Four chapters of the Bible ‘confirmed’ true in major discovery
A major discovery in Turkey has ‘confirmed’ that four chapters of the Bible are likely true.
Archaeologists uncovered over 60 ancient tombs in Colossae, the city immortalised in Saint Paul’s letters in the New Testament.
This follows other discoveries that shed light on Biblical passages, including at the Nahal Qomem archaeological site in Israel
The bulk of tombs at Colossae date back over 2,200 years and the discoveries were reported by the country’s state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) back on 6 October.
It sheds a new light on Colossae, the place known well as the home of an early Christian community Saint Paul addressed his Epistle to the Colossians to (the 12th book of the New Testament).
St Paul’s letter spans a whopping 95 verses across four chapters as he warns the people against false teachings and emphasises Jesus as supreme over all things.
The ancient city of Colossae is said to have lost prominence after an earthquake in the 1st century AD severely damaged it. It was rebuilt again eventually but ended up being abandoned following another earthquake.
Archaeologist Baris Yener said: “After removing the surface soil, we identified around 65 tombs, of which we excavated 60.”
He described the area as the ‘largest necropolis in Anatolia featuring rock-cut, trough-shaped tombs’. The excavators were surprised to find so many side-by-side tombs when the area is so confined as they also contained an impressive array of artefacts.
Among the items discovered, there were the likes of coins, personal belongings of the dead, terracotta ceramics, glass bottles, sandals and oil lamps.
It’s thought these lamps in the graves were believed to be to help illuminate people’s journey into the afterlife.
Yener also added that there were numerous charms, stones and amulets uncovered that were ‘thought to possess healing qualities’.
With the findings like this, it’s said the ‘pre-Christian’ tombs offer a new insight into the religious beliefs from the ancient people there.
And it’s therefore suggested that the people of Colossae had strong spiritual beliefs before St. Paul’s famed letter was actually written.
Paul was an early Christian missionary and dedicated his life to preaching Jesus’ teachings while establishing Christian communities. He addressed the people’s influence from local spiritual practices and beliefs in his letters.
“The findings reveal how much the people of Colossae valued magic, talismans and objects believed to offer protection,” Yener explained.
“These pre-Christian practices provide essential context for understanding the religious environment in which the early Christian community emerged.”
It is believed that continued excavation will help give more understanding of how early Christianity built its foundations.
Discovery of ancient Jesus artefact confirms one part of the Bible
It brings the famous Bible verse to life
The discovery of an ancient Jesus artefact in Turkey could change the way we view one of the Bible’s most well-known verses.
While some folks have been making wild guesses as to when the rapture is going to arrive, or when Jesus is supposedly going to return to Earth, archaeologists have been busy trying to find conclusive evidence that backs up the Bible.
As the most-read text of all time, it’s no surprise that the Bible has been heavily scrutinised over the years, with most scholars accepting that, while Jesus of Nazareth was a real historical figure, some of the acts he is said to have performed in the Bible are more likely to be fictional – scientifically speaking.
Scientists and archaeologists have been researching areas such as Egypt for a long time, trying to find more proof of the religious figure, and it was only recently that they discovered evidence that suggests that a key character in the religious text, Pontius Pilate, was almost certainly real.
He was the man said to have ordered Jesus’s crucifixion, and although Christians across the world celebrate the miracle of him coming back from the dead every Easter, that particular miracle might never be proven to be true.
At Topraktepe, the site of ancient Eirenopolis, researchers discovered five carbonised bread loaves, one bearing a portrait of Jesus and an ancient Greek inscription reading, ‘With our thanks to Blessed Jesus’.
You may well be thinking of the miracle where Jesus feeds the 5000 using fish and bread, but it turns out that this particular artefact is likely to provide backing for the John 6:35 verse, where Jesus declares, ‘I am the bread of life’.
Bread is, of course, depicted as the body of Jesus in some religious teachings, and it was the same for the people of Eirenopolis, as they believed that loaves were sacred objects which were ritually treated as representations of Christ himself.
Many churches still celebrate communion, inviting participants to partake in bread and wine, which symbolise the body and blood of Jesus.
Archaeologists determined that the five discovered breads were very likely communion breads used in the central Christian ritual of the Eucharist, with the other four loaves featuring cross-shaped imprints.
This is only the latest discovery that gives more credence to the Bible, although researchers are still trying to unearth Noah’s ark.