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

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  (#3) Jesus Christ

  • Notable Figure

  Many people claimed to discover physical evidence of Jesus Christ, like the Shroud of Turin and pieces of his crucifixion cross. However, in spite of centuries spent searching for physical proof that Jesus existed, the best evidence still comes from textual sources, such as the writings of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus.

  Though the authenticity of Josephus' writing has been called into question in the centuries since his life, he wrote only decades after the death of Jesus, and his texts record that he was a real person. He mentioned:

  Now there was about this time Jesus... when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.

  On top of that, professionals claimed to find the nails that impaled Jesus, his crown of thorns, and other physical evidence of his existence.
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  (#6) James, Brother Of Jesus

  The Apostle James is named the brother of Jesus in the New Testament, and new physical evidence suggests that the two were, in fact, blood relatives. An Israeli collector purchased an ossuary, or a burial box used for bones, in the 1970s, and he noticed an Aramaic inscription. It read, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus."

  The ossuary started a lot of controversy; the Israel Antiquities Authority claimed the final three words were a forgery. But a Jerusalem court found the evidence inconclusive. 
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  (#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.
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  (#8) Noah

  • Prophet

  Dozens of scholars claimed that they found Noah's Ark. A boat-shaped object on Mount Judi, a slab of wood on Mount Ararat, and even Marco Polo's claim of a boat found on a mountain have all been linked with Noah's story. Biologist Todd Wood pointed out a major problem with finding physical proof of Noah's Ark, though. He noted: 

  It would have been prime timber after the flood... If you just got off the ark, and there's no trees, what are you going to build your house out of? You've got a huge boat made of wood, so let's use that.

  Wood argued that the ark was scavenged for building materials, meaning it can't ever be found. Still, at least one person insisted that he found Noah's Ark on Google Maps.
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  (#1) Biblical Plagues

  Some skeptics doubt that Moses called up the 10 Egyptian plagues to free the Israelites from slavery. However, scientists believe they can provide explanations for the devastating plagues, which coincide with when the Bible claims Moses and the Israelites left Egypt. 

  Studies show that a dry period caused the Nile River to turn muddy, and a fresh water algae may have given the water a red appearance. This would explain the first plague that turned the Nile water into blood. The frogs, lice, and flies (plagues two, three, and four) followed the river's algae bloom. And diseases like malaria, brought by the insects, could have caused the death of cattle and human boils (plagues five and six). Finally, the eruption of a volcano on Santorini, 400 miles away, spewed ash and hail into the air, which may explain the fiery hail, locusts, and darkness of plagues seven, eight, and nine.
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  (#9) Pontius Pilate

  • Person Or Being In Fiction

  In the New Testament, Judea governor Pontius Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. But until 1961, there was no physical evidence that Pilate existed. In fact, although he was mentioned in multiple texts, none of his administrative records or letters to Rome survived. That is, until the discovery of the Pilate stone. 

  The stone, excavated at the Caesarea Maritima seaport, clearly shows Pontius Pilate's name. The inscription reads, “Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judaea, has made this Tiberieum and dedicated it to the Augustan gods.” The Pilate stone proves that an important person from the Gospels really did exist.

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