Episode 253 – Archeology and the Bible – Part 8 – Jericho Old & New 2
Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.
Script:
Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus … was sitting beside the road. …The blind man [said], “Master, I want to see!” Jesus told him, “… Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” At once the man could see ...
The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10, verses 46 through 52, Contemporary English Version

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VK: Hi. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. I’m Victoria K. This is our 8th episode in a series that we are doing on archeology and the Bible. It’s popular today, especially in academia and the media, to attempt to portray the Bible as a book that has little connection to the real world. But when reviewed objectively the it is obvious that the Bible is a book that is firmly set in time and place and accurately reflects a large body of important history. And archeology has been extremely supportive of the Bible’s historical trustworthiness. That’s why we wanted to do this series. We want everyone, especially listeners to Anchored by Truth, to have a firm grasp on evidence by which they can be assured that the Bible is the inspired word of God. To help us continue to explore this topic, in the studio today we have RD Fierro. RD is an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books RD, thus far in this series we have reviewed a number of specific archeological finds that have confirmed details of the Bible. And in our last episode of Anchored by Truth we spent some time providing evidence that the story of the fall of Jericho told in the book of Joshua is true. Can you give us a brief reminder of some of the things we talked about?
RD: Sure. One element of the Biblical story that is attested to by archeology is that Jericho was strongly fortified and could have held enough people to be militarily significant. A second element is that it was small enough for the Israelite army to march around seven times in one day. A third element is that when the archeologists excavated at Jericho they found a one-meter-thick layer of ash and debris, including jars of burnt wheat, in many sections of the city. Joshua, chapter 6, verse 24 says “Then [the Israelites] burned the whole city and everything in it …” One final piece of evidence that is consistent with the Bible is that one section of the city wall was found to still be upright and that there were houses whose back walls were actually part of the city’s walls. The Bible explicitly says that the harlot Rahab’s house was built into the city wall. Joshua, chapter 2, verse 15 says, “So [Rahab] let [the Hebrew spies] down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall.” A German exploration team in 1907–1909 found that on the north a short stretch of the lower city wall did not fall as everywhere else and formed the back wall of a house.
VK: The main point of the evidence we cited is that there is ample archeological evidence to support the reliability of the Bible’s account the Israelites captured the city of Jericho exactly as the Bible describes. And then we talked briefly about, “why does it matter whether the story - as told in the Bible - is true?” Some people might very well say that whether the story is literally true or just an embellished account doesn’t make a difference.
RD: And, as we said last week, the answer to that question is that it makes all the difference in the world whether the story is true. The city of Jericho was the first major obstacle the Israelites encountered when they ended their period of wandering in the desert and were about to enter the Promised Land. That’s not unusual even in the lives of faithful believers. Even if we are doing exactly what God wants us to do we can and should expect to encounter opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Overcoming opposition is a part of fulfilling God’s plans for our lives. And that is why it matters that the story of Joshua’s conquest is true. Humanly speaking Joshua and his soldiers may or may not have been able to ultimately breach Jericho’s walls. But they sure weren’t going to do it in a matter of days – more like months or maybe years. For the Hebrew conquest of Canaan to be successful it was vital for Joshua to keep the momentum going. But he couldn’t do that on his own. He needed God’s help. And he got it. And because Joshua really got the help he needed when he needed it that gives us hope we can receive help from that same God when we need it.
VK: But if the story of Joshua’s conquest of Jericho was just a legend or some kind of embellished story why would that give anyone hope. We might be able to learn lessons from stories – Jesus used parable to teach - but if we want real hope we need examples, real examples, of when our God came to the aid of His people. That’s one thing we get from the story of Jericho. But we only get that if the story is real history.
RD: Exactly. Militarily and psychologically it was important for the Israelites to conquer Jericho to fulfill the mandate they had received from God to take possession of the land of Canaan. And with God’s help they did conquer Jericho and proceeded to other cities in Canaan. And most Christians, and many non-believers, have a sort of basic awareness of this episode from the Bible. Well, the book that contains the account of the conquest of Jericho is Joshua which in most modern Bibles is the 6th book of the Bible.
VK: The book of Joshua immediately follows the five books that Moses wrote during the wilderness wanderings. Together these five books are often called the Pentateuch and they are sometimes referred to as the “Torah” or the “Law.” The book of Joshua is the first of the historical books which include Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, 1st and 2nd Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. So, the book of Joshua is featured early in the Old Testament.
