ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE BIBLE, BY GEORGE BARTON

7th Ed., 1937, copyright expired by default, not renewed.

The text from this book is rare, Google Books published the 1916 edition of Barton's book, yet the accuracy of the translation of the Hittite language improved since then.  The Hittite history and legal code translations were of interest.  Text about the Babylonian Sabbath was new to me.  The text about Quirinius was of some value.  Some of the theories published herein are out of date, yet some of the text is pertinent, and not readily available in many recently published works.

 

 

CONTENTS

 

PART I                                                                                                       Page

List of Illustrations …………………………………………………………………………...    xxi

CHAPTER

 I.  EGYPT  …………………………………………………………………………………….... 3
The land.  The Preservation of Antiquities.  Egyptian Discoveries.  Decipherment.  Chronology.  Outline of History.  Egyptian Discoveries which bear on the Bible.

 

II.  BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA  ………………………………………………………….     31
The Land.  The Preservation of Antiquities.  The Discovery of Antiquities.  The Decipherment
of Inscriptions.  Chronology.  Outline of the History.  Discoveries which illumine the Bible.

 

III.  THE HITTITES …………………………………………………………………………..    74
A Forgotten Empire.  Hittite Monuments.  Hittite Decipherment.  Hittite History.

 

IV.  PALESTINE AND ITS EXPLORATION ……………………………………………….    93
The Land.  Early Exploration.  Early American Explorations.  Palestine Exploration Fund.  The German Palestine Society.  The American Schools of Oriental Research.  Harvard Excavations at Samaria.  Parker’s Excavations at Jerusalem.  Assumption Fathers at Jerusalem.  Latest Excavations. 

 

V.  OUTLINE OF PALESTINE’S ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY …………………………..   142
The Early Stone Age.  The Late Stone Age.  The Amorites.  The Hurri and Hyksos.  Egyptian Domination.  The Philistines.  The Hebrews.  Philistine Civilization.  The Hebrew Kingdoms.  The Exile and After.  The Coming of Rome.  Later History. 

 

VI.  THE CITIES OF PALESTINE …………………………………………………………..  164
Their Sites.  The Walls.  The Stone Work.  Houses.  Palaces.  Foundation Sacrifices.  City Gates.  Water Supply.

 

VII.  ROADS AND AGRICULTURE ………………………………………………………    173

 

VIII.  POTTERY ……………………………………………………………………………..  182
Importance of Pottery.  Chalcolithic Pottery.  Early and Middle Bronze Age.  Late Bronze Age.  Early Iron I.  Israelitish.  Hellenistic Period. 

 

IX.  UTENSILS AND PERSONAL ORNAMENTS ………………………………………..   190

 

X.  MEASURES, WEIGHTS AND MONEY ……………………………………………….   199
Measures.  Weights.  Inscribed Weights.  Money.

 

XI.  HOUSES, HIGH PLACES AND TEMPLES  …………………………………………..  208
A Hitherto Unrecognized Type of House.  A Supposed Philistine Temple.  A Cave Sanctuary.  A Rock-Altar at Megiddo.  A Rock-Altar at Jerusalem.  High Place of Gezer.  High Place at Petra.  Five Temples of Beth-Shan.  An Altar of Incense.  The Temple to Augustus at Samaria.

 

XII.  THE TOMBS OF PALESTINE ……………………………………………………….   222
Burning the Dead, Cave Burials.  Cistern Burials.  Burial under Menhirs.  Earth-Graves.  Rock-Hewn Shaft Tombs.  Doorway Tombs.  Tombs with Rolling-Stone. 

 

XIII.  JERUSALEM …………………………………………………………………………  227
Situation.  Gihon.  Caves Near It.  Jerusalem of Melchizedek.  The El-Amarna Period.  Jebusite Jerusalem.  The City of David.  Solomon’s Jerusalem.  From Solomon to Hezekiah.  Hezekiah.  From Hezekiah to the Exile.  The Destruction of 586 B.C.  The Second Temple.  Nehemiah and the Walls.  Late Persian and Early Greek Periods.  In the Time of the Maccabees.  Asmonaean Jerusalem.  Herod the Great.  The Pool of Bethesda.  Gethsemane.  Calvary.  Agrippa I and the Third Wall. 

 

XIV.  THE DECAPOLIS ……………………………………………………………………. 256
Origin.  Damascus.  Scythopolis.  Cities East of the Sea of Galilee.  Gadara.  Pella and Dion.  Gerasa.  Philadelphia.  Jesus in the Decapolis.

 

XV.  ATHENS, CORINTH, AND THE CHURCHES OF ASIA             ……………………  262
 

 

PART II 

CHAPTER

I.  AN EPIC OF THE CREATION WHICH CIRCULATED IN BABYLON AND
ASSYRIA IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY B.C.
………………………………………….    279
Text of the Epic.  Comparison of the Epic with the First Chapter of Genesis.  The Epic and Other Parts of the Bible.

