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Archaeological finds in the Holy Land support Bible’s historical records

A report published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) collected the evidence throughout a decade of excavations in the Holy Land.

The report is a partnership project of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science based on the findings of the City of David National Park.

The study involves over a hundred radiocarbon dates collected from four different excavation sites. Scientists were exploring organic sources such as grape seeds, date pits, and bat skeletons. The discoveries allow them to associate scientific records with events described in the Bible. 

Professor Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University stated: “The new research allows us to study the development of the city. Until now, most researchers have linked Jerusalem’s growth to the West to the period of King Hezekiah – just over 2,700 years ago. The conventional assumption to date has been that the city expanded due to the arrival of refugees from the Kingdom of Israel in the north following the Assyrian exile. However, the new findings strengthen the view that Jerusalem grew in size and spread towards Mount Zion already in the 9th century BCE, during the reign of King Jehoash, a hundred years before the Assyrian exile.”
 

Utilising carbon dating techniques that use antique tree rings to create an accurate timeline of dates, scientists achieved a breakthrough in completing the previously called “black holes” in the use of carbon-14 dating. They are able to show the extent of the majestic buildings erected in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE, which were used until 586 BCE when the city was destroyed and the Kingdom of Judah came to an end. 

Doctor Joe Uziel of the Israel Antiquities Authority said: “For decades, it was assumed that this wall was built by Hezekiah, King of Judah, but it is now becoming clear that it dates back to the days of King Uzziah, as hinted at in the Bible: ‘And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem…and strengthened them’ (2 Chronicles 26:9). Until now, many researchers have assumed that the wall was built by Hezekiah during his rebellion against Sennacherib, King of Assyria, in order to defend Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege. It is now apparent that the wall in its eastern part, in the area of the City of David, was built earlier, shortly after the great earthquake of Jerusalem, and as part of the construction of the city during the reign of King Uzziah.”

Scientific projects like this are meant to fill in the gaps in the historical records of Jerusalem’s first four millennia. They provide a more transparent understanding of the Kingdom of Judah and prove that Biblical stories are accurate.

Source: https://www.christiantoday.com/

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