THE ROMAN PROCONSUL PAUL LED TO FAITH — CONFIRMED IN STONE
Bryan Windle, biblical archaeologist & researcher at the Associates for Biblical Research“Multiple inscriptions discovered at Soli (Cyprus), Rome, and Pisidian Antioch confirm the existence of Sergius Paulus — the Roman proconsul whom the Apostle Paul led to faith in Christ in Acts 13. The Soli inscription names a proconsul of Cyprus from the Paulus family; the Rome inscription names Lucius Sergius Paulus as a curator under Claudius. Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary journey is historically precise.” The convergence of three independent inscriptions confirming the Sergius Paulus family’s presence in Cyprus and Rome provides direct epigraphic corroboration of one of the most specific historical claims in the Acts of the Apostles. Evidence: Epigraphic analysis of the Soli inscription (Cyprus), the Tiber River inscription (Rome), and the Pisidian Antioch inscriptions naming the Sergius Paulus family. [Ontology: Jesus > Temple Inscriptions & Roman Imperial Records]+ Read More
File Under: The Bible > Biblical Archaeology
Cross Reference: New Testament
THE CITY TREASURER PAUL GREETED — HIS NAME IN THE PAVEMENT
Dr. John McRay, professor of New Testament & archaeology at Wheaton College, on the Erastus Inscription at Corinth“In 1929, archaeologists excavating at Corinth found a large paving stone near the theater bearing the inscription: ‘Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense.’ This is almost certainly the Erastus whom Paul greets in Romans 16:23 as ‘the city’s director of public works.’ A named individual from a New Testament letter has been found — in the pavement of the city where Paul wrote Romans.” The Erastus Inscription is one of the most precise personal name correlations between a New Testament text and an archaeological artifact ever discovered, confirming the historical specificity of Paul’s letter to the Romans. Evidence: Latin epigraphic analysis of first-century paving stone inscription at Corinth, correlated with Romans 16:23. [Ontology: Jesus > Temple Inscriptions & Roman Imperial Records]+ Read More
File Under: The Bible > Biblical Archaeology
Cross Reference: New Testament
THE OLDEST KNOWN CHRISTIAN CHURCH MOSAIC NAMES JESUS CHRIST
Dr. Yotam Tepper, archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority, excavator of the Megiddo Church mosaic“In 2005, we excavated a mosaic floor at Megiddo — inside what was a Roman military prison — bearing a Greek inscription that reads: ‘The god-loving Akeptous has offered this table to God Jesus Christ as a memorial.’ Dating to approximately AD 230, this is one of the oldest known Christian inscriptions ever found, and it explicitly names Jesus Christ as God — within 200 years of the crucifixion, in a Roman military context.” The Megiddo Church mosaic — discovered inside a Roman prison — demonstrates that the worship of Jesus as God was established, named, and physically inscribed in stone within two centuries of the crucifixion, in a non-ecclesiastical Roman military setting. Evidence: Greek mosaic inscription analysis, stratigraphic dating to approximately AD 230, and contextual analysis of the Megiddo Roman military compound. [Ontology: Jesus > Broader Physical Evidence]+ Read More
File Under: The Bible > Biblical Archaeology
Cross Reference: Secular Corroboration
THE WOMEN OF THE GOSPELS: THEIR NAMES CONFIRMED IN STONE
Dr. Richard Bauckham, professor of New Testament at the University of St Andrews & author of Jesus and the Eyewitnesses“Statistical analysis of first-century Jewish name frequency shows that the names in the Gospels — Mary, Salome, Joanna, Martha, Susanna — precisely match the most common women’s names in first-century Palestine as documented in ossuaries and papyri. The Gospel writers did not invent generic names. They recorded the actual names of real women in a real community, with a frequency distribution that matches the archaeological record exactly.” His landmark statistical study of Gospel name frequency — cross-referenced against hundreds of first-century Jewish ossuaries and papyri — demonstrated that the Gospels reflect authentic first-century Palestinian naming patterns, not later invention. Evidence: Statistical analysis of 2,625 individuals in the Palestinian Jewish name database, compared with Gospel name frequency distributions. [Ontology: Jesus > Broader Physical Evidence]+ Read More
File Under: The Bible > Biblical Archaeology
Cross Reference: The Resurrection