Journal: Bible and Spade (Second Run)

Volume: BSPADE 27:3 (Summer 2014)

Article: We Hear You
Author: Editors

BSpade 27:3 (Summer 2014) p. 58

We Hear You
Editors

Attended The ABR Annual Banquet

We attended the ABR banquet last evening where we enjoyed learning about the fascinating
Egyptian scarab found last year at the Khirbet el-Maqatir excavation. I wish it were possible for
me to join next year’s excavation team. The highlight of the evening was the speaker, Gary
Bates, CEO of Creation Ministries International. We really enjoyed the information he shared on
Creationism. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak, I strongly recommend you take
advantage of the wonderful opportunity to learn more about Creationism and how our world was
created.
– Susan

Questions About Jericho

Dear Dr. Wood,
What are the linear measurements of the four sides of Jericho? Did you uncover any human
bones? Were these people really giants? Do you believe that the Israelite forces were more than
the forces of Jericho?
– J. Weaver

A Response By ABR Director Of Research, Dr. Bryant Wood:

Thank you for your kind letter. Here are the answers to your questions:
What are the linear measurements of the four sides of Jericho?
– The fortified area of Jericho was an oval ca. 2 mi long x 1 mi wide occupying a total area of ca.
9 acres.
 Michael Luddeni
Aerial view of Tell es-Sultan, ancient Jericho, looking south. The trenches and squares
visible today are from Kathleen Kenyon’s excavations in the 1950s and the more recent Italian-
Palestinian excavation which began in 1997.
Did you uncover any human bones?
– Human bones from the time of the Conquest were found in tombs outside the city, as well as at
least one infant jar burial that I am aware of inside the city. No casualties from the Conquest
were found. This is not unusual as
BSpade 27:3 (Summer 2014) p. 59

survivors of such catastrophes recovered the bodies of the dead to give them a proper burial, as
we do today.
Were these people really giants?
– Remains for the cemetery would suggest that the people of Jericho were of normal stature.
Do you believe that the Israelite forces were more than the forces of Jericho?
– A recent estimate of the population of Jericho placed it at 3,000. This would have been the
number of people in the city under normal conditions. In time of danger, however, many more
from the surrounding villages would have taken refuge inside the city walls. Even so, the
Israelites would have far outnumbered the people of Jericho. I hope this helps.
Dear ABR team,
Firstly I would like to thank you for your excellent work. Secondly, I would like to ask about some
details related to the website article “Carbon 14 Dating at Jericho.” What was the mistake of the
British Museum with the calibration? Why exactly 150 years? Interestingly, that is the exact
amount of years to disqualify the Bible and enthrone K. Kenyon again. What about the Italian
dates? Are they a possible proof for 1400 BC or are they definitely proof that C14 is not
trustworthy at all?
– Siarl
A Response From The ABR Staff:
What was the mistake of the British Museum with the calibration?
– Errors were made in the operation of the liquid scintillation counters.
Why exactly 150 years? Interestingly, that is the exact amount of years to disqualify the Bible
and enthrone K. Kenyon again.
– If you are referring to the 100-150 year offset between radiocarbon dates and historical dates
in the mid-second millennium BC, that is an approximate range which seems to be dependent
upon location. For a recent study of radiocarbon dates for Egypt, see the Shortland and Ramsey
reference below.
What about the Italian dates? Are they a possible proof for 1400 BC or are they definitely proof
that C14 is not trustworthy at all?
– In 1998 an Italian team obtained radiocarbon samples from a burnt fill in the tower of Building
A1. Building A1 is located at the base of the south side of the tell. It was in existence prior to the
construction of the final phase of the rampart fortification system, as the foundation trench for
the retaining wall for the earthen embankment cut through Building A1, ca. 1500 BC. The
samples are carbonized fragments of poplar wood, undoubtedly from the floor or ceiling of the
upper story of the tower (Marchetti and Nigro 2000: 200, 206-207, 330, 332). Thus, the samples
are unrelated to the destruction of Jericho in 1406 BC.

Important Questions On Creation, The Flood, And More

Hello Friends at ABR:
I am a fan of ABR and enjoy listening to “The Stones Cry Out.” I have a couple of questions I was
wondering you could help me with:
1. What is ABR’s position on the age of the Earth? Can we know how old the Earth is? Answers in
Genesis dates it to about 6,000 years old. Would ABR agree or would you say it is older or
younger?
2. What date would ABR give for the timing of the Flood? I was thinking based on the biblical
data somewhere between 2400 and 2200 B.C. Would that be in the ballpark?
3. How long were the children of Israel actually in Egypt? Some say 215 years, others say 430.
What does ABR say?
4., Does ABR believe that there are any gaps in the Genesis genealogies? If so, where?
Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
– Gregory

A Response By ABR Staff Member, Henry Smith:

Dear Gregory,
Thanks for contacting the ministry of ABR and for your questions. We very much appreciate the
nature of your concerns. In this forum I am unable to provide you with in-depth answers, but I
can give some general answers:
The official position of ABR is that the creation is recent, the universe was created in 6 days, and
that there was a global Flood. We have held that the Ge 5 and Ge 11 chronologies are historical,
with possible limited gaps. We are presently revisiting this issue more in depth. Our founder, Dr.
Livingston, dated the Flood to 3,000 BC based on archaeological evidence. Personally, I am
inclined to believe that the Flood was between 3100 and 3300 BC based on the siring ages of the
Ge 11 patriarchs in the SP/LXX (Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint) and not the MT (Masoretic
Text). This is not ABR’s official position, but my own tentative view for now. We do not have
articles published on all of this, but hope to do so in the future. Thus, all of our staff would affirm
that the world is less than 10,000 years old, and a number of us would say less than that,
probably 7,000 or 8,000.
Concerning the Length of the Sojourn, it is clear to us the length is not 215 years, but 430 years.
As I mentioned, we hope to be publishing more on this important subject in the future.
Thank you for your excellent questions!

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