THE BIBLE AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Session 6

Welcome

REVIEW LAST WEEK

What?

ABRAHAM

ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BIBLICAL RECORD

PART 1

REVIEW

ARCHAEOLOGY AND ABRAHAM

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God

Hebrews 11:8-16

WHO WAS ABRAHAM?

• Father of Isaac and grand-father of Jacob• Claimed by all three monotheistic religions• Was a polytheist until a divine encounter• Had a family• Was very wealthy (i.e. owned camels)• Was called to leave his home• Is central in both Old Testament and New

Testament

WHAT CAN WE KNOW ABOUT ABRAHAM FROM ARCHAEOLOGY?

•No direct archaeological evidence for Abraham•Travel between Ur and Israel was not unusual•Nahor and his tribe (Abraham’s brother) is mentioned in the Cappadocian (19th century BC) and Mari Tablets (18th Century BC)•The name Abram or Abraham is mentioned in various tablets

SIR CHARLES LEONARD WOOLLEY

British Archaeologist 1880-1960

THE CITY OF UR TELL AL-MUQAYYAR

MARI TABLETS

HOME OF ABRAHAM (Abram)

UR

THE DYNASTY OF UR2100-2000 BC

THE WORLD OF ABRAM (Abraham)

(Circa 2000 BC)

Ancient Ziggurat from Ur: the stairway to heaven to worship the moon goddess. Sumerian god and goddess join together around a sacred tree.

ZIGGURAT

PAGANISM OF ABRAM IN UR

Ur of old Babylonia

worshipped the moon god

Stele of Ur-Nammu (ca. 2200 BC), detail (cf. Frankfort) showing the crescent moon.

ABRAHAM’S HOME IN UR

THE RICHES OF UR

ABRAHAM WAS A RICH MAN

• Rich in gold and silver (Gen13:2; 24:35)

• Owned camels

• Acquired property

• Is described as a merchant

• He has much livestock

• He trains an army to rescue Lot

MUSIC AT UR

FLOOD LAYERLEONARD WOOLLEY

UR EXCAVATION

ABRAHAM’S TRAVELS

ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY

QUESTIONS?

Does anyone have any questions about last weeks lesson?

ABRAHAM

ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BIBLICAL RECORD

PART 2

EXPLORING ABRAHAM’S LIFE

• Abraham- ignorant Arab sheik • Abraham the merchant prince • Abraham the warrior• Abraham the trader

VIEWS OF ABRAHAM

CYRUS GORDON

American Near Eastern Scholar 1908-2001

ABRAHAM THE MERCHANT PRINCE

• Finds in Ras Shamra in Syria

• Mentions merchants from Ura

• The City of Ugarit in the Hittite Kingdom

• King of Ugarit complained about the merchants from Ura

• He restricted the trade of the merchants

• Based on Genesis 42:34; 34:10, and 23:16

Where is Ras Shamra?

Ugarit

BIBLICAL VIEW OF ABRAHAM

• He was rich in flocks and herds

• He was influential

• He bought land for his burial

• He traveled extensively

• He was regarded as important by the princes of Pharaoh and Pharaoh's house

• He equipped an army to save Lot

ABRAHAM RESCUES LOT

• Genesis 14 and the coalition of Mesopotamian Kings

• Lot and his family became a captive as a result of this war

• Abraham arms and trains some men to rescue them

• They are successful

HISTORICITY OF GENESIS 14

1. Amraphel King of Shinar

2. Arioch (Arriyuk or Arriwuk)

3. Ellasar (Asshur or Larsa)

4. Chedorlaomer (Kudur-Lagamar)

5. Tidal (Tudkhalia)

MARI

• Mari (Tell Hariri) was discovered in 1933

• Found a large palace which included a library and ziggurat

• Akkadian Cuneiform is the language

• Dates between 2700 B.C. and 1700 B.C.

• Mentions about 500 place names including Hazor (Josh 11:10) and Laish (Judges 18)

MARI TABLET

WHERE IS MARI (Tell Hariri)?

KING YAHDUN-LIM OF MARI

• Reigned around 1820 B.C.

• In a letter left an account of a series of raids into Syria/Palestine

• Needed to enforce submission of local kings

• Fits well into the Genesis 14 narrative

CAVE OF MACHPELAH

• Genesis 23:19• Same as modern day Hebron• Burial place and first plot of land that

Abraham bought in Israel• Bought originally for Sarah but was used

for Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah,Jacob and Joseph.

• Herod the Great built a monument in Hebron

GENESIS 23:19

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre: the same is Hebron in the land of Canaan.

CAVE OF MACHPELAH (HEBRON)

CAVE OF THE PATRIARCHS

THE CAVE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

ABRAHAM’S EFFECT TODAY

• Israel’s independence --1967

• Moshe Dayan, Minister of Defense

• Exploring the mysterious cave

• 700 years since last exploration

• Young 12 year old Michal

• Secrets revealed

• Disappointment…