The Fall of Jericho: The Archaeological Evidence

Was the city of Jericho destroyed as written in the book of Joshua? Expedition Bible has released a DVD, “Jericho Unearthed,” in which archaeologists discuss the arguments in favor and against the destruction of the city by Joshua and the army of Israel.

The web page of Expedition Bible describe the DVD as follows:

The battle of Jericho is one of the most enduring biblical stories. The description of the “walls falling down” is among its most well-known accounts. Yet, the most famous excavation of this ancient site, carried out in the 1950's under the direction of Kathleen Kenyon, claims that there wasn’t even a city at Jericho—much less city walls—at the time when Joshua supposedly conquered it.

What are the implications of the battle of Jericho being disproven? Wouldn’t the Bible be demonstrated untrustworthy? Couldn’t it be argued that the Jewish people have no more right to the land of Israel than anyone else? The implications really are staggering!

For more than fifty years scholars have built a wall of doubt against the historical accuracy of the Bible using Jericho as one of its cornerstones. It’s time to face those challenges head on! It’s time to determine whether or not the conclusions of modern scholarship stand in light of the evidence or if those arguments don’t in fact collapse like Jericho’s walls.

Join us, as we return to the site of one of history’s most important battles in order to explore the crucial question relating to Joshua’s conquest: Did the walls of Jericho really come tumbling down? Find out here in this episode of Expedition Bible.

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them” (Joshua 1:6).

Watch the DVD online by clicking here and then decide for yourself whether the archaeological evidence negates or confirms the fact that the city of Jericho was destroyed just as it was described in the book of Joshua.

HT: Todd Bolen

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Jericho, Joshua

Joshua’s Tomb

According to the book of Judges, after Joshua died, the people of Israel “buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash” (Judges 2:9).

According to Arutz Sheva, a group of Jewish worshipers who were visiting the traditional site of the tombs of Joshua and Caleb, discovered that the tomb had been desecrated. According to the news report, “the tombs were covered with garbage and feces – both human and animal, and anti-Semitic and Nazi slogans and symbols had been painted in the area.”

It is sad that the political situation in Israel is fueling the vandalism of holy sites. The recent vandalism of Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, the desecration of Joshua’s tomb, and the illegal excavations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are destroying important historical sites and defacing the rich traditions of the past.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Caleb, Joshua