In July 2021, Israeli archaeologists digging in Khirbet el Rai discovered a 3,100-year-old jar handle with the name “Jerubbaal” inscribed on its side. While the artifact itself may seem trivial, its importance lies in its linkage with Biblical history: Jerubbaal was the name given to Gideon in Judges 6:32. And since this artifact dates to shortly after the time of Gideon, it’s quite likely that the inscription is a reference to Gideon himself.

While we wouldn’t want to overstress the importance of these kinds of discoveries—no one is likely to convert to Christianity because of the discovery of a single inscribed potsherd—it must be said that the panoply of archaeological discoveries corroborating the historical reliability of Scripture is striking. This is important because Judaism and Christianity, more than any other of the world’s religions, are grounded in history. Our belief system is only valid insofar as the historical events purported to have occurred in the Bible actually took place.

It is in that sense that Biblical archaeology can be tremendously “faith affirming” (as Paul Weaver argues in this issue)! Since the inception of modern archaeology a few hundred years ago, countless artifacts have been excavated that either directly or indirectly support the Bible’s historical reliability. When Scripture speaks of Abraham, David, and Isaiah, it is speaking of actual people who really existed; this is not the stuff of fiction, fables, or fairy tales. Consequently, when we say “we serve a risen Savior,” we mean that literally—Christ arose physically, visibly, and bodily! And because these things actually took place, the Christian belief system is validated. The history that the Bible purports to record is true, and you can stake your eternity on it.

—David Gunn