Show Records ds of Bible Confirmed Scientific Research Aided by Spades of Explorers Afford Afford Af Af- ford Positive Proof of Truth of Events Chronicled in Sacred Sacre Writings A. A B B. B COOPER In the London Eng Enc En Magazine Answers The essential truth of the Bible Is not dependent upon the accuracy of Its history and there are many passages pas pas- passages sages In the Sacred Writings which must be Interpreted In n a symbolic ra rather ther than n a literal sense sense It H Is r however how Old Testament history after being labeled as ns legendary or at nt best exaggerated has hns recently been C confirmed con confirmed con con- n. n firmed as a result of or Independent re re- search For tor Instance a n little while ago ngo destructive critics simply laughed at nt atthe atthe the story of the Flood and at nt such Incidents as the crossing of ot Jordan dr shod and the time collapse of the walls of Jericho But ut today excavations on ancient sites In Palestine Egypt Mesopotamia and elsewhere have vindicated the Bible narrative completely completely com com- even on the points most seriously seri serl challenged To take tale an example It used to be urged that Abraham must have been merely a n nomad quite unlettered and utterly Incapable of the acts and words and vision attributed to him We now know from discoveries attin nt at Ur tin 0 of the that as ns a youth In ID that city he was n a member of n a community enjoying a high degree deree of civilization The land of or Ur Or had great c cities tIes settled laws n a state religion re re- religion ligion n a thriving commerce schools and monasteries and libraries Springing as ns he lie did from Crom an nn Influential In In- family Abraham would partake partake par par- take of the culture and learning of Ur In short the circumstances of place and time as we now know them are not opposed to the Bible narrative But let us see what mo modern ern methods methods meth meth- of Investigation have revealed about specific Incidents Take the Flood upon which so much scorn has been cast During the winter of 9 1028 the excavators of or Ur In Babylonia came upon n a stratum of i I alluvial deposit which made a clear break In the time succession of ot occupying In that site They came cameto cameto cameto to the time conclusion that It could only be explained by Jy a n flood Hood of great extent cx ex tent and duration occurring about B. B C. C or earlier So quite apart from the account Ii In Genesis and the one on the Babylonian Baby Baby- Ionian lonian tablets In the British museum it would appear that the account of ofa a great grent flood which destroyed cities and people over a 0 vast re region lon Is not legend but history The Time very existence of ot Sodom and Gomorrah which the Bible tells us were destroyed In Abrahams Abraham's time has hns been doubted bugled yet et only lust last year nn an an airman flying Ing over the Dead sea saw through the crystalline water what appeared to he be extensive ruins l' l Further urther Investigation Is to be made But nut other ruins have been found covered with ashes In the neighborhood neighborhood neighbor neighbor- hood of the Dead sea We learn IcarD from the Bible Dible that Lot I Abrahams Abraham's nephew chose the valley I of Sodom odom because of or Its extreme Ceri fer fer- i Today oday there Is perhaps no nomore nomore nomore more desolate region What happened ned to It In the heavily heavily ily lIy bituminous soil soli there probably occurred one of ot those terrible explosions explosions ex ex- and conflagrations which have been noted In the similar geological geological geological geo geo- logical formations of ot the oil districts of North America In such soil soli vas vast t reservoirs of at oil on and accumulations of or gas occur These ma may suddenly be released either by their own pressure or by earthquake The gas explodes on and flings s up masses of oil which return In n a fiery flery rain which will go on blazing even en when It falls on water Saline mud may also be ejected and these those things combined render n a fertile land utterly barren barreD Such a n phenomenon would account for Cor all the statements In the time graphic Bible narrative Now turn to Joshua 17 In the Revised Version In which Is related how v Israel crossed the Jordan dry- dry shod Moffatt translates The waters waters wa wn that flow down stopped and antI were dammed up at nt a n distance nt at Adam while the waters that flow v to the Salt sea were cut off oft and failed Adam was as n a city 14 11 miles mules upstream Here there Is a ford tord now known as os ed ed and during the earthquake period of 19 1027 7 1 the west bank of this ford collapsed and part of the cliff so dammed the Jordan ti that taint at no water flowed flo down Its bed bedfor bedfor bedfor for 21 1 hours I IOn IOn On three occasions during comparatively comparatively com com- ely parati recent times n a similar result re re- re suit sult has ensued from great falls fails of ol rock and earth It seems likely t that some similar event took place when Israel crossed the river on their way to Jericho There followed Immediately the much-discussed much and often orten ridiculed collapse of the walls of ot Jericho Professor Garstang who Is still occupied occupied oc oc- oc on this site says There remaIns remains remains re re- re- re mains no DO doubt that the walls of or the city fell outward so completely that the attackers were svere able to clamber up and over the ruins Into the city lIe He sug suggests an earthquake e as the possible cause and earthquakes have occurred In this region relon recently Readers of the Bible know that although the Israelites had large initial successes In their Invasion of Canaan they failed to subjugate the whole land and ontI the city which was later known as Jerusalem held out until the time of David It was exceedingly small compared with the modern city occupying the summit summit sum sum- mit of n a great r nt rock called d Ophel the area being not more than some ten acres When David Invested In It the inhabitants In Inhabitants habitants felt so secure that they said the blind and lame could hold it against him David said snit Whosoever Whosoever Who the let him go gt gup up the watercourse A A. A V. V gut gutter gutter ter It used to be understood thus Whoever smites the let him hurl into the watercourse I. I e. e down the precipice the lame and blind Then excavation takes place anc and makes the tIle whole thing simple Warrens Warrens War IVar rens ren's shaft named after the time excavator excavator vator who discovered It provided the key to the city This shaft had been constructed to form a n safe sheltered way down downto to the Virgins Well IVell from which water was drawn during a siege So what David said In effect was this What we have to do Is to climb Into the city by way of the water shaft The appearance of Joab and his bis companions took tool the garrison c con cony om- om by surprise the tho city fell fen and became the nucleus of or Jerusalem the City of David These examples suffice to show how notably the Bible narrative Is being confirmed by records long lone Wd hid In the depths of the earth and now being revealed b by modern research |