Bible -- Antiquities; Bible. Old Testament -- Evidences, authority, etc.
Modern archeology not only has failed to bring any aid to the critics in
this particular incident, but has robbed them of all their carefully
erected structure of argument which was predicated upon the assumption
that the tower of Babel was entirely mythological. Among the recent
excavations in Mesopotamia was the work in the region which bore the
oriental name of Birs-nimroud. When the excavators had finished their
enormous task, they had laid bare a magnificent ziggurat of tremendous
antiquity which was the largest so far discovered. At the time these
ruins were first seen, this enormous tower covered an area of 1,444,000
square feet. It towered to the height of a bit more than 700 feet. Time
has, of course, ravished this monument to some extent, but enough of its
grandeur and glory remains to show it forth as the most ancient as well
as the most magnificent of the Babylonian ziggurats.
According to the description given by Herodotus, in the middle of the
fifth century, B. C., the structure then consisted of a series of eight
ascending towers, each one recessed in the modern fashion of
cutting-back that is used in certain types of sky-scraper architecture.
The famous Step Pyramid at Sakkara is another ancient example of this
type of structure, each successive and higher tower being smaller than
the one upon which it rests. A spiral roadway, according to Herodotus,
went around the entire ziggurat, mounting rapidly from level to level.
He states that at each level a resting place was provided in this spiral
roadway. At the top of the structure was a magnificent temple in which
the religious exercises of the day were observed.
That this was the tower of Nimrod is generally accepted by the
authorities of our present day. The name of Nimrod which in the Sumerian
ideographs is read “Ni-mir-rud” is found on a number of artifacts and
records of high antiquity, and reference is made as well to the great
monument that he built.
So as we _read_ our way through the episodes which constitute the
earlier records of Genesis, we also _dig_ our way into the older strata
of humanity and find ourselves walking hand in hand with the twins of
revelation and scientific vindication! They coincide in all their
utterances, teaching us that all that the Word of God has to say to men
may be accepted without question or doubt.
The late Melvin Grove Kyle has written extensively of his own researches
at Sodom and Gomorrah, so that it is unnecessary to recapitulate the
results of his lifetime of labor. The sulphurous overburden and the
startling confirmation of the Book of Genesis derived from the work of
Dr. Kyle and his associates would vindicate the Scriptural claims to
historical accuracy even if they stood by themselves.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account