

"The type of writing, the method of burial, the names used, their location - all those things will bring to light important historical information about the era in which Jesus lived. "I can hardly imagine a more significant discovery from that period," said Bruce Chilton, a professor of religion at Bard College and an expert on early Christianity and Judaism who has written widely on Caiaphas. Researchers' AssuranceĪlthough it has been nearly two years since the site was uncovered, researchers have taken until now to assure themselves through the writing on the walls of the tomb and artifacts found with the bones that the remains were indeed those of the priestly family. Like many such discoveries, this one came by accident, when workers widening a road in Jerusalem's Peace Forest in 1990 stumbled across an unusually large burial site. The Gospel describes Caiaphas's condemnation of Jesus in John 11:49-50: "Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people and that the whole nation perish not." One of history's most reviled and enigmatic men, Caiaphas has often been portrayed by historians as malevolent, mad for power and blindly eager to please Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. But the age of the bones, the inscriptions on the ossuaries and the artifacts that surrounded them all point directly toward his influential family. And after 2,000 years, the presence of Caiaphas's bones in the tomb cannot be finally verified either.
CAIPHUS ARCHAEOLOGICAL BIBLE DISCOVERY TRIAL
Israeli archeologists have discovered the family tomb of Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest who presided at the trial of Jesus and delivered Him to the Romans to be crucified.īuried in an ancient cave on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the family's bones were sealed in ornate and elaborately carved ossuaries, ceremonial boxes used widely by the Jews of the late first century.Īrcheologists say no comparable evidence exists for the remains of any other such major figure mentioned in the New Testament. In light of this discovery, they concluded that the Edomite kingdom was formed by the middle of the 11th century BC, about 300 years earlier than previously. 9) Genesis was correct on EdomitesĪrchaeologists studying copper slag deposits from Timna in Israel and Faynan in Jordan (two sites south of the Dead Sea) found that Edomites used advanced, standardized techniques more than 3,000 years ago to mine copper. The DNA record shows that the Philistines quickly intermarried with the local population, diluting the genetic signature. Jeremiah 47:4 and Amos 9:7 connect the Philistines with Caphtor, which has been identified as Crete, the home of the Minoan civilization. This confirms what has long been believed and what the Bible says about the Philistines. 10) Philistines had European ancestryĭNA extracted from skeletons excavated from burials at the Philistine city of Ashkelon in modern-day Israel showed European ancestry. The most significant discoveries of biblical archaeology made in 2019 may not be known for a number of years, until the work of 2019 is published in peer-reviewed scientific publications. Note: this list is subjective, and is based on news media reports. Archaeologist Nelson Glueck’s declaration that “no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference” still stands.

But many of the mainstream media stories announcing these discoveries acknowledged that the Bible was right all along or right after all in these instances. From Goliath-size walls to clay seal impressions the size of a fingernail, archaeological discoveries announced in 2019 continued to add context to our understanding of the Bible.Īrchaeologists and Bible scholars resist the idea that archaeology proves the Bible.
