or The original writings were God-inspired, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55078,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/babylon-clay-tablet-confirms-jeremiah\/","url_meta":{"origin":20671,"position":1},"title":"Babylon Clay Tablet Confirms Jeremiah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 9, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ben M. Shropshire via Lifeline, 7\/15\/00 The recent discovery of a cuneiform clay tablet by an Austrian scholar at the site of ancient Babylon confirms the historical accuracy of the book of Jeremiah. The recently deciphered tablet, which dates from 595 BC, refers to an official in the court\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/10\/Babylon-Clay-Tablet.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20669,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-really-appreciate-the-historical-accuracy-of-the-bible-article\/","url_meta":{"origin":20671,"position":2},"title":"I really appreciate “The Historical Accuracy of the Bible” article","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 30, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I just want to say that I really appreciate \"The Historical Accuracy of the Bible\" link you have up. Answer: Glad to be of service.","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95274,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-versus-other-religious-writings\/","url_meta":{"origin":20671,"position":3},"title":"Bible versus Other Religious Writings","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton There are two ways to test the validity of a book's claims about itself. There is the external test, which considers the historical accuracy and archeological evidence in its favor.\u00a0Then there is the internal test, which considers prophetic accuracy, unity, harmony, and unusual marks of foreknowledge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17566,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/thank-for-the-refutation-on-dan-billingslys-teachings-and-the-information-on-the-historical-accuracy-of-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":20671,"position":4},"title":"Thank for the refutation on Dan Billingsly’s teachings and the information on the historical accuracy of the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I came across your site twice in two days. Once when I was looking for\u00a0refutations to the teachings by Dan Billingsly\u00a0and now when I was looking for information on the\u00a0historical accuracy of the Bible. Thanks for the help. I also came across a reference to\u00a0the Mesha Stele in Wikipedia\u00a0that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94314,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/mistakes-in-the-bible\/","url_meta":{"origin":20671,"position":5},"title":"Mistakes in the Bible","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Allen Dvorak \"Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem\" (II Kings 8:26). \"Ahaziah was forty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem\" (II Chronicles 22:2). Bible critics love to point to such numerical discrepancies\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20671"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20671\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}