The Bible remains the most published, translated and read literary work in the world. But is it myth or reality? Is it fact or fiction? Is it history or fairy tale? Were the people of the Bible real historical figures or simply the invention of the storytellers?
These are important issues raised by post-modern archaeologists and historians. For those who have embraced the Bible as their authoritative measure of faith and practice the issues become quite personal and critical. They pierce and penetrate far deeper than dispassionate matters of scholarship.
Scholars have concluded that the Bible is myth. The Israelites were never slaves in Egypt. Moses never existed. The Exodus, as Professor Herzog has stated, is "a history that never happened." Joshua never conquered Jericho. There's no evidence apart from the Bible for a King Saul. After a century and a half of surveying, digging, and sifting, there's no archaeological evidence for a grandiose Jerusalem of temples and palaces during the supposed reigns of David and Solomon.
In all fairness, to date, most of the biblical story is not supported by archaeological or textual evidence. Scholars are not necessarily anti-Bible, they simply see no correlation between the Bible and remains from the past.
Internationally recognized Egyptologist David Rohl has addressed these issues at both the scholarly and popular levels. What is fascinating is that, David Rohl, as an Egyptologist, never set out to prove the historicity of the Bible. As an archaeologist and historian, he was primarily interested in what he perceived to be flaws in the accepted time line of the ancient world. His rediscovery of the historicity of the Bible was an unexpected by-product of his research.
Those who have read Rohl's books or viewed any of his televised documentaries know that he is an organized and able scholar. He is unafraid to challenge the sacred cows of Egyptology. A consummate communicator, David Rohl writes and lectures brilliantly.
We are pleased to feature David Rohl's public workshop as presented at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary in Florida.
