edmond, oklahoma

Is the Bible historically accurate? This is the biggest controversy in biblical archaeology. Many scholars believe it is riddled with myth, presenting a distorted version of historical reality.

This is more than a dusty academic debate. If the Bible is unreliable, it has little relevance to your life and no authority. But if it accurately describes the world from thousands of years ago, that has dramatic implications regarding the reliability and authority of the entire book.

One period features in this debate above all others: David and Solomon. Some biblical archaeologists say David was merely a tribal chieftain. The Bible says he ruled millions of people from a great capital city. Which view is correct?

A new exhibit in Edmond, Oklahoma, provides evidence for visitors to learn the answer for themselves, and an online experience is available to everyone.

“Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered” opened to the public on February 25. The exhibit is sponsored by the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology, the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel Antiquities Authority. Visitors can view ancient inscriptions, tools, weapons, jewelry, housewares, textiles, stamps, worship items and other objects that Israelites and their neighbors touched, held and wore at the height of their kingdom. Over the exhibit’s yearlong duration, thousands will walk in and around its replica palace walls and pillars, viewing illustrations, three-dimensional models, information displays and a virtual reality experience transporting the mind to the thriving 10th-century b.c. kingdom of Israel.

The Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology exhibit and its accompanying special issue of Let the Stones Speak magazine use a puzzle motif to illustrate that although these and other artifacts and sites in the Levant have been studied extensively, no exhibit has pieced them together to assert the central focus of “Kingdom of David and Solomon Discovered”: that the united monarchy of Israel was a great economic, military, cultural and moral power, as reflected in the Bible’s historical record.

“This exhibit is totally unique,” curator Brad Macdonald said. “This is the first time such a diverse collection of 10th-century archaeological finds have been collected in one place and presented in their broader scientific, historic and biblical context to reveal the monumental nature of the united monarchy during the reigns of kings David and Solomon.”

The artifacts come from Jerusalem, Timna, Lachish and Kirbet Qeiyafa and, along with the larger context they represent, from the education, experience, excavation and research of many archaeologists past and current. Among these are Prof Benjamin Mazar, Dr. Eilat Mazar, Prof. Uzi Leibner, Dr. Orit Peleg-Barkat and Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, who have worked with the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology, the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation and students and graduates of Herbert W. Armstrong College to excavate and publish the ancient history of Jerusalem, the kingdom of Judah and the kingdom of Israel.

The biblical books of Kings and Chronicles state that the kingdom under David stretched from Dan to Beersheba, and that under Solomon it extended even further.

Acknowledging the counterarguments made by archaeologists and others challenging the accuracy of these accounts, the exhibit materials assert that 16 major “pieces of the puzzle” can be pieced together to corroborate the biblical record of Israel during the reigns of David and Solomon. These include the documented but largely inexplicable collapse of the Assyrian Empire into a historical lull, the Babylonian Empire into the “Period of Chaos,” the Elamite Empire into centuries of obscurity, Egypt into its Third Intermediate Period, Mycenaean Greece into the “Greek Dark Age,” and the Hittite Empire into extinction.

During this time, dozens of Israelite garrisons existed in Edom, an industrial center, and Israelite copper mines existed in the Arabah Valley. Evidence has also emerged of an Israelite trading fleet. Across the territory, remnants of buildings reveal an advancement in construction practices from fieldstones and rough-hewn blocks to ashlars and pillars topped by more refined volute capitals. Construction patterns and artifacts in about half a dozen cities, including Khirbet Qeiyafa, indicate connections to a strong central government.

There is also evidence of widespread literacy in the territory as well as a drastic reduction of pagan temples, idols and even consumption of pork. Evidence of the Phoenicians and Philistines also match certain details recorded in the Bible.

The Tel Dan Stele, the Mesha Stele and the Karnak Inscription each refer to King David by name. The Large Stone Structure, uncovered and dated by Dr. Eilat Mazar to the 10th century b.c. and connected to the well-known 66-foot Stepped Stone Structure, matches the location of David’s palace, as indicated in 2 Samuel 5:17. And evidence has emerged of large construction projects during this time across the territory and especially in the walls, towers and gates of Jerusalem and its temple.

While many consider the present turbulent and the future uncertain, a look into evidence from the past could lead to a striking conclusion: The book that precisely documented the causes and effects that produced a powerful, prosperous and purposeful ancient civilization might be just as relevant today.