The Scientific and Scriptural Impact of Amos' Earthquake
by Steven A. Austin, Ph.D. * The Bible is often regarded as a book of stories based on a primitive people's understanding of the world around them. As such, many people--and even some Christians--believe that it is not a reliable source of history. But science continues to prove them wrong. An Ancient Earthquake The Kings of Israel and Judah ruled during the period of time designated as the Iron Age by archaeologists. Widely separated archaeological excavations in the countries of Israel and Jordan contain late Iron Age (Iron IIb) architecture bearing damage from a great earthquake. 1 Masonry walls best display the earthquake's effects, especially those with broken ashlars or displaced rows of stones, walls that are still standing but are leaning or bowed, and collapsed walls with large sections still lying course-on-course. Earthquake evidence is seen prominently at Hazor, Israel's largest ancient city. In excavations beginning in 1955 by a...