 

II.  SOME OTHER ACCOUNTS OF THE CREATON FOUND IN BABYLONIA ……....  303
Text of the British Museum Tablet.  Comparison of it with Genesis 2.  Text of a tablet from Nippur and Comparison with Genesis.  Text of a tablet from Ashur Compared with Genesis.

 

III.  THE BABYLONIAN SABBATH ………………………………………………………  309
Feast of Marduk and Zarpanit.  A Day Called Shabatum.  A Day in Some Tablets at Yale.

 

IV.  THE LEGEND OF ADAPA AND THE FALL OF MAN ……………………………… 311
Comparison of the Adapa Myth with Genesis 3.  The Myth.  A Babylonian Story of Expulsion from a Garden, with Comparison with Genesis 4.

 

V.  THE PATRIARCHS BEFORE THE FLOOD…………………………………………….317
Babylonian Long-Lived Kings.  Comparison with Genesis 5.  Comparison with Genesis 4.

 

VI.  A BABYLONIAN ACCOUNT OF THE FLOOD, FROM A TABLET
WRITTEN AT NINEVEH IN THE SEVENTH CENTURY B.C.
……………………….…  327
Translation of the Text.  Comparison with Genesis 6-9.  Another Babylonian Version.

 

VII.  AN ACCOUNT OF THE CREATON AND FLOOD FROM A TABLET WRITTEN AT NIPPUR BEFORE 2000 B.C................................................................................…………………………………….. 332
Translation.  Comparison with the Bible.

 

VIII.  AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF A CITY AND THE
BEGINNING OF AGRICULTURE, FROM A TABLET WRITTEN
AT NIPPUR BEFORE 200 B.C.
  …………………………………………………………... 337
Translation.  Comparison with the Bible.

 

IX.  ABRAHAM AND ARCHAEOLOGY  ………………………………………………...  344
Abraham hired an Ox.  Abraham leased a Farm.  Abraham paid his Rent.  Who was this Abraham?  Travel between Babylonia and Palestine.  Hammurabi, King of the Westland.  Kudur-Mabug.  Kings supposed by some to be those of Genesis 14.  A Liturgy for the Spring Festival at Jerusalem in the Time of Abraham.

 

X.  JACOB AND JOSEPH …………………………………………………………………. 364

The Names Jacob, Israel, and Joseph in Babylonia and Egyptian Records.  “The Tale of the two Brothers”; its Bearing on the Story of Joseph in Genesis.  Letters to a Ruler like Joseph.  The Seven Years of Famine.  Inscriptions showing Preparation for Famine.

 

XI.  PALESTINE IN THE PATRIARCHAL AGE …………………………………………. 372
The Tale of Sinuhe.  Communication between Egypt and Palestine.  Asiatics in Egypt.

 

XII.  MOSES AND THE EXODUS ………………………………………………………… 375
The Legend of Sargon of Agade; its Resemblance to the Story of Moses.  The Pillar of Merneptah; and Appearance of the Name “Israel.”

 

XIII.  THE CODE OF HAMMARUBI AND THE PENTATEUCH …………………….…..   378
The Text of the Code; Comparison with the Mosaic Code.  The Mosaic Code not borrowed from the Babylonian; Different Underlying Conceptions.

 

XIV. A HITTITE CODE OF LAWS ………………………………………………………..   407
Hittite Laws with Comparison of Biblical and Babylonian Laws.

 

XV.  PART OF AN ASSYRIAN CODE OF LAWS ………………………………………..  427
Assyrian Laws with Comparison of Biblical and Babylonian Laws. 

 

XVI.  AN ALLEGED PARALLEL TO LEVITICUS – A CARTHAGINIAN LAW CONCERNING SACRIFICES
.................................................………………………………………………………………  439
The Text of the Carthaginian Law.  Comparison with the Levitical Law.

 

XVII.  SOME LETTERS FROM PALESTINE ……………………………………………… 441
Letters of Rib-Adda of Gebal.  Letters of Ebed-Hepa of Jerusalem.  Their Light upon Conditions in the Period of the Egyptian Domination of Palestine.

 

XVIII.  DOCUMENTS FROM THE TIME OF ISRAEL’S JUDGES ………………………  449
Report of Wenamon.  Its Illustration of Certain Points of Biblical History about the time of Deborah or Gideon.  Reference to the Philistines.