RD: And while many, if not most, people are familiar with the story of the conquest of Jericho and the walls falling down, most people are probably not aware that the city of Jericho also appears in the New Testament - which, of course, means that Jericho was rebuilt after it was destroyed by Joshua. And the continuing story of Jericho is something we want to take a look at because it helps illustrate the unity of scripture.
VK: So, the first thing we note is that, even though Joshua led the expedition against Jericho, Joshua himself prophesied that the city would be rebuilt. The Contemporary English Version of Joshua, chapter 6, verse 26 puts his prophecy this way: “After Jericho was destroyed, Joshua warned the people, ‘Someday a man will rebuild Jericho, but the LORD will put a curse on him, and the man's oldest son will die when he starts to build the town wall. And by the time he finishes the wall and puts gates in it, all his children will be dead.’” This prophecy was fulfilled over 500 years later. Ahab was the king of northern kingdom of Israel from around 871 B.C. to about 852 B.C. During Ahab’s time Jericho was rebuilt. 1 Kings, chapter 16, verse 34 tells us that a man named Hiel rebuilt the city.
RD: That verse in the Contemporary English version says this. “While Ahab was king, a man from Bethel named Hiel rebuilt the town of Jericho. But while Hiel was laying the foundation for the town wall, his oldest son Abiram died. And while he was finishing the gates, his youngest son Segub died. This happened just as the LORD had told Joshua to say many years ago.” Now the Bible does not tell us why Hiel decided to rebuild Jericho but we can engage in a little sanctified speculation. Hiel was from Bethel and the location of Jericho was just a little to the east of Bethel. So, Hiel was very familiar with the area around Jericho and likely with the ruins. And he probably realized that the ruins contained a lot of potentially desirable building materials that he could salvage and repurpose.
VK: Plus, as you mentioned, it had been over 500 years since the original Jericho had been destroyed. Perhaps Hiel reasoned that over such a long period Joshua’s original curse had simply expired. Also, Bethel was one of the religious sites for the northern kingdom. Let’s remember that the original unified nation of Israel had by this time split into the northern and southern kingdoms. After the split the northern kingdom was called Israel and the southern kingdom was called Judah. Jerusalem was the religious center for the southern kingdom but the northern kingdom had established two religious centers – one in Bethel and one in a more northerly city, Dan. So, it’s possible Hiel simply felt that now that the kingdoms were split he wouldn’t be affected by a curse that had been given during a time before the split. Or perhaps he just didn’t believe in the validity of the curse because he lived in a time and a place when his people had set aside many of the religious practices that had been inaugurated by Moses during the Exodus.
RD: Any or all of those things are possible. As you noted Hiel was chronologically, culturally, and religiously a long ways away from the pronouncement of the curse. That’s how people reason. We tend to think that things from long ago won’t affect us. But that’s now how God acts. God had inspired Joshua to pronounce the curse to begin with. So, when Hiel rebuilt Jericho he suffered the penalty for his ignorance or his hubris and his children died. But the city of Jericho lived on and it was still in existence during Jesus’ lifetime. But there is one detail about Jericho’s reconstruction that we need to note. Even though Hiel rebuilt a town named Jericho he did not build it on exactly the same site as the original city.
VK: And that makes perfect sense. The original site of Jericho would have been a mess. There were ruins of structures scattered everywhere, the residue from walls that had fallen in, the ground would have been uneven and hard to navigate. The original site would have been a very difficult place on which to build a new set of walls and buildings. So, Hiel probably made a sensible decision to salvage what materials were useful but to build the new city a short distance away. He would have chosen a site that was relatively level, more construction friendly, but close enough where any salvaged materials did not have to be transported very far. And that’s the configuration that came down to New Testament times.
RD: And that configuration is an important element of understanding two passages from the New Testament. We heard one of those two passages in our opening scripture from the Gospel of Mark. The other passage that we want to compare is from the Gospel of Luke. It’s from Luke, chapter 18, verses 35 through 43.
VK: Let’s listen to that section – again from the Contemporary English Version.
When Jesus was coming close to Jericho, a blind man sat begging beside the road. The man heard the crowd walking by and asked what was happening. Some people told him that Jesus from Nazareth was passing by. So the blind man shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people who were going along with Jesus told the man to be quiet. But he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Jesus stopped and told some people to bring the blind man over to him. When the blind man was getting near, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see!” he answered. Jesus replied, “Look and you will see! Your eyes are healed because of your faith.” At once the man could see, and he went with Jesus and started thanking God.
