"The Battle of Jericho: Myth or Fact?" is a comprehensive exploration into one of the most debated events in Biblical archaeology. Authored by a conservative Evangelical Christian Apologist and Biblical Archaeologist, this scholarly work delves deeply into the historical and archaeological evidence surrounding the ancient city of Jericho, famously known for its walls that collapsed at the blast of Joshua’s trumpet as recounted in the Bible. Structured in a systematic and detailed manner, the book begins with an introductory overview of biblical archaeology, providing readers with essential methodologies, tools, and principles used in archaeological research. It establishes the foundational techniques for uncovering and interpreting historical data, emphasizing the comparative value of archaeology in illuminating biblical narratives. Subsequent chapters are devoted to a chronological examination of the key archaeological expeditions at Jericho, from Charles Warren's pioneering 1868 excavation to the ongoing Italian-Palestinian Jericho Expedition's research up to 2023. Each chapter meticulously analyzes the objectives, findings, methodologies, and historical impacts of the respective excavations, presenting a critical assessment of their contributions to both archaeology and biblical scholarship. Particularly noteworthy is the detailed discussion of the contrasting findings and interpretations of archaeologists such as John Garstang, who supported the biblical timeline, and Kathleen Kenyon, whose conclusions challenged it. The book revisits Bryant G. Wood’s critical contributions in the 1980s and 1990s, reevaluating earlier findings and offering new perspectives based on pottery analysis and radiocarbon dating techniques. The culmination of these discussions leads to an in-depth analysis of the walls of Jericho, examining their construction, the evidence of their destruction by fire, and the lessons these findings provide for both archaeology and faith. The narrative then synthesizes all archaeological data to address the central question: "Was the Battle of Jericho a myth or a historical fact?" Looking forward, the final chapters discuss the future of biblical archaeology with a focus on emerging trends, innovations, and the increasing role of digital tools in enhancing archaeological accuracy. It also considers the ethical implications of excavating sacred sites, emphasizing the need for collaborative endeavors that respect cultural and spiritual heritage. "The Battle of Jericho: Myth or Fact?" is designed for a diverse audience, appealing to academic scholars, students of archaeology and biblical studies, and lay readers interested in the historical validity of biblical events. This volume seeks to affirm the historical reliability of the Bible through rigorous academic inquiry, grounded in a steadfast faith in its divine inspiration.

After her mother leaves them, nine-year-old Livvy struggles to understand and forgive as her father loses his job and takes her and her younger brother to live in a shelter for homeless people.

It is a place both mythic and all too real, a place thought to be the site of one of our oldest human settlements and known to be a center of ancient cultures and annihilating conflicts. It sits at the bottom of a malarial valley, the lowest place on the surfact of the earth--"the overheated, earthen basement of the world," as Robert Ruby describes it. And yet, long before the world's modern religions began scrapping over its bones, Jericho was home to waves of colonization and floods of destruction. Fought over by the succeeding epochs of ancestors, the place we call Jericho is as old as the first remnants dated at 9,000 B.C.--and as current as the daily headlines. In this unorthodox biography of the first eleven thousand years in the life of a legend, Robert Ruby takes us back through time to those early settlements, then forward to the often crude but ultimately successful latter-day attempts to locate Jericho, to unearth and map and catalog its history. Beginning with the geography of place, he weaves together his own intimate knowledge of modern-day Jericho with stories of the lives and work of those explorers and archaeologists of the past whose courage often bordered on madness and whose dedication sometimes seemed the purest kind of human folly. Soldiers, scholars, engineers, adventurers--dilettantes and professionals alike, they were all dreamers drawn to this parched and dusty spot where so much of human history took place. Matching biblical accounts to araeological evidence, sifting myth from science, phantoms from reality, Robert Ruby teases out the complex strata of the past, helping us to make sense of what exists today. With the flair of a novelist and the enthusiasm of an amateur archaeologist, he offers a tale that is part detection, part epic adventure. Above all, he gives us a work of great literary panache: witty, fact-filled, and uterly, subversively compelling.

In this groundbreaking work that sets apart fact and legend, authors Finkelstein and Silberman use significant archeological discoveries to provide historical information about biblical Israel and its neighbors. In this iconoclastic and provocative work, leading scholars Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman draw on recent archaeological research to present a dramatically revised portrait of ancient Israel and its neighbors. They argue that crucial evidence (or a telling lack of evidence) at digs in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon suggests that many of the most famous stories in the Bible—the wanderings of the patriarchs, the Exodus from Egypt, Joshua’s conquest of Canaan, and David and Solomon’s vast empire—reflect the world of the later authors rather than actual historical facts. Challenging the fundamentalist readings of the scriptures and marshaling the latest archaeological evidence to support its new vision of ancient Israel, The Bible Unearthed offers a fascinating and controversial perspective on when and why the Bible was written and why it possesses such great spiritual and emotional power today.

Pastor and Bible teacher Randy McCracken offers an intimate look at lesser-known members of 1 and 2 Samuel's four main families--those of Samuel, Eli, Saul, and David. Examining characters unfamiliar to many Bible readers, he reveals important lessons for today.

Ancient Israel did not emerge within a vacuum but rather came to exist alongside various peoples, including Canaanites, Egyptians, and Philistines. Indeed, Israel’s very proximity to these groups has made it difficult—until now—to distinguish the archaeological traces of early Israel and other contemporary groups. Through an analysis of the results from recent excavations in light of relevant historical and later biblical texts, this book proposes that it is possible to identify these peoples and trace culturally or ethnically defined boundaries in the archaeological record. Features of late second-millennium B.C.E. culture are critically examined in their historical and biblical contexts in order to define the complex social boundaries of the early Iron Age and reconstruct the diverse material world of these four peoples. Of particular value to scholars, archaeologists, and historians, this volume will also be a standard reference and resource for students and other readers interested in the emergence of early Israel.

This updated edition by one of the world's leading apologists presents a systematic, positive case for Christianity that reflects the latest work in the contemporary hard sciences and humanities. Brilliant and accessible.

An archaeological and historical investigation into the Biblical legends of the Israelite sojourn in Egypt, the Exodus from Egypt, and the conquest of the Promised Land.