King David: For Real?
What has never been in doubt to Christians who believe in the inspiration of Scripture, can no longer be in doubt to the general public either.
At Tel Dan in northern Israel, a stela (stone slab) has been discovered containing a reference to the “king of the House of David.” Dating from the mid-eighth century B.C., it is the first extra-biblical, historical evidence for the existence of the King David of the Bible. David is believed to have lived about 1000 B.C.
The stela’s fragmented inscription, written in Aramaic, proves that King David was a genuine historical figure (the position of believers) and not merely the fantastic literary creation of later biblical writers and editors (the position of skeptics).
As Millar Burrows of Yale wrote, “archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record. More than one archaeologist has found his respect for the Bible increased by the experience of excavation in Palestine.”
Sources: Biblical Archaeology Society Staff listing, May 02, 2019, https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/author/biblical-archaeology-society-staff/.
Millar Burrows, What Mean These Stones? (New York: Meridian Books, 1956), p. 1.