RD: So, that passage from Luke tells us that Jesus encountered the blind beggar as he “was coming close to Jericho” – in other words, as he was approaching Jericho. Now Mark told us the name of the beggar – Bartimaeus – which just means son of Timaeus – but Luke didn’t bother mentioning the name. But let’s remember what Mark told us about the encounter. In Mark the opening of the passage says, “Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, … A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus … was sitting beside the road.”
VK: So, the distinction that you want us to note is that Mark tells us that Jesus encountered the beggar as they were “leaving” Jericho, but Luke says the encounter occurred “When Jesus was coming close to Jericho.” – in other words as Jesus was approaching Jericho. So, that does seem to be a bit of a problem. Luke says Jesus encountered the beggar on the way into Jericho, but Mark tells us it was he was leaving Jericho. That does seem to be a bit of a contradiction.
RD: Yes, it does. But the key word you used is “seems.” And that’s where we need to go back to Hiel’s ill-fated decision to rebuild Jericho. Hiel rebuilt the city but, in all probability, he did not use exactly the same site for the reasons we have discussed. Plus Hiel’s reconstruction of Jericho was over 800 years before Jesus was born. And during those intervening 800 years there were a lot of invaders who had passed through Palestine including the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and the Romans. It’s entirely possible that some, or all, of the town Hiel rebuilt had been destroyed and rebuilt yet again. We do know that around Jesus’ time the heart of New Testament Jericho was the winter palace complex built by Herod the Great. New Testament Jericho was about 2 miles southwest of Old Testament Jericho. So, it is possible that Mark and Luke could be referring to an encounter that took place between the two sites. Mark was referring to Jesus leaving the vicinity of the Old Testament site and Luke was referring to Jesus approaching the New Testament site.
VK: But it is also possible that Jesus had encountered a blind man on the way into Jericho who had tried, but failed, to get Jesus’ attention. The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 20, verse 29 has this to say about Jesus’ encounter with blind beggars near Jericho. “Jesus was followed by a large crowd as he and his disciples were leaving Jericho. Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, ‘Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!’” Matthew goes on to say that Jesus did restore sight to both men although Matthew does not provide any names. Only Mark mentions a specific name.
RD: Agreed. That is also a possibility. Some scholars believe that the reason Mark mentions a specific name of one of the men who was healed is that Bartimaeus was the more vocal and forceful of the two. And if Bartimaeus had initially tried to get Jesus’ attention as Jesus was approaching Jericho and then waited around to make another attempt, knowing that eventually Jesus would leave the city, that would also mean Bartimaeus had particularly strong faith. So, one reasonable explanation for how these 3 passages in Matthew, Mark, and Luke can be reconciled is this. Bartimaeus had heard that Jesus was travelling in the vicinity.
VK: And that was certainly possible. As even these accounts note Jesus was being accompanied by a large crowd. And people in Jericho and in that region knew that Jesus was going to be in Jericho at about that time. Let’s listen to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verses 1 through 4. “Jesus was going through Jericho, where a man named Zacchaeus lived. He was in charge of collecting taxes and was very rich. Jesus was heading his way, and Zacchaeus wanted to see what he was like. But Zacchaeus was a short man and could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree.” So, we know news about Jesus being in and around Jericho had circulated widely enough for a large crowd to gather. The crowd was so large that the chief tax collector of the region – who would have been a very important man in that time – wasn’t even able to get a glimpse of Jesus. It’s probable that, as we say, “the crowd was lining the streets.” To be able to see Jesus Zacchaeus was willing to completely put aside his dignity and climb a tree.
RD: Right. So, a lot of people had heard about Jesus. His fame had spread. News travels fast in a place where villages are close and a person as famous as Jesus is in the area. Bartimaeus had probably heard that Jesus had performed miraculous healings. Most people in Israel at that time had heard that. As we’ve said, it appears that, even though his blindness had reduced him to begging, Bartimaeus still had very strong faith. So, Bartimaeus positions himself on the route into Jericho. Also, as we’ve said Jericho was an important place at that time – so important Herod the Great had built his winter palace there.
