As excavations in Shiloh help make the Bible a part of your life

Those who say that science and the Bible incompatible necessarily need to visit Israel, where archaeologists find daily confirmation of biblical events. Right now there are excavations of the old Testament the most important areas.

In the heart of Israel of biblical times there is a route known as “the way of the patriarchs”. This is the ancient Shiloh is the place where, according to the Bible, Joshua divided the promised Land between the twelve tribes and where more than three hundred years, stood the tabernacle of the Lord.

“Welcome to ancient Shiloh. This is the first capital of ancient Israel and a Holy place, because there was a “Mishkan” — the tabernacle in which people come to God,” explains Scott stripling. Here he is leading the dig. Together with dozens of volunteers, they literally go deep into history.

“We are dealing with real people, real locations, real events. It’s not a myth. Today we have unearthed coins of Herod the Great, Pontius Pilate, Felix, Agrippa the First, Agrippa the Second. About these people written in the Bible. And at this point they seem to be alive!” — says the archaeologist.

This place — including this fortified wall erected by the Canaanites. There are many artifacts, particularly coins and twenty thousand clay fragments per day!

“This was found yesterday. It is already washed. And this piece, and the last is a pen from the stone vessels. Remember, Jesus ‘ first miracle at Cana? Water from stone vessels turned into wine. This corresponds to the culture of ritual purity of the first century,” says Scott stripling.

An archaeologist looks at ancient fragments as samples on time.

“Probably dishes your grandma is different from your personal. Examining the dishes, we will be able to accept her as the main guide for Dating,” he says.

According to Stripling, excavations of biblical sites can change your life.

“You can read the Bible, to act according to the Bible, but also you can dig up the Bible, he says. — You know, when we get our hands dirty in the excavation, as these students from Lee University, the land we are everywhere: under my nails, nose, mouth, ears – so we are introduced to the ancient culture. We become a part of it. You can draw a parallel between what we came from the soil, and then digging the soil, we come to a relationship with God and with each other. I think it’s very important.”

People of all ages are digging together with such mentors as student Abigail Leavitt, University Piquillo.

“I like it when my hands are dirty. I love to dig in the dirt. This is my favorite hobby” — confessed she. — Yes, it’s tedious, but worth it. A surprising finding of the ancient times which lay under the earth and waited for you thousands of years.”

Abigail says that the Bible “comes alive” in the ground.

“Now I read the Bible quite well, as before when I first got here. Now, when I read it, I recognise the places and events described in it. I began to understand it better. Some archaeologists claim that archaeology disproves the Bible. But taking a dig here, we understand that between them there is no contradiction. All this is written in the Bible. What you find in the ground, is in the Bible” — says the girl.

“The purpose of archaeology is not to prove or disprove the Bible. Our goal is to make “illumination” of the biblical text, to create the background. We want to modern culture, the Bible credible. And this requires evidence. For them we are hunting. And now all match the biblical texts we have. Here Samuel, Elijah, Anna, and others came for answers, fellowship with God and forgiveness,” says Scott stripling.

Stripling claims that they dig up the past and take lessons for the present.

“One of the lessons of faith for us is that God is the Potter and we are the clay, even if our life is broken, as these vessels. After God told Jeremiah to go to Shiloh and look at the created Them, He then said to go to the Potter’s house and look at the damaged vessel, the Potter returns to the circle and corrects deficiencies. So, my lesson of faith is this: Yes, we are imperfect, but if we allow God, He will put us on the Potter’s wheel and make us a “vessel of honor,” he continues.

Stripling often quotes the 101st Psalm, where it is said of Zion: “Thy servants have loved and stones, and the ashes of his pity.”

“In the end, if the Bible is true, then the biblical God is a moral right to our lives. And we are more and more prove the veracity of the biblical texts. I want everyone who is now watching us, I realized that God loves us and has a moral right to our lives,” says stripling.

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