Did you ever wonder how many of the Bible events really happened and how much is simply myth. "The Bible As History" examines the entire story of the Bible - both Old and New Testament regarding documented proof of the historical events. Archeologists from all over the world have been compiling evidence for over 200 years. Along with the discovery of the ruins of entire villages, temples and chapels, symbols of false gods, palaces, libraries, fortresses, and walls, canals and irrigation systems, there is evidence of earthquakes at Sodom and Gomorrah. and proof that floods occurred in many Biblical locations. There are 80,000 ancient works of literature in existence in 22 languages about the floods and ark. Documents have been unearthed written on stones, clay tablets, papyrus, and parchment manuscripts inscribed in a multitude of languages: Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Assyrian Aramaic, Babylonian Akkadian, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. The Egyptians were recording history since the year 3000 BC. The "Dead Sea Scrolls" were written sometime between 30 BC and 70 AD and were just discovered by pure accident in 1947.

Of course, the spiritual interpretation of the content of the Bible is purely based on faith. But amazingly, it has been proven that most of the events of the Bible did occur: the floods, the wars, the battle for the land of Israel, the birth and death of Jesus. There are so many fascinating details explained. There are plausible explanations for why Lot’s wife appeared to turn to a pillar of salt, the source of mana that Moses and his people fed on during the Exodus, and why the walls of Jericho fell so easily. The Queen of Sheba was not just a myth, and there was truly ivory furniture discovered in the house of Ahab. The Archeologists trace the steps of Moses during the Exodus, and Jesus’ last journey to Jerusalem.

One interesting fact is that the “wise men” described as taking part in the story of the birth of Jesus were really Astrology Scholars from the University of Babylon and the stars they may have been following were from a rare brilliant phenomenon of Saturn and Jupiter converging in the constellation of Pisces. People were very superstitious. The Jewish people believed that Saturn was supposed to protect Israel. And Pisces was the “sign of Israel” representing “the west”. In addition Jupiter was considered the lucky “Royal Star” - so the Jewish people interpreted the brilliant astrological display as a sign from God that the Messiah was coming. It is fascinating to know that an event like this happened and all different regions and nationalities recorded it as fact.

While the Bible can be cryptic and sometimes almost impossible to understand, this book gives clear and precise details along with sources, and brings the Bible stories to life. It is a wonderful accompaniment to enhance the Bible reading experience.

New discoveries are still being made every day. There is so much that will never be proven, but each new discovery brings the world closer to understanding the history of our civilization on earth.

Rated 5 Stars August 2022 ( )

A fair and balanced appraisal of the comparison of history (i.e. excavations and discoveries, both physically, linguistically and culturally) against the contents of the Bible. The author and the translator both get credit for bringing to life a) the tension and excitement of the archeological “treasure” hunts for physically historical clues to the realities of life in the fertile crescent over the last 4,000 years; b) the exciting interpretations of both the realities and inferences uncovered by the archeological discoveries. ( )

Though first published in 1955, it has been updated several times to take into account new archaeological discoveries. As such it remains the standard text on biblical investigation.

I liked this the best of the three biblical archaeology books I read this spring, even though it is the oldest.
However, Keller's procedure was to first produce the "good news" for believers in the historical accuracy of the Bible, and then undercut and dismiss it with some "bad news" derived form newer discoveries (or speculations).
This was especially noticeable in Chapter 8 on Joseph, and also Chapter 9 ( )

A standard text on biblical investigation, with descriptions of the excavations, the deciphering of ancient documents, and the informed arguments concerning the reliability of the Bible. New techniques have brought much additional information to light; some theories have been confirmed, others badly shaken.