Dead Men Tell Tales

by Harry Rimmer

But since archeology has accredited the accuracy of Moses, this argument is no longer heard in the halls of learning.

When we come to the question of authenticity, we shall later give many evidences that none of the records of the Bible, either the Old Testament or the New, are, in any sense of the word, forgeries. They are uniformly authentic in that they were written by the men whose names they bear.

A classical illustration of this is found in the fact that Sir William Ramsay, one of the greatest archeologists of our generation, began his work in his early days under the bias of the critical position that Luke was not the author of either the Gospel that bears his name or the book of the Acts of the Apostles. After forty years of research in Asia Minor, Sir William Ramsay himself discovered the evidence that converted him personally to the orthodox and historical view, and demonstrated conclusively that Luke unquestionably wrote the two books that are accredited to him. As we shall deal with this matter more extensively in the fifth volume of this series, we pass on to the present cause of modern controversy, namely, the inspiration of the text.

The fact of inspiration is stated so often by the writers of the Scripture that we must accept their explanation of the origin of these pages, or else classify them as the most consistent liars that humanity has ever produced. They claim a supernatural guidance by the Holy Ghost which has kept their records free from error or discrepancy. For one who has examined and analyzed the Scripture in the unprejudiced light of archeology, this claim is vindicated at every turn of the spade.

A simple illustration of the manner in which our science does show the inspiration of the Scripture, may be found from the prophetic sections of the Old Testament. In the days of Isaiah and his fellow prophets, the capital of Egypt was the city of No. It is also called Amon, and sometimes, No-Amon. It was a populous city of wealth and culture, being the center of learning, as well as the seat of government. In a day when Egypt dominated the world and No-Amon was the mistress of antiquity, obscure Hebrew prophets raised their voices in denunciation of No in such arbitrary and extreme statements as are found in the thirtieth chapter of Ezekiel. Denouncing the sin of Egypt and their repeated betrayals of Israel, Ezekiel warns Egypt that her land shall be overrun with fire and sword, and that No-Amon shall be desolate and forsaken.

There must have been a strong element of humor in all of this outcry to the proud mind of the Egyptian of that day! No-Amon, also called Thebes, spreading out on both banks of the Nile, in complacent, serene command of the ancient world, apparently had nothing to fear from the bitter cries of a prophet of Israel. Yet today the visitor to the site of Thebes, or No-Amon, to use the more ancient name, is faced with a scene of desolation that is utterly devoid of any human habitation.

Since it is impossible for the human mind to pick up the curtain of time and peer ahead into future events, prophecy can derive only from the Holy Spirit. The work of archeologists in identifying the bleak and barren site of No-Amon portrays the inspiration of the Scripture. The proud city is forgotten except for its inscriptions on records of antiquity and the denunciations to be found in the Word of God. Thus we have simply illustrated how this dignified and sober science is bringing to us illumination of the text, together with the evidences of the HISTORICITY, ACCURACY, AUTHENTICITY, and INSPIRATION of the Bible.

This is eminently fitting, since this peculiar science is most intimately concerned with the problem of the credibility of the Bible. The unique and heavenly nature of the Book is in itself a divisive factor. Multitudes of men and women love it and would die for its preservation. Indeed, it is no exaggeration of fact to say that multitudes have died in its defense. There are others who hate the Book and would go to any length to discredit it, except the extreme length of martyrdom. It is very natural for men to die for what they believe, but few men will surrender their lives for what they disbelieve!

This division is decidedly fitting and proper. Men and women who are saved by the grace of God recognize the supernatural nature of the Book that is the means of their redemption. Men and women who are lost, resent the honesty of that Book in that it condemns their sin and iniquity.

In our day and age, infidelity has, under the guise of an attempted scientific refutation, directed its chief argument against the integrity of the Scripture. Living in an age of science, when all things are again evaluated in the light of man’s technical knowledge, it is inevitable that the Bible should come in for this type of investigation. No exponent of Scripture would wish it otherwise. If the Bible is honestly examined without prejudice, under any system of truth, it will maintain its integrity and establish its own supernatural character.