Bible Archaeology
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 11:29 am
A retired BYU professor neighbor has been dropping by with issues of Biblical Archaeology magazine to share with me. Apart from being primarily a vehicle for advertising hearing aids, gaudy jewelry and Holy Land tours, it's kind of interesting. One thing that immediately stands out is that the Bible references a lot of places and people that actually existed. Which brings me to the Book of Mormon. No association with real people, places and events, apart from those that it borrows from the Bible. Hmmm.
Despite the fact that the Israelites left almost no inscriptions about themselves outside of what ended up in the Bible, they did get a couple of mentions by some of their neighbors. One example is the Mesha Stele that relates how the Moabites were subjected to the cruel Israelites until King Mesha, with the devine help of the Moabite God Chemosh overthrew the oppressors. I find this interesting because it is a window into the fact that other Kingdoms thought in pretty much the same way that we attribute to the Israelites. Sometimes they were humbled and placed in submission to people who worshipped other gods but when they were obedient to their god he bestowed power to defeat their enemies. It makes me wonder, if someone like the Moabites had written down all of their stories into a Hebrew volume that was perpetuated into modern times, and had the Israelites not done so, would we all be going to church every Sunday to testify of our faith in Chemosh? (not to be confused with the Chemish of the Book of Mormon - another Joseph Bible riff? )
Another thought that has been rolling around in my head is that the Book of Mormon, simply by existing, provides its believers with a sort of de facto power that resembles that of the Bible. People with a book to rally around as "proof" that their God cared enough to give them a divine source book seem to pass the test of time better than those who are not as Mohammed would say, "people of the book."
Despite the fact that the Israelites left almost no inscriptions about themselves outside of what ended up in the Bible, they did get a couple of mentions by some of their neighbors. One example is the Mesha Stele that relates how the Moabites were subjected to the cruel Israelites until King Mesha, with the devine help of the Moabite God Chemosh overthrew the oppressors. I find this interesting because it is a window into the fact that other Kingdoms thought in pretty much the same way that we attribute to the Israelites. Sometimes they were humbled and placed in submission to people who worshipped other gods but when they were obedient to their god he bestowed power to defeat their enemies. It makes me wonder, if someone like the Moabites had written down all of their stories into a Hebrew volume that was perpetuated into modern times, and had the Israelites not done so, would we all be going to church every Sunday to testify of our faith in Chemosh? (not to be confused with the Chemish of the Book of Mormon - another Joseph Bible riff? )
Another thought that has been rolling around in my head is that the Book of Mormon, simply by existing, provides its believers with a sort of de facto power that resembles that of the Bible. People with a book to rally around as "proof" that their God cared enough to give them a divine source book seem to pass the test of time better than those who are not as Mohammed would say, "people of the book."