Abrahams Exodus from Egypt - Essay Example

There is no archaeological evidence of Abraham’s exodus from Egypt.

Efron, Weitzman, & Lehmann (58) report archaeological evidence to support that indeed David killed Goliath. A piece of pottery was discovered in early 2008 at a site where one of the cities of Israel was located southwest of Jerusalem and evidence from the writings found on the pottery indicates that David killed Goliath. The Assyrian conquest of Israel and Judah can equally be termed as a real historical event according to evidence from a clay prism that is currently displayed at the Oriental Institute Museum of Chicago. The prism gives an account of Sennacherib's invasion of Judah and confirms a similar account given in second Kings 18:13-15. On the prism, King Sennacherib accounts how King Hezekiah, fearing his greatness, sent him gold, silver, precious stones, ivory, and even women from his palace. This archaeological evidence is proof that indeed the Assyrians attacked Israel and Judah.

Question 2

The main reason why scholars question the divine origins of the bible is the fact that its content does not reflect the events and attitudes of the periods they purport to describe (Efron, Weitzman, & Lehmann 61). Scholars point to the various events described in the bible which do not go in hand with the archaeological evidence been discovered. Scholars stress the need to support the biblical text with an independent source. The text in Genesis, for instance, has not been supported by archaeological discoveries that indicate that the events in the book could have happened later. Archaeological evidence has further indicated that David and Solomon could have been minor rulers who ruled around Jerusalem rather than the whole of Israel as it is described in the bible.

Early Israel was an oral society. Religious leaders taught through word of mouth. However, with the introduction and spread of Hebrew writing, this changed. According to scholars, the bible originated around this period. Democratization of the written word in ancient Israel made the bible gain religious authority. According to these scholars, therefore, the bible originated from a cultural shift in ancient Israel’s society. Archaeological evidence has shown that the bible could not have been written earlier than the 10th century B.C. This is because scholars believe that writing in ancient Israel started around this time.