Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:00 — 3.7MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More
Have you watched an old western? You know, a film with cowboys and gun fights. Remember how you can always tell who the hero is because he wears a white hat. The villains wear black hats.
When we look at the stories in the Bible, we don’t have the color of hats to sort out the bad guys. But we look at their actions, and it becomes obvious. One of the villains was a man named Herod the Great. According to the Bible, he slaughtered all the male babies two years old or younger around Bethlehem following the birth of Jesus.
But is the Bible true? Did Herod live and was he king at the time of Jesus’ birth? Archaeology provides evidence that Herod is a historical figure. He was a great builder. He expanded the temple in Jerusalem and built a port and palace on the Mediterranean at Caesarea. One of his palaces, and his tomb has been discovered near Bethlehem. He also created a fortress called Masada in the desert on top of a mountain plateau. There an inscription has been found bearing the king’s name and his full title. It was found on the remains of a 20-gallon wine jug. It reads, “Herod, King of Judea.”*
Not every detail in the Bible has been confirmed by archaeology, but a vast number have been confirmed and discoveries are on-going. You can trust the Bible!
*Sebastian Kettley, “Archaeology news: 2,000-year-old inscription proves evil King Herod ‘was real’ – claim,” Daily Express, April 26, 2021, https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/archaeology-news-2000-year-old-inscription-proves-evil-king-herod-was-real-claim/ar-BB1g3gXx.
Please provide feedback and suggestions at: https://www.sparkingfaith.com/feedback/
Bumper music “Landing Place” performed by Mark July, used under license from Shutterstock.