Archaeological Evidence for the New Testament

The Bible has been seen to be archaeologically accurate and verifiable. Here's just a few of the amazing discoveries that confirm it's authenticity.

## **Evidence for New Testament Characters**

### **Erastus**

In 1928–1929, archaeologists excavating in Corinth uncovered three slabs of hard white limestone1.  with an inscription that read:

“*ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[AT]E S P  STRAVIT*”

Translated into English it reads:

*“[...]erastus,3.  in return for his aedileship, paved (this [road]) at his own expense."*

Some claim this inscription refers to the Erastus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:23.

### **Pontius Pilate**

#### **Pilate Stone**

The Pilate Stone was discovered in 1961 by an Italian expedition team in Caesarea. It is a limestone block that details these words on it.

[*DIS AUGUSTI*]S TIBERIÉUM
[*...PONTI*]US PILATUS
[*...PRAEF*]ECTUS IUDA[*EA*]E
[*...FECIT D*]E[*DICAVIT*]
The English translation (with suggested reconstructions) reads:

*To the Divine Augusti [this] Tiberieum*
*...Pontius Pilate*
*...prefect of Judea*
*...has dedicated [this]*
#### **Pilate's Ring**

In 1969, archaeologist Gideon Foerster unearthed a bunch of ancient jewellery in Herodium. Only in 2018, however, was the ring properly polished and revealed it's inscription to experts.

After being cleaned up, the ring revealed one word:

*ΠΙΛΑΤΟ*
In English:

*PILATO*
It is likely that it was minted during the rule and under the authority of Tiberius Caesar.

### **Sergius Paulus**

#### **Soloi Inscription**

In 1877, a Greek inscription was found in Soloi, Cyprus. The inscription, dating to 54 AD, refers to an event in the year prior, during the time when Roman preconsul Serigus Paulus was in office. Paulus is mentioned in Acts 13 when Paul and Barnabas came to Cyprus for their mission trip. The inscription states:

*Apollonius to his father…consecrated this enclosure and monument according to his family’s wishes…having filled the offices of clerk of the market, prefect, town-clerk, high priest, and having been in charge as manager of the records office.  Erected on the 25th of the month Demarchexusius in the thirteenth year [of the reign of Claudius – 54 AD].  He also altered the senate by means of assessors during the time of proconsul Paulus."*
#### **Sergius Stone**

A stone, discovered near Pisidian Antioch, clearly reads the name *"L[ucius] Sergius Paulus the younger, son of L[ucius]”*

 Some scholars suggest that the person referred to by the inscription may be the son of the elder Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Acts 13

Despite no position of authority is given to the individual mentioned on the inscription, the name has been reconstructed by experts to say *L. Sergius Paulus*, the 'L' standing for Lucius, the nomina of Sergius Paulus.

#### **Ramsay's** **Antioch Inscription**

Yet another discovery in Pisidian Antioch, discovered in 1912 by Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, has this to say:

*L Sergio, L(uci) f(ilio), Paullo filio, quattuorvir(o) v(iarum) c(uran-darum), tri(buno) mil(itum) leg(ionis) vi Ferr(atae) quaest(ori)*
In English

"The Lucius Serius Paullus the younger, son of Lucius, one of the four commissioners in charge of the Roman street, tribune of the soldiers in the sixth legion styled Ferrate, quaestor, ext."
Ramsay states concerning the inscription:

*"With this discovery the inscription assumes a new interest. From a document similar to several hundreds of others, it becomes a memorial associated with the drama of early Christian history and throws light (which, as I hope to show, is great) on the narrative of Acts."*
Ramsay also made several other discoveries that confirm Sergius as a real person, which he lists in pages 154 and 155 in *The Bearing of Recent Discovery*.

