Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

14: 17-24 GENESIS
related in Genesis Seems now to be fii.&ly established. Dr.
Albright (FSAC, SI) : “As critical study of the Bible is
more and more influenced by the rich new material
the ancient Near East, we shall s
for the historical significance of n
passages and details in the Old and
distinguished Orientalist, Dr. Ne
Union College, writes (RD, 31) :
plorer in Bible lands must be aware of the fact that as im-
portant as the Bible is for historical information, it is
definitely not primarily a chronicle of history, as we
understand that term today. It is above all concerned
with true religion and only secondarily with illustrative
records. Even if the latter had suffered through faulty
transmission or embellishments, the purity and primacy
of the Bible’s innermost message would not thereby be
diminished. As a matter of fact, it may be stated cate-
gorically that no archaeological discovery has ever con-
troverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological
findings have been made which confirm in clear outline
or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And,
by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions
has often led to amazing discoveries. They form tesserae
in the vast mosaic of the Bible’s almost incredibly correct
historical memory.”
This final testimony is from the pen of James Muilen-
burg, distinguished contributor to the Interpreter‘s Bible
(Vol. I, p. 296, “The History of the Religion of Israel”) :
“Archaeology has revealed an extraordinary correspondence
between the general social and cultural conditions por-
trayed in Genesis and those exposed by excavations. Dis-
coveries from such sites as Nuzi, Mari, and elsewhere,
provide the geographical, cultural, linguistic, and religious
background against which the stories of the patriarchs
are laid.”
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