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Show j Records of Bible Confirmed Scientific Research, Aided by Spades of Explorers, Afford Af-ford Positive Proof of Truth of Events Chronicled in Sacred Writings. A. B. COOPER, In the Lendon (Ens ) Magazine, Answers. The essential truth of the Bible Is not dependent upon the accuracy of its history, and there are many pas-I pas-I sages In the Sacred Writings which must be Interpreted In a symbolic rather than a literal sense. It Is remarkable, however, how Old Testament history, after being labeled as "legendary," or, at best, "exaggerated," has recently been confirmed con-firmed as a result of Independent research. re-search. For Instance, a little while ago, destructive critics simply laughed at the story of the Flood, and at such incidents as the crossing of Jordan dryshod and the eollapse of the walls of Jericho. But today excavations on ancient sites in Palestine, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and elsewhere have vindicated the Bible narrative completely, com-pletely, even on 'the points most seriously seri-ously challenged. To take an example, it used to be urged that Abraham must have been merely a nomad, quite unlettered, and utterly incapable of the acts and words and vision attributed to him. We now know, from discoveries at Ur of the Chaldees, that, as a youth in that city, he was a member of a community enjoying a high degree of civilization. The land of Ur had great cities, settled laws, a state religion, re-ligion, a thriving commerce, schools and monasteries and libraries. Springing as he did from an influential in-fluential family, Abraham would partake 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 modern methods meth-ods of Investigation have revealed about specific Incidents. Take the Flood, upon which so much scorn has been cast. During the winter of 1928-9, the excavators of Ur In Babylonia came npon a stratum of alluvial deposit which made a clear break In the succession of civlllza- tions occupying that site. They came to the conclusion that It could only be explained by a flood of great extent ex-tent and duration, occurring about 3000 B. C. or earlier. So, quite apart from the account In Genesis, and the one on the Babylonian Baby-lonian tablets in the British museum. It would appear that the account of a great flood, which destroyed cities and people over a vast region, is not legend but history. The very existence of Sodom and Gomorrah, which the Bible tells ns were destroyed In Abraham's time, has been doubted, yet, only last year, an airman flying over the Dead sea saw through the crystalline water what appeared to be extensive ruins. Further Investigation Is to be made. But other ruins have been found, covered with ashes. In the neighborhood neighbor-hood of the Dead sea. We learn from the Bible that Lot, Abraham's nephew, ehose the valley of Sodom because of Its extreme fertility. fer-tility. Today there Is, perhaps, no more desolate region. What happened to It? In the heavily heav-ily bituminous soil there probably occurred one of those terrible explosions ex-plosions and conflagrations which have been noted In the similar geological geo-logical formations of the oil districts of North America. In such soil vast reservoirs of oil and accumulations of gas eecur. These may suddenly be released either by their own pressure or by earthquake. The gas explodes and flings up masses of oil which return in a fiery rain which will go on blazing even when It falls on water. Saline mud may also be ejected, and these things combined render a fertile land utterly barren. Such a phenomenon would account for all the statements in the graphic Bible narrative. Now turn to Joshua 3:14-17 In the Revised Version, in which is related how Israel crossed the Jordan dry-shod. dry-shod. Moffatt translates: "The waters wa-ters that flow down stopped and were dammed up at a distance at Adam, while the waters that flow to the Salt sea were cut off and failed." Adam was a city 14 miles upstream. Here there is a ford now known as Jisr ed-Damleh, and during the earthquake period of 1927 the west bank of this ford collapsed, and part of the cliff so dammed the Jordan that no water flowed down Its bed for 21 hours I On three occasions during comparatively com-paratively recent times a similar result re-sult has ensued from great falls of rock andearth. It seems likely that some similar event took place when Israel crossed the river on their way to Jericho. There followed Immediately the much-discussed and often ridiculed collapse of the walls of Jericho. Professor Garstang, who Is still occupied oc-cupied on this site, says: "There re mains no doubt that the walls of the city fell outward so completely that the attackers were able to clamber up, and over, the ruins Into the city." He suggests an earthquake as the possible cause, and earthquakes have occurred In this region 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 the Jebusite city, which was later known as Jerusalem, held out ontil the time of David. It was exceedingly small compared with the modern city, occupying the summit sum-mit of a great rock called Ophel, the area being not more than some ten acres. When David Invested It, the Inhabitants In-habitants felt so secure that they said the blind and lame could hold It against him. David said: "Whosoever "Who-soever smlteth the Jcbnsites let him go up the watercourse" (A. V. gut ter). It used to be understood thus: Whoever smites the Jebusiles let him hurl Into the watercourse (4. e.. down the precipice) the lame and blind. Then excavation takes place and makes the whole thing simple. "Warren's "War-ren's shaft," named after the excavator exca-vator who discovered It, provided the key to the city. This "shaft" had been constructed to form a safe, sheltered way- down to the "Virgin's Well," from which water was drawn during a siege. So what David said In effect was this: "What we have to do la to climb into the city by way of the water shaft." The appearance f Joab and his companions took the garrison completely com-pletely by surprise, the city fell, and became the nucleus of Jerusalem, the City of David. These examples suffice te show how notably the Bible narrative is being confirmed by records long hid In the depths of the earth and now being revealed by modern research. |