Abraham's camels

@indexer (4852)
Leicester, England
October 13, 2018 9:21am CST
The Book of Genesis tells the story in Chapter 12 of the calling of Abram, who would later be called Abraham. He is generally reputed to have been the founder of the Jewish Nation. In verse 16 mention is made of his possessions: “… and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.” This is one of 22 mentions of camels in the Book of Genesis. However, a question arises as to whether these early references to camels in the region of the eastern Mediterranean can stand up to scrutiny. That is because of a discovery made in 2014 in what had been ancient copper mines between the Dead and Red Seas. Camel bones were found at a particular level that could easily be dated, due to the use of radiocarbon techniques. No camel bones were found at any level deeper than the one in question. What this meant was that the domestication of camels in the region could not have happened prior to the 9th century BC. That would have been far too late for Abraham, who was supposed to lived at around 2000 BC. This dating accords with the generally held view that the Book of Genesis was written in around the 6th century BC, when there were probably lots of camels in the region. The writers would have had no reason to doubt that there had been camels there back in Abraham’s day. But of course this view does not go down well with those people who hold that the Bible cannot be wrong in any respect. It must therefore be the archaeologists and radiocarbon daters who are in error!
4 people like this
3 responses
@Courage7 (19635)
• United States
13 Oct 18
It is disputable, many aspects of the Bible. Maybe Abraham had to keep up with the Jonses.
3 people like this
@1hopefulman (45125)
• Canada
13 Oct 18
Archeology has cleared up many false accusations against the Bible. In time, the Bible will always prove to be accurate. Example: Pontius Pilate mentioned in the Bible. For the longest time there was no evidence that he existed but in 1961 an Italian archaeological expedition from the University of Milan found near Caesarea a stone slab bearing the Latin names of Pontius Pilate and Tiberius.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search "Pilate" redirects here. For other uses, see Pilate (disambiguation). Pontius Pilate Prefect of Roman Judaea Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pilate presenti
1 person likes this
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
13 Oct 18
I think you'll find that Pilate was mentioned in many ancient texts, although I cannot cite any specific ones at present. It was well known that he was hated by the Jews and that he was eventually recalled by Emperor Tiberius.
1 person likes this
• Ireland
13 Oct 18
@1hopefulman The Roman senator Tacitus mentioned Pontius Pilate explicitly in his Annals in the 2nd century, so I don't know what you are basing your assertion that there was no extra-biblical evidence for his existence on.
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@1hopefulman (45125)
• Canada
13 Oct 18
@NormanDarlo "The only physical, archaeological evidence that confirms the existence of Pilate is the Latin inscription found on a limestone block relating Pilate's tribute to Tiberius." Wikipedia
• Austin, Texas
18 Oct 18
Where do you keep these beautiful images for your posts??