Is the Bible a True Story?

Is the Bible a True Story?” As it can be seen from the above screen grab, the sub-title of the article sets the tone:

Despite feverish searching with Scripture in one hand and cutting-edge technology in the other, evidence backing the Bible remains elusive. But there are some surprising anomalies

In approximately 5000 words, Hasson details and reviews these various anomalies, which boil down to small – yet critical – archeological finds that contradict the mainstream idea that biblical stories are just myths. While remaining very cautious, the author concludes that the Bible depicts a certain historical reality:

Eighteen years ago, Herzog’s article powerfully threw the argument towards the minimalists, at the expense of the scriptural approach. Discoveries since then have lent a little more credence to the biblical tales.

The important point to be made here, is that by making a good summary of the latest archeological finds, Hasson shows that there is a greater historical reality to the Bible then many have suspected. Indeed, scholars have – up until now – failed to explain how this “certain historical reality” fits in the big picture and too many of them continue to spend their time arguing in favor of their minimalist or maximalist position, despite all the evidence pointing towards a reality that calls for a lot more nuance. I left a comment on this article and sent a personal note to Nir Hasson, inviting him to take a look at my book because I truly believe that by adopting the unique and unorthodox perspective of a mortal overlord, it becomes possible to straddle the diverging opinions of those who regard the Bible as a body of historical literature (maximalists) and those who view it as little more than a collection of tales and fables (minimalists). So far, I only got a polite acknowledgement – that’s a start. Until there is more to report here, I would encourage you to read Hasson’s article in order to get up to speed with the latest archaeological finds.  Not only is it a good read, but the pictures and videos are truly beautiful. BTW When I published Quiproquo sur Dieu, back in 2009, I predicted that such findings would inevitably take place in the years to come. If you are a skeptic, get used to it, as we will continue to see increasing confirmation that many of the biblical stories do rest on historical grounds.  However, my mom and sisters shouldn’t get overly excited either, as these new findings will only lead to the inevitable conclusion that Abraham’s Lord was truly made of flesh and bones, rather than of any purported divine substance.