The Bible and history

Historicity, the quality of being a real and important part of history and not a myth or legend

Archaeologists Unearth Biblical Pool of Bethesda

According to John 5:2-9, Jesus healed a paralyzed man by the pool with five porches in Bethesda. In the 19th century, archaeologists found this large reservoir near Jerusalem’s Sheep Gate surrounded by four colonnaded porticoes.

Biblical history places the cradle of civilization geographically close to where Noah’s Ark landed, near the Middle East’s Fertile Crescent that includes parts of Turkey. So, it makes sense that Gobekli Tepe was one of the first building sites of post-Flood peoples.

This amazing find vindicates what the Bible has said about mankind all along. The earliest humans were every bit as smart and able as modern ones—perhaps even more so. And according to Scripture, people were made on one day by God and in His image—with all the faculties necessary to imagine, build, farm, and worship.

In 1961, archaeologists recovered a partial inscription bearing “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea” who authorized Jesus’ crucifixion per the Bible. This stone lintel was reused in Herod’s palace near Bethlehem.

The Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS) was founded in 1974 as a nonprofit, nondenominational, educational organization dedicated to the dissemination of information about archaeology in the Bible lands. BAS educates the public about archaeology and the Bible through its quarterly magazine, Biblical Archaeology Review, an award-winning website, and tours and seminars. Our readers rely on us to present the latest that scholarship has to offer in a fair and accessible manner. BAS serves as an important authority and as an invaluable source of reliable information.

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