In what ways does Biblical Archaeology support the authenticity of the Bible?
Archaeology provides material evidence for biblical stories, characters, and locations. The authenticity of the Bible is typically addressed on smaller levels rather than tackling the entire book. For example, complete sites such as Qumran (a scribal community of conservative Jews at the Dead Sea) have helped clarify how Scripture was written down and copied. Biblical characters such as King David have been mentioned on non-biblical tablet fragments like the Tel Dan Stele. Some excavations have uncovered texts that line up with cultural ideas presented in the Bible. The Amarna Letters, Ebla Tablets, and Lachish Letters tell about law codes, international correspondence, and the political climate in the lands of the Bible and surrounding Israel at many points of time. Other sites have uncovered temples, shrines, and high places, and cultic artifacts dedicated YHWH and other deities. Because the biblical characters were active in the world around them, and because the Bible itself mentio
