Random Event And Individual In Bible We Have Physical Evidence Of (17 items)

• 

  (#13) Mary Magdalene

  • Person

  Is the skeleton in southern France proof that Mary Magdalene fled Israel after the death of Jesus, maybe even with Jesus's children? For centuries, the Church of Saint-Maximin claimed to have the body of Mary Magdalene. And recently scientists reconstructed the skeleton's face, determining that the woman died around the age of 50 and was of Mediterranean descent. 

  The skeleton cannot definitively be tied to Mary Magdalene without more testing, but so far, all the physical proof suggests that it could be the body of Jesus's closest female follower.
• 

  (#2) Tower Of Babel

  According to the Book of Genesis, the Tower of Babel was built by Noah's descendants who survived the Great Flood. They shared a common language and settled in Babylonia. But soon they strayed from God and built a great tower, which became a symbol of their pride. They said: 

  Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:4).

  An angry God struck down the people and scattered them, confusing their language so they could no longer speak with each other.

  Due to the location and description of the tower, many argue that it may be one of the nearly thirty ziggurats discovered in ancient Babylonia. While there is not yet evidence linking the story with a specific ziggurat, physical proof may eventually connect Babel with Etemenanki, a true ziggurat in Babylon.
• 

  (#12) Herod the Great

  • Notable Figure

  In the New Testament, Herod ordered the slaughter of all the male children under the age of two in the city of Bethlehem. His attempt to assassinate Jesus Christ as a baby failed, but a recent archeological discovery sheds more light on Herod the Great. In 2007, a team from Hebrew University found Herod's tomb, identified by a rectangular monumental building containing the grave in front of a broad, open area.

  Historian Flavius Josephus described Herod's funeral procession, and the site matches those contemporary descriptions.
• 

  (#7) Isaiah

  During an archeological excavation in Jerusalem, experts found physical proof of the prophet Isaiah. In the Old Testament, Isaiah helped protect the Kingdom of Judah from an Assyrian invasion.

  The proof is a small clay seal that dates back to the eighth century BCE, when Isaiah lived. It contains the name "Yesha‘yahu,” or Isaiah in Hebrew, followed by a broken word starting with "Nvy–," which experts believe may be the Hebrew word for prophet. Hebrew University archeologist Dr. Mazar said: "We appear to have discovered a seal impression, which may have belonged to the prophet Isaiah."

  If so, it is one of the oldest pieces of physical proof for a person mentioned in the Bible.
• 

  (#5) King David

  For years, scholars doubted whether King David really existed. According to the Bible, King David was one of three kings who ruled over a united Israel around the year 1000 BCE. As a boy, he single-handedly slayed Goliath, and as a man he ruled as king. But until 1993, there was no physical evidence to prove David was a real person. 

  A piece of inscribed statue, known as the Tel Dan Stele, was discovered during an archeological dig. It was used as scrap building material for another structure years and years ago. However, the small artifact had a small inscription carved into the basalt. It mentions the "house of David." While the Tel Dan Stele doesn't provide much information about David, it does confirm that his dynasty ruled 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus. 
• 

  (#14) Solomon

  • Notable Figure

  In the 10th century BCE, King Solomon ordered his people to build a wall. A recent archeological excavation in the city of Jerusalem found evidence of the wall, which is 230 feet long and 20 feet tall. This evidence confirms a biblical passage that says Solomon built a defensive wall in Jerusalem when he was in power.

  Ceramics found near the wall confirmed that it dates to the second half of the 10th century, exactly when the Bible says Solomon ruled. 

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking