Biblically Compatible Archaeology and Geography

by Damien F. Mackey “During the reign of Asa of Judah (c. 911-870 B.C.E.), Israel runs through seven kings: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, and Ahab (ca. 910-853 B.C.E.)”. Robin Gallaher Branch In previous articles, we learned that two truly great kings of Israel were missing entirely from the Books of Chronicles. One was Omri, a king whose House is attested later, even by the Assyrians (Akkadian:𒂍𒄷𒌝𒊑𒄿 … bīt-Ḫûmrî): Great King Omri missing from Chronicles (2) Great King Omri missing from Chronicles The other was Jeroboam II: Great King Jeroboam II missing from Chronicles (2) Great King Jeroboam II missing from Chronicles He, in fact, appears to have left far less traces (biblical or historical) than has Omri. For, as we read in this last article: …. Without the brief record in the Book of Kings and cursory mentions in two prophetic works, the name of this man would not be preserved (2 Kgs 14:23-15:8; Amos 1:1; 7:9-11; Hos 1:1). Even the parallel acco...

by Damien F. Mackey “… Cushan is an Edomite king who subjugated the tribe of Judah whose territory was adjacent to Edom …”. jewishvirtuallibrary In the first two of three cases given here, (i) Balaam and (ii) Cushan-rishathaim, so-called, Aram occurs where I think the correct geography would be Edom. Whereas, in the third case, conversely, (iii) Hadad, the foe of King Solomon, the story is situated in Edom, when I think it should be Aram. (i) Case of Balaam Following a clue from W. F. Albright, I wrote an article: Baleful Balaam son of Beor (1) Baleful Balaam son of Beor according to which Balaam was an Edomite: “Balaam was an ancient Edomite sage”, wrote W.F. Albright (“The Home of Balaam”, Jstor, 1915), whilst himself failing to connect “Balaam son of Beor” (Numbers 22:5) - as do some commentators - with “Bela son of Beor”, who “became king of Edom” (Genesis 36:31). James B. Jordan is one who has proposed such a connection, whilst in the same article including the...

by Damien F. Mackey “Just as Anat purges both "field" and "house," so Jehu purges both "field" and "house." Just as Anat adorns herself and puts on paint, so Jezebel adorns her self and puts on paint”. Michael S. Moore As Dr. Immanuel Velikovsky was able to demonstrate, the spectacular corpus of Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra) has been dated far too early by the historians of antiquity. On this, see my article: Ugarit (Ras Shamra), Hebrew, the Greeks (3) Ugarit (Ras Shamra), Hebrew, the Greeks The typical view dates them early. Thus: Ugaritic texts - Wikipedia The Ugaritic texts are a corpus of ancient cuneiform texts discovered in 1928 in Ugarit (Ras Shamra) and Ras Ibn Hani in Syria, and written in Ugaritic, an otherwise unknown Northwest Semitic language. Approximately 1,500 texts and fragments have been found to date. The texts were written in the 13th and 12th centuries BCE. The most famous of the Ugarit texts are the approxim...

by Damien F. Mackey Sennacherib took 46 fortified cities, notably Lachish, laid siege to the capital City, had the Temple stripped of its gold and silver, and took tens of thousands of Jews into captivity. His 3rd Campaign was virtually a total success. Let the Great King of Assyria tell it to us personally: As for Hezekiah, the Judaean, who had not submitted to my yoke, I besieged forty-six of his fortified walled cities and surrounding small towns, which were without number. Using packed-down ramps and by applying battering rams, infantry attacks by mines, breeches and siege machines, I conquered (them). I took out 200,150 people, young and old, male and female, horses, mules, donkeys, camels, cattle and sheep, without number, and counted them as spoil. Himself [Hezekiah], I locked him up within Jerusalem, his royal city, like a bird in a cage. I surrounded him with earthworks, and made it unthinkable for him to exit by the city gate. His cities which I had despoiled, ...

“Job belongs to the corpus of wisdom literature, yet it stands apart for its global, rather than national, scope. Its universal themes—suffering, justice, mortality, and faith—speak across cultures and ages”. The Way of Truth ________________________________________ The Way of Truth article (with Damien Mackey’s comments added) can be found at: Understanding the Book of Job: Suffering and Divine Wisdom …. The book of Job stands as one of the most profound and challenging works in all of Scripture. It grapples unflinchingly with the problem of suffering—the question that has haunted humanity since the dawn of time: Why do the righteous suffer? Written in majestic poetry and framed by a prose narrative, Job confronts this question not through philosophical speculation but through divine revelation. It shows that while God’s purposes often lie beyond human understanding, His wisdom and justice remain perfect, and His grace is sufficient even in the darkest affliction. Damie...

“If the southern location is ultimately proven correct, then we will be forced to admit that for hundreds of years untold millions have stood in line to pay homage at the wrong place, that untold numbers of prayers have been tucked into the cracks of the wrong Western Wall, and that thousands of photos have been taken of a Jerusalem model depicting the wrong location and dimensions of the Fortress Antonia”. Joseph Lenard Joseph Lenard wrote on December 8, 2017 on what he calls (I don’t) Herod’s Temple: Where Was Herod’s Temple? – Conclusion | Truth in Scripture Taken from the book by Joseph Lenard entitled Mysteries of Jesus’ Life Revealed—His Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Ascensions. For an overview and complete chapter listing of this fascinating study, click here. Where Was Herod’s Temple? Note: The following Post is taken from the book by Joseph Lenard entitled Mysteries of Jesus’ Life Revealed—His Birth, Death, Resurrection, and Ascensions. For an overview and comp...

by Damien F. Mackey “Finally, Josephus actually gives us information about the Exodus as does Artapanus, the Egyptian historian. The story is actually amazing. Moses had been the Commander in charge of the Egyptian military, and had led an expedition south and extended Egypt's territory 200 miles into Nubia. This was a unique event, and the troops sought to make him pharaoh instead of Khaneferre (Sobekhotep IV) who had married Merris (the daughter of Pharaoh Palmonothes who rescued him from the river)”. Barry Setterfield ________________________________________ Introducing Barry Setterfield Paul Romano tells us something about him: Introducing Barry Setterfield — New Life Magazine We are thrilled to announce that NewLife Magazine has a new addition to our team of talented contributors! Joining us is Barry Setterfield. With an impressive background in various fields including physics, astronomy, and theology, Barry Setterfield brings a wealth of knowledge and deep ...