### **Gallio**

#### **Delphi Inscription**

An inscription, discovered in 1905, was unearthed by a French expedition team in Delphi, Greece. The writing stated:

*“Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, 12th year of tribunician power, acclaimed emperor for the 26th time, father of the country, sends greetings to [… ]. For long have I been well-disposed to the city of Delphi and solicitous for its prosperity, and I have always observed the cult of the Pythian Apollo. Now since it is said to be destitute of citizens, as my friend and proconsul L. Iunius Gallio recently reported to me, and desiring that Delphi should regain its former splendour, I command you to invite well-born people also from other cities to come to Delphi as new inhabitants, and to accord them and their children all the privileges of the Delphians as being citizens on like and equal terms. For if some are transferred as colonists to these regions….”*

The Delphi inscription is of immense importance for New Testament studies:

* First, it confirms that a man named Gallio was the proconsul of Achaia, as Luke recorded in Acts 18.
* Secondly, it helps us pinpoint the date of Paul’s stay in Corinth.  The inscription states that Claudius had been “acclaimed emperor for the 26th time,” dating it to between January and August, AD 52.

#### **The Bema**

In the passage that Gallio is mentioned, it says that Paul was rounded up by an angry mob and brought before the tribunal of Corinth, where Gallio was. The passage states that the Jews accused Paul of sedition, but Gallio dismissed the case as Jewish business and of no importance to the Romans. The Greek word used for tribunal here is the word *bema*. The *bema* of Corinth was discovered in the 20th century and may very well be the same place that Paul was brough to Gallio by the angry mob.

It should also be noted that Gallio was the brother of the famous stoic philosopher Seneca, who wrote about his brother in his work *Natural Questions.*

### **Ossuaries**

#### **James Ossuary**

This Ossuary was discovered in the early 2000s by Oded Golan, an artefact collector. The inscription on the side of the Ossuary states:

*יעקוב בר יוסף אחוי דישוע*
In English:

*Ya'akov son of Yosef, brother of Yeshua*
This is significant as, if authentic, this Ossuary gives us not only verification that James existed, but that Jesus existed.

However, the James Ossuary has been embroiled in legal chaos. Golan was accused of forging the inscription on the Ossuary in order to increase it's worth on the artifact market. It has also been revealed that the lead investigator against the case of authenticity may very well have lied when he claimed that he saw the Ossuary 20 years earlier without the inscription.

The trial lasted for several years. However, the charges have since been dropped. In the years following the trial, more investigation into the James Ossuary have given further evidence in favour of it's authenticity including research from Amnon Rosenfield who found that the patina coating (layer of oxidised metal) on the Ossuary matched that found on the inscription. Check BiblicalArchaeology.org for more information concerning the James Ossuary controversy.

#### **Caiaphas Ossuary**

This tomb was discovered in 1990 on accident by a bulldozing team in Talpiot, Israel. It is inscribed with the name of the owner written in Aramaic.

It states the owner of the tomb is *Yehosef bar Kayafa*, or Joseph, son of Caiaphas. This was the name of the High Priest who sought to bring Jesus to trial before Pilate and was ultimately successful. The overwhelming amount of scholars have agreed on it's authenticity.

It should also be noted that Josephus mentions Caiaphas in his work *Jewish Antiquities.*

## **Evidence for New Testament Locations**

### **Nazareth**

Rene Salm wrote the famous book "The Myth of Nazareth" where he claims that Nazareth did not exist and therefore Jesus could not exist, perpetuating the Christ Myth Theory.

Several discoveries confirm that Nazareth existed in the 1st century:

* Several Nazarene Houses have been found dating to the first century. One of them has even been put forward as a potential location for the childhood home of Jesus.

* Hellenistic Artifacts have been found in early Nazareth sites, including pottery, cooking jars and lamps.

* More Ossuaries have been found within Nazareth itself dating back to the first century,

### **Bethlehem**

In 2012 the Israel Antiquities Authority announced the discovery of a 2,700 year old clay seal found in Jerusalem, that contained the name of Bethlehem.

The small (1.5 cm) bulla bears the inscription:

> *Bishv’at [in the seventh]*
>
>
> Bat Lechem [Bethlehem]
>
>
>
>
> [Lemel]ekh [for the king]
>
>

### **Pool of Siloam**

The Pool of Siloam (mentioned in Nehemiah 3:15, Isaiah 8:6 and John 9:7) was discovered in 2004 by Ronny Reich and Steven Rudd. Queen Helena, mother of Roman Emperor Constantine, thought she had discovered the real location of the pool during the 4th century. However, Helena is known for picking holy sites blindly and at whim to suit her own desires and her choices are almost always seen as illegitimate (see St. Catherine's Monastery by the fake Mt Sinai).

