Knowledge Library

Biblical Archaeology

What the ground has turned up, and what it can honestly show.

Scripture first

Joshua 4:6-7 · Luke 3:1-2

Israel was told to set up stones so children would ask what they meant, and Luke dates his account by named rulers in named provinces. Scripture is not embarrassed to be checkable.

What this shelf holds

  • Excavated cities, inscriptions, seals, ostraca and coins that touch the people, places and events the Bible names.
  • Primary artefacts such as the Mesha Stele, the Tel Dan Stele, the Sennacherib Prism, the Cyrus Cylinder and the Pilate Stone.

How to use it

  • Say what the object is, where it was found and what it names, before saying what it supports.
  • Distinguish confirmation of a person or a place from confirmation of a claim about God.

What this cannot settle

Archaeology can show that a king reigned or a wall fell. It cannot show why. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, and neither is a match a proof.

Search biblical archaeology

This searches only what sits on this shelf: its reference works and its entries. Leave the field empty to see everything it holds.

Try , , , , , , ,

4 entries on these shelves

Reference works

Each of these is named so you can open it and check us. Each carries what it is good for and what it cannot decide.

Every entry below is labelled with the kind of evidence it is, so a lexicon is never mistaken for the text and a commentary is never mistaken for a conclusion Scripture has drawn.

  • Inscriptions that touch the biblical record

    Archaeological evidenceSupports the text, never settles it · Various: the Mesha Stele, the Sennacherib Prism, the Tel Dan Stele, the Cyrus Cylinder, the Pilate Stone, Ninth century before Christ onward · Primary source

    Ancient texts and objects naming kings, cities and officials the Bible also names.

    Use forAnchoring a biblical name or event in evidence outside the Bible.

    CautionEach inscription is one side's account, written to honour a king. An artefact can confirm that a person or a campaign existed. It cannot confirm what God was doing.

  • Archaeology and the Bible

    Archaeological evidenceSupports the text, never settles it · George A. Barton, 1916 · Public domain

    Early translations of Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Canaanite texts alongside biblical passages.

    Use forReading the inscriptions and treaties that stand behind Old Testament language.

    CautionA century of excavation has revised much of it. Treat any specific dating here as superseded unless a current source confirms it.

  • Antiquities of the Jews and The Wars of the Jews

    Historical and cultural backgroundSupports the text, never settles it · Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston, First century, translation 1737 · Primary source

    Jewish history from creation to the fall of Jerusalem, by a participant in the war.

    Use forNamed rulers, buildings, movements and events that touch the biblical record.

    CautionJosephus writes for Roman patrons and for his own reputation. He inflates numbers, flatters where it serves him, and is not an inspired witness.

Back to Scripture

The order of authority

Scripture · Biblical cross references · Original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek · Historical, cultural, geographical and archaeological background · Trusted biblical reference works · Explanation and application

Read how Audela weighs each rung

The Sunday Study

One deep study, every week.

Verse-by-verse teaching with historical context, and a prayer to close. Nothing else in the email.