To go back to the 6th Century BC Babylon and the dominant figure responsible for its glory, King Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian Chronicle in the British Museum tells of his ascension to the throne and of his capture of Jerusalem in 597 BC, and his return to destroy Jerusalem and Solomon’s beautiful temple in 586 BC - affirming the biblical record of the Jewish exile to Babylon.
In Isaiah 39:1 we read of Merodach Baladin of Babylon. Because his name was not mentioned in history, the critics reckoned there was no such king until an actual tablet was dug up in the city with his inscription dating about 720 BC, agreeing exactly with the Biblical record.
A few years ago we were served up some archeological excitement in the media generated by the British Museum. The Times, 11 July 2007, said, “The British Museum yesterday hailed a discovery within a modest clay tablet in its collection as a breakthrough for biblical archaeology - dramatic proof of the accuracy of the Old Testament.
“The cuneiform inscription in a tablet dating from 595BC has been deciphered for the first time - revealing a reference to an official at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that proves the historical existence of a figure mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah.
“This is rare evidence in a nonbiblical source of a real person, other than kings, featured in the Bible.”
Daniel 5:1-30 records that Belshazzar was the last king of Babylon. His name could not be found in history, so it was denied that he ever existed. The critics showed evidence that it was Nabonidus who was the last king of Babylon. However, archaeologists have since found the name of Belshazzar, revealing that he was a co-ruler with his father, Nabonidus. Belshazzar was a real person and was the sole ruler in the city of Babylon when it was overthrown, exactly as the Bible says. So we now see the sense of the last line of Daniel 5:16, where Daniel was offered the position of “third ruler in Babylon.”
Apart from Richard Dawkins and co there are plenty on the Internet who flippantly rubbish the Bible. Christians should remind themselves that the Bible is a book to be relied on.
