Does Archaeology Contradict Old Testament Stories?

Have archaeologists “disproved” the historical reliability of the biblical texts? These concerns are as common as they are serious for believers, whether confronting flashy news articles or hearing well-articulated, challenging claims from scholars.

This lecture aims to contextualize such questions by describing what biblical archaeology is and why it is important for understanding the biblical world. By considering three brief case studies (the Hyksos, “Solomonic Stables”, and the siege of Lachish), we will examine how archaeology interacts with the Old Testament. This enables a perspective in which, rather than “proving/disproving” historicity, biblical archaeology properly applied can illuminate the background of Scripture and render its stories more understandable and more vivid.

An active field researcher, Dr. Geoffrey Ludvik is currently co-director of archaeological excavations at Tell el-Hesi, Israel (occupied 2800 BC through the Persian period). His interests include early Canaanite trade and technology, the cultural world of the Patriarchs, the Iron Age kingdom of Judah, and the Old Testament period generally.

He earned his Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) with an emphasis in Hebrew and Semitic Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 and is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on Biblical and Mediterranean archaeology. Geoffrey is also an instructor at St. Ambrose Academy in Madison, WI, and a research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University. Geoffrey lives in Madison, WI, with his wife and son.