VK: The palace complex was so large that it totaled over 35 acres. It had been built on the foundations of earlier royal palaces. The palace complex of Herod contained luxurious gardens, theaters, and athletic facilities as well as palaces and villas. That’s the kind of place that everyone knows about. There are going to be lots of people around who provide goods and services to the palace. That’s probably a big reason Zacchaeus lived in Jericho. He was the chief tax collector. He would have had his own mansion. And of course where there are big houses and rich people there will be a lot of trades people, merchants, and suppliers who all want their piece of the high end business. It would also have been a common place for beggars to gather. Beggars want to be where people with money are coming and going and that would have been Jericho in Jesus day.
RD: Agreed. So, Bartimaeus either lives near Jericho or travels there knowing that Jesus is going to be in that vicinity. When Jesus is approaching Jericho Bartimaeus hears the commotion and starts calling out to Jesus to be healed. It’s possible that Jesus healed Bartimaeus at that time but it’s more likely the large crowd kept a blind man from getting Jesus attention on his first attempt. But, with his strong faith Bartimaeus knew Jesus would leave the city at some point. So, he decides to try again. While Jesus and the crowd are inside the city another blind beggar joins him and they wait together. Nothing would be more natural. It’s likely part of the crowd, maybe most of the crowd stayed in Jericho, either eating or spending the night. So, when Jesus came out Bartimaeus’ faith was rewarded because now he got Jesus’ attention and the healing he desired.
VK: And so did the other beggar who joined him in the waiting. That provides us a good example of why it makes sense to be around people with strong faith. God pays attention to people with strong faith. So, if have faith that is still maturing or developing it’s a good idea to associate with people who are farther down the faith journey. In this instance it meant a man got his sight restored. He might otherwise have remained blind his entire life.
RD: That’s a very cogent observation.
VK: Thank you. But there’s a larger point we want to make in going into the details of these three passages. As with the account we heard from the book of Joshua when the walls fell, God miraculously intervened when people of faith had a dire need. But neither the story from Joshua or the reports of blind men being healed in the gospels are of any value to anyone today unless they are real history – unless those were real people, at real places, with real needs.
RD: Right. And because of archeological finds we can be confident that that’s exactly what the Bible is reporting – real history. Jericho is still in existence today. It’s a real city with real residents. And it’s in about the same location as it was when Joshua encountered its massive walls. It was destroyed but it was rebuilt and as we’ve been discussing it played an important part in the New Testament.
VK: And because we know that Jericho is real we have a great starting point for assembling the evidence that show that the miracles performed there were just as real as the city.
RD: Right. The story of Joshua and Jericho tells us that we don’t have to be discouraged when we encounter obstacles in our lives of service to the Lord and others. The Lord knows of the obstacle long before we encounter it. And the story of Bartimaeus and his fellow blind beggar tells us God provides help to individuals as well as to large groups of people. In many ways Jericho is a great illustration of how the story of redemption unfolded in time. In Joshua’s day Jericho was an obstacle to be overcome. But when Jesus arrived it became a site of renewal and reformation. Zacchaeus renounced his greed and theft after encountering Jesus. Zacchaeus received spiritual healing which he desperately needed.
VK: As do we all.
RD: And Bartimaeus and his companion received physical healing. But as Jesus told Bartimaeus he was healed because of his faith. Before Jesus had dinner with him Zacchaeus had curiosity about Jesus but that curiosity was enough to lead him to true faith. Bartimaeus had real faith. That’s what kept him in place as he had to wait for God’s timing to provide his sight. Jericho is a place from which we can learn deep spiritual truths – but it wouldn’t be of any value if the accounts we hear about from the Bible weren’t true. Fortunately, for us they are.
VK: And that is why we all need to be fully persuaded that the Bible is true. Verifying for ourselves that the Bible’s history is accurate is one step in that process of developing deep and abiding faith. And knowing a little bit about archeology can help us with that process. We have said this throughout our series. Archeology may or may not interest us as a subject. But we must know enough to be able to intelligently respond to the world’s resistance. Knowing a little bit about archeology can help with this greater goal. It’s just a little bit silly to believe that God will reward people whose faith wavers constantly. The book of James tells us He won’t. And we don’t have to surrender to a wavering faith. God has given us ample evidence that His word is true. And He is more than willing to help us live productive, joyful lives if we will just acknowledge that simple fact. This sounds like a time to go to God in prayer. There are many places around the world where Christians are persecuted just for acknowledging and proclaiming their belief in the God of the Bible. Let’s remember them in prayer today.
---- PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
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If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!”
(Bible Quote from the Contemporary English Version)
The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 10, verses 46 through 52, Contemporary English Version