Hans Kristensen: Ten archaeological facts to increase confidence in the Old Testament
02/11/25 • 35 min
There are claims - and you hear them every so often - that archeology has disproved this story or that in the bible, and claims from this or that scholar of particularly late dating of different bible books.
How do we as evangelical pastors react/respond/answer those claims?
Hans Kristensen is senior pastor of Marsfield Community Church in Sydney and is studying ancient archaeology.
He suggests that there are 10 major archaelogical finds that help us to increase our confidence in the Old Testament:
- There’s evidence of a big population jump in Caanan at exactly the time that the bible said that Yahweh was giving Israel the land, called the ‘Hill Country Explosion.’
- The Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah boasts of raiding the land of Caanan, saying it was occupied by Israel.
- In the city of Hazor, archaeologists have found religious idols destroyed and other items intact, just as expected from Joshua 11-12
- The recently discovered altar at Mount Ebal is likely Joshua’s altar (Joshua 8)
- In the Tel Dan inscription we now have archeological evidence for King David’s existence.
- There’s consistent architectural town planning in the cities built around the time of David and Solomon - pointing towards planning and control under one ruler (eg a King).
- There are similarities between what we know of the temple of Solomon and a similar temple built at Ain Dara, about 30 kilometres from Beirut, showing Solomon’s temple fits into the religious and architectural landscape of the time.
- The discovery of six massive chambered gates at Hazor, Meggido and Gezer and other architectural discoveries at those sites corresponds with 1Kings 9:15.
- A ninth century battle account from King Moab of Mersha mirrors the one in 2 Kings 3.
- The Biblical chronology of the listed kings matches almost exactly with archeological evidence.
Reach Australia National Conference
Reach Australia’s National Conference is happening from 19 to 22 May 2025 on the Central Coast of NSW. This year’s theme is URGENT: The Necessary Task of Mission Before Christ Returns. For more info.
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There are claims - and you hear them every so often - that archeology has disproved this story or that in the bible, and claims from this or that scholar of particularly late dating of different bible books.
How do we as evangelical pastors react/respond/answer those claims?
Hans Kristensen is senior pastor of Marsfield Community Church in Sydney and is studying ancient archaeology.
He suggests that there are 10 major archaelogical finds that help us to increase our confidence in the Old Testament:
- There’s evidence of a big population jump in Caanan at exactly the time that the bible said that Yahweh was giving Israel the land, called the ‘Hill Country Explosion.’
- The Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah boasts of raiding the land of Caanan, saying it was occupied by Israel.
- In the city of Hazor, archaeologists have found religious idols destroyed and other items intact, just as expected from Joshua 11-12
- The recently discovered altar at Mount Ebal is likely Joshua’s altar (Joshua 8)
- In the Tel Dan inscription we now have archeological evidence for King David’s existence.
- There’s consistent architectural town planning in the cities built around the time of David and Solomon - pointing towards planning and control under one ruler (eg a King).
- There are similarities between what we know of the temple of Solomon and a similar temple built at Ain Dara, about 30 kilometres from Beirut, showing Solomon’s temple fits into the religious and architectural landscape of the time.
- The discovery of six massive chambered gates at Hazor, Meggido and Gezer and other architectural discoveries at those sites corresponds with 1Kings 9:15.
- A ninth century battle account from King Moab of Mersha mirrors the one in 2 Kings 3.
- The Biblical chronology of the listed kings matches almost exactly with archeological evidence.
Reach Australia National Conference
Reach Australia’s National Conference is happening from 19 to 22 May 2025 on the Central Coast of NSW. This year’s theme is URGENT: The Necessary Task of Mission Before Christ Returns. For more info.
Anglican Aid
Anglican Aid - To find out more about how to support Anglican Aid.
Dominic Steele's preaching at Village
Subscribe to Dominic Steele's weekly sermons from the Village Church website.
--
Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.
Previous Episode
Paul Grimmond: How godliness differs for men and women and how to teach it!
How does godliness play out differently if I am a man, a woman, a young man, a young woman, a husband or a wife?
All Christians are called to live like Christ. Why does the Apostle Paul choose to write about what godliness looks like for the older and younger and for us as men and women, rather than more generally for us as people?
Does our age and sex have implications for the challenges we face in living for Jesus?
Are these things just human constructs or elements of divine gift?
And what implications does this have for how we think about discipleship and our lived experience of complementarian ministry?
Paul Grimmond is a senior lecturer at Sydney’s Moore Theological College. Paul gave the keynote address at the Priscilla and Aquila conference.
Reach Australia National Conference
Reach Australia’s National Conference is happening from 19 to 22 May 2025 on the Central Coast of NSW. This year’s theme is URGENT: The Necessary Task of Mission Before Christ Returns. For more info.
Anglican Aid
Anglican Aid - To find out more about how to support Anglican Aid.
Dominic Steele's preaching at Village
Subscribe to Dominic Steele's weekly sermons from the Village Church website.
--
Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.
Next Episode
Craig Hamilton: Exploding pastoral leadership myths!
What happens when a leader operates without a clear vision. And how poetic or concrete should a vision be?
How to organise things so the overall vision cascades down through every area of church life?
What should our pastoral approach be to innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards and the nos.
Biblical vision and Leadership vision: What is the difference? Why do people mangle Proverbs 29:18?
Plus infusing the church with vision, in a significant moment and especially via drip feed.
Craig Hamilton is senior pastor of Pitt Town Anglican Church and author of ‘Wisdom in Leadership.’
Reach Australia National Conference
Reach Australia’s National Conference is happening from 19 to 22 May 2025 on the Central Coast of NSW. This year’s theme is URGENT: The Necessary Task of Mission Before Christ Returns. For more info.
Anglican Aid
Anglican Aid - To find out more about how to support Anglican Aid.
Dominic Steele's preaching at Village
Subscribe to Dominic Steele's weekly sermons from the Village Church website.
--
Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.
The Pastor's Heart with Dominic Steele - Hans Kristensen: Ten archaeological facts to increase confidence in the Old Testament
Transcript
Thought about that in terms of
Speaker 1it having a that would have a derivative effect of increasing our church podcast audience yeah ,
Speaker 1Well , I mean occasionally , yeah , I mean , and I've actually gone out of my way
Speaker 1not to do self-promotion type stuff
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