Ronald S. Hendel: "Giants at Jericho." What a Story Indeed!

When I say there is no archaeological evidence for the Israelite Exodus, wilderness wanderings, or Canaanite conquest, I mean exactly what I say. Listen to what Ronald S. Hendel said about Jericho. He's a Professor of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

This is what he said matter-of-factly:

According to the best interpretations of the archaeological evidence, Jericho was destroyed around 1550 B.C.E. and was not settled again until after 1000 B.C.E. But the emergence of Israel dates to around 1200 B.C.E., right in the middle of this 500-year gap. If Joshua and his troops had surrounded Jericho, there would have been nobody home.

Then Hendel goes on to try to salvage some kind of historicity to the story itself involving mythical giants in the land, whom it was believed were sired from the sons of god mating with women (Genesis 6). But one myth cannot be used to lend credibility to another one. He may be correct about what the Israelites believed, but I see no reason to accept any of this as historical at all. Apparently there were a number of these giants in the land--even Goliath was one of them. Where are the archaeological digs revealing any of the skeletal remains of even one of these giants? Again, there are none.

Christian, does this not trouble you? It should. Such a lack of evidence as this is the same thing we find when it comes to the Mormon claims of people living in America that form the basis of the Book of Mormon. You don't believe the Mormons precisely because of this lack of archaeological evidence. Why then do you not apply this same kind of evidential test when it comes to your own beliefs? This is what it means to take The Outsider Test for Faith. Come on, you can do it.