It should also be noted that Josephus mentions the pool in his work *The Jewish War*.

### **Peter's House**

This house, initially discovered in 1990, has been theorised to be the house of Peter in Capernaum. The structure is very close to the ancient synagogue at Capernaum and contains 1st century fish hooks.

Over the centuries, various pilgrimages were made to the house as a holy site. A small Byzantine church was erected over the original structure in the 5th century.

Although scholars can’t be certain whether this was the actual House of Peter, scholars agree that this is one of the earliest Christian houses of worship yet discovered.

### **Quirinius**

William Ramsay also made significant discoveries concerning Quirinius (or Cyrenius), the governor of Syria who ordered a Census on the orders of Augustus in Luke Chapter 2.

Quirinius is mentioned in an inscription found in Antioch, which stated:

*To C. Caristanius Fronto Caesianus Iulius, son of Gaius, from the tribe of Sergia, prefect of civil engineers, military tribune of the twelfth legion, prefect of the Bosporan cohort, priest, prefect of P. Sulpicius Quirinius, duumvir, prefect of Marcus Servilius. To him first of all men a state expense by decree of the decuriones, a statue was erected.*
This is significant as many sceptics have claimed that the census could not have happened during the time of Jesus, as it was either too early or too late for the Biblical account to be true.

Ramsay also found a second inscription that stated this:

*To Gaius Caristanius (son of Gaius of the Sergian tribe) Fronto Caesianus Julius, chief of engineers, tribune of soldiers of legion XII Fulminatam, prefect of a Bosporan cohort, pontifex, prefect of P. Sulpicius Quirinius duumvir, prefect of M Servillius*
Ramsay notes that Quirinius mentioned here was a man of distinction in the Imperial Service. After analysing the writings of Strabo, Ramsay concluded that Quirinius was engaged in a war whilst he was governor of Syria in 6 BC, perfectly in line with the narrative found in Luke 1-3. (Remember that Jesus was not actually born in 0 AD).

Because of his many discoveries, Ramsay stated this in a different work of his:

*“(There are) reasons for placing the author of Acts among the historians of the first rank."*
Check here for more evidence concerning Quirinius and his Census in Luke.

## **Other Discoveries**

### **Crucifixion Victim**

In 1968, building contractors unexpectedly uncovered an ancient burial site containing about 35 bodies. One of these bodies belonged to a man named Yehohanan, who was between 24 and 28 years old when he died. He had been crucified. His bones were discovered in a limestone ossuary, and a seven-inch nail had been driven through the heel bone of his left foot. Fragments of olive wood were found at the point of the nail, revealing the wood of the cross on which he died. To date, this is the only archaeological discovery from Roman times of a crucifixion victim. And it demonstrates that crucifixion victims were sometimes buried, just as the Gospel accounts suggest.

### **Nazareth Inscription**

    This ancient inscription was acquired in 1878 by Wilhelm Fröhner in Nazareth. It has been dated from about 50 BC to 50 AD. The inscription reads:

*“It is my decision [concerning] graves and tombs— whoever has made them for the religious observances of parents, or children, or household members – that these remain undisturbed forever. But if anyone legally charges that another person has destroyed, or has in any manner extracted those who have been buried, or has moved with wicked intent those who have been buried to other places, committing a crime against them, or has moved sepulchre-sealing stones, against such a person… I wish that [violator] to suffer capital punishment under the title of tomb-breaker.”*
Although the inscription is unlikely to have been directly, or even indirectly, associated with the disappearance of Jesus' body after his burial, it shows that Roman authorities saw grave-robbery as a serious crime. The disciples, having abandoned Jesus after his arrest and believing that he was truly dead, would not have risked such a venture to steal the body.

