Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Midterm - Essay Example Although it is clear that Abraham moved from Canaan, there is no historical evidence that he ended up in Egypt. Consequently, 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 south-west 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 Oriental Institute Museum of Chicago. The prism gives an account of Sennacerib’s invasion of Judah and confirms a similar account given in second Kings 18:13-15. On the prism, King Sennacerib 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. 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 on 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. The early Israel was an oral society. Religious leaders taught through word of mouth.