 

XIX.  ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIGHT ON THE BOOKS OF KINGS ……………………….  455
Gilead and Cedar-Wood for his Palace.  The Eponym Canon.  Jeroboam.  The Seal of Shema.  Shishak’s List of Conquered Asiatic Cities.  Ashurnarsipal’s Description of his Expedition to Mediterranean Lands.  Shalmaneser III’s Claims regarding Tribute from the Kings of Israel.  The Moabite Stone.  Adadnirari IV’s Mention of the “Land of Omri.”  Inscription describing Tiglath-pileser III’s Campaign.  Sargon’s Conquests.  Alleged Traces of the Ten Tribes in Exile.  Sennacherib’s Western Campaigns.  The Siloam Inscription.  Esarhaddon’s List of Conquered Kings.  Ashurbanipal’s Syrian Campaign.  Necho of Egypt. Nebuchadrezzar II.  Evil-Merodach.  Discoveries in Sheba.

 

XX.  THE END OF THE BABYLONIAN EXILE …………………………………………   481
Inscriptions of Nabuna’id.  Bearing on Biblical Statements regarding Belshazzar.  Account of the Capture of Babylon.  Bearing of this Account on the Book of Daniel.  Inscription of Cyrus.   Bearing on the Capture of Babylon and the Return of the Jews. 

 

XXI.  A JEWISH COLONY IN EGYPT DURING THE TIME OF NEHEMIAH ………….. 486
Papyri Witness to the Existence of a Colony at Elephantine.  Translation of a Petition relating to their Temple.  Reply of Persian Governor.  Historical Bearings of these Documents.  Hananiah’s Passover Letter.  Letter showing that the Jews of Egypt were Unpopular. 

 

XXII.  A BABYLONIAN JOB ………………………………………………………………. 491
Translation of a Poem relating to the Afflictions of a Good Man.  Comparison with the Book of Job.  A Fragment of Another Similar Poem.

 

XXIII.  PSALMS FROM BABYLONIA AND EGYPT ……………………………………... 497
Character of their Psalms.  Babylonian Prayers to the Goddess Ishtar.  Comparison with the Psalter.  A Babylonian Hymn to the Moon-God.  A Babylonian Hymn to Bel.  An Egyptian Hymn to the Sun-God.  Is the Hymn Monotheistic?  An Egyptian Hymn in Praise of Aton.  Comparison with the Psalter. 

 

XXIV.  PARALLELS TO PROVERBS AND ECCLESIASTES …………………………….  506
The Nature of the Book of Proverbs and the Parallels.  Babylonian Proverbs from the Library of Ashurbanipal.  Precepts from the Library of Ashurbanipal.  Comparison with the Bible.  Egyptian Precepts of Ptahotep.  Comparison with the Bible.  The Wisdom of Amen-em-ope.  Parallel to Ecclesiastes, from the Gilgamesh Epic. 

 

XXV.  PARALLEL TO THE SONG OF SONGS …………………………………………    516  
Nature of the Song of Songs.  Translation of Some Egyptian Love-Poems.  Comparison with Biblical Passages.  A Babylonian Song of Songs.

 

XXVI.  ILLUSTRATIONS OF PASSAGES IN THE PROPHETS…………………………..  522
Uniqueness of the Prophetic Books.  Some Egyptian Prophecies.  An Assyrian Prophetic Vision.  Comparison with the Bible.  The Egyptian Social Conscience.  Tale of the Eloquent Peasant.  Comparison with the Bible.  An Ideal King; Extract from the Admonitions of Ipuwer.  Comparison with Messianic Expectations.  Descent to the Underworld.  Comparison with Prophetic Passages.  A Lamentation for Tammuz.  A North Syrian Poem on the “Conquest of Death.”  A Poem about Daniel from Ugarit.  The Fall of Nineveh. 

 

XXVII  A BABYLONIAN BOOK OF LAMENTATIONS ………………………………….  547
The Text and its Occasions.  Comparison with the Lamentations of Jeremiah.

 

XXVIII.  REFUTED SAYINGS OF JESUS FOUND IN EGYPT………………………….… 549
Early Collections of the Words of Jesus.  Translation of Sayings found in 1897.  Translation of a Leaf found in 1904.  Comments.  Opinions as to these Sayings. 

 

XXIX.  ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIGHT ON THE ENROLMENT OF QUIRNIUS…………    553
Translation of a Papyrus showing that in the Second Century Enrolment was made Every Fourteen Years.  Comments.  Translation referring to an enrollment in the Reign of Nero.  Fragment from the Reign of Tiberius.  Enrolments probably inaugurated by Augustus.  Document showing that People went to their own towns for Enrolment.  Inscription supposed to refer to Quirinius.  Conclusions. 

 

XXX.  ARCHAEOLOGICAL LIGHT ON THE ACTS AND EPISTLES …………………..  559
The Politarchs of Thessalonica.  An Altar to Unknown Gods.  The Date of Paul’s Contact with Gallio.  Some Epistles from Egypt.  Paul and Aretas, King of Arabia.  The Synagogue of the Libertines.  The Chalice of Antioch.

 

XXXI.  A FEW OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL
RESEARCH TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIBLE AND EARLY
CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
………………………………………………………………… 571           

 

ILLUSTRATIONS : Plates 1-138 (photos not provided)

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