Bruce Metzger writes:

*“If in fact the ordinance was published in Palestine some time prior to the death of Jesus, then... at the time of the resurrection there was in force a severe law against tampering with buried bodies, the consequences of infringing which the panic-stricken disciples are very unlikely to have braved.”*
And Mark Chancey also writes:

*"...the inscription is unusual in several respects. Unlike typical imperial edicts, it is in Greek, though it appears to have been translated from Latin. Though epigraphic and literary evidence demonstrates that laws against tomb spoilation were common, this is the only known inscription recording an imperial decree on the matter. Furthermore, its prescribed punishment, the death penalty, is harsher than other such laws. It is difficult to establish when it was erected; dates based on epigraphical grounds range from the mid-first century BCE [reign of Tiberius (AD 14-37) or of Claudius (AD 41-54)] to the second century CE."*
Read more on the Stolen Body Theory in Evidence for the Resurrection.

### **The 'Jesus Boat'**

In 1986, Israel suffered a drought, which caused the waters of the Sea of Galilee to recede, exposing large areas of the shallow seabed. Two local fishermen, who were also amateur archaeologists, discovered a boat buried in the mud, which turned out to be a well-preserved fishing boat from the time of Jesus. The boat was next to the village of Migdal, which in the first century was called Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene.

Archaeologists subsequently raced against time to recover the boat from the mud before the waters returned. It was then placed in a climate-controlled environment to protect it from degradation. Pots and lamps found beside the boat helped to date it to the first century, which was confirmed by radiocarbon dating of the wooden planks. In the back of the boat is a raised section, like that where Jesus was sleeping in the story of calming the storm. The boat could accommodate 15 people, so there would certainly have been room for Jesus and his twelve disciples in such a boat.

### **Magdala Synagogue**

This discovery was made near where the Jesus Boat was found. During an excavation at Magdala, on the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee, archaeologist Virgilio Corbo uncovered a Jewish synagogue from the first century AD. Magdala was the hometown of Mary Magdalene and it is believed that Jesus once visited this particular synagogue.

Along with this site, there are up to four uncovered synagogues that date to the first century.

## **Sources**

### **Academic Sources**

1. ↑ John Harvey Kent - *The Inscriptions, 1926 to 1950: Corinth,* vol. 8, Part 3
2. ↑ Andrew D. Clarke - *Another Corinthian Erastus Inscription*, *TB* 42: pg. 146–51
3. ↑ Antonio Frova - *L’Iscrizione Di Ponzio Pilato a Cesarea*, *Rendiconti dell’Istitutio Lombardo* 95: 419–34
4. ↑ Robert J. Bull - *Caesarea Maritima: The Search for Herod’s City*, *Biblical Archaeology Review*8, no. 3: 24–40
5. ↑ Retrieved from https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/inscriptions/pontius-pilate-ring-herodium/
6. ↑ Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler - *The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible*, pg. 352.
7. ↑ William Mitchell Ramsay - *The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament*, pg. 151-53
8. ↑ Jerome Murphy-O'Connor - *St. Paul's Corinth: Text and Archaeology*, pg.161
9. ↑ Retrieved from http://www.corinth-museum.gr/en/archaeological-site/bema-of-saint-paul/
10. ↑ Norman Geisler - *The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible*, pg. 319.
11. ↑ *The Bearing of Recent Discovery*, pg 291-92
12. ↑ William Ramsay - *St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen*, p. 4
13. ↑ Bruce M. Metzger - *“The Nazareth Inscription Once Again.”* *New Testament Studies: Philosophical, Versional, and Patristic*, 91
14. ↑ Mark A. Chancey - *Greco-Roman Culture and the Galilee of Jesus*, pg. 56-57
15. ↑ Shelly Wachsmann, Kurt Raveh, and Oma Cohen - *The Kinneret Boat Project, Part I. The Excavation and Conservation of the Kinneret Boat*, *International Journal of Nautical Archaeology* 16, pg. 233
16. ↑ Virgilio C. Corbo - *“Scavi archeologici a Magdala"* *Studii Biblici Franciscani Liber Annuas*24, pg. 5-37
17. ↑ Lee I. Levine - *Ancient Synagogues Revealed*, 26, pg. 30-41

### **Ancient Sources**

1. ↑ Seneca - *Naturales quaestiones*, iv. Pref. 9
2. ↑ Josephus - *Jewish Antiquities*, 18.2.2
3. ↑ Josephus - *The Jewish War*, 5.4.1

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