In recent years, the number of people who view the Bible as the word of God has been declining. This is a curious fact, because archeological evidence to support the reliability of the Bible has been increasing. As new discoveries are made, archaeology consistently supports, and never falsifies, New Testament documents. Archaeology has helped confirm people, places, and timelines recorded in the Bible. In this blog, we’ll explore two archaeological discoveries that show how the New Testament lines up with real first- century history.
The Pilate Stone
According to the gospels, a man named Pontius Pilate, the prefect (governor) of Judea, was closely tied with the trials and death of Jesus Christ around AD 30. Jesus was put on trial before Pilate in Jerusalem (the capital of Judea). Although Pilate saw no reason to condemn Jesus, and even feared divine judgment if he did, he was more afraid for his reputation among men. Because of this, Pilate gave the sinless Messiah to the Jews to be crucified. Although Pilate played a large role in the crucifixion, he is hardly mentioned anywhere else in history. Because of this, some skeptics claimed he was a pretend character created by the apostles when they made up the story of Jesus’ trial. However, a discovery in 1961 defeated this claim once and for all. During an excavation in Jerusalem (where Jesus was on trial—Mark 15:16, John 18:28) archaeologists uncovered a staircase with an inscription on one stone that says: “To the Divine Augusti Tiberium, Pontius Pilate prefect of Judea has dedicated this”. This stone has been dated to between AD 26 and AD 37, verifies Pilate as the prefect of Judea, and is right where Jesus was said to be on trial! For these reasons, historians are now very confident the biblical Pontius Pilate existed, and this is the same man written about in stone. Although this find doesn’t prove the crucifixion or resurrection of Jesus, it gives even more support that the New Testament provides trustworthy records of history!
The Gallio Inscription
In Acts 18, Luke writes about one of apostle Paul’s missionary journeys to Corinth. In one section he writes:
“While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on
Paul and brought him to the place of judgment.” – Acts 18:12
The story goes to describe a conversation between Gallio and the Jews who captured Paul. Although Gallio is only present in a few verses, two important things are communicated about him: he was the proconsul of Achaia, and he held the proconsul role sometime between AD 49 and AD 54.
With knowledge of these two biblical claims, any evidence found to prove or disprove them would impact the historical reliability of Acts, and possibly the entire New Testament. This is where the Gallio Inscription comes into play.
In Greece, a stone inscription was found that dates to AD 52. It mentions a proconsul and friend on the emperor, named Junius Gallio. This Gallio Inscription verified the life and
career of the man described in Acts 18, and even gave a more precise date for the missionary journeys of Paul!
Even in the small details, the New Testament proves itself consistent with historical truth. Christianity does require faith, but it does not require us to abandon facts and reason to have faith. It is the ultimate truth—the universal source of reason—that continues to be verified by historical, scientific, and philosophical facts!
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6
Written by Abbey Harley