Many critics and skeptics of the Bible like to focus on the Book of Daniel, citing this book as some of the best evidence that the Bible is false. Throughout this series we will look at the evidence that supports this amazing book.
In this course:
Introduction: the Skeptics | 22 min
This introduction addresses the seven skeptical claims against the authenticity of the Book of Daniel and its contents.
Credits
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5.
PHOTO CREDITS: Corbin Mathias on Unsplash
Episode 1: Why is Daniel attacked so fervently? | 17 min
The Book of Daniel is the second most criticized section of scripture skeptics use to doubt the authenticity of the Bible (behind the Book of Jonah). Daniel plays an important role in the biblical canon concerning the Messiah and messianic prophecies and the criticism of the book is actually centuries old. Where did these ideas originate from?
Credits
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5
PHOTO CREDITS: Artur Matosyan, Corbin Mathias, Alicia Quan, and James Coleman on Unsplash
Episode 2: The Historical Nebuchadnezzar | 16 min
In this episode we take a look at our first artifact that matches the period of Daniel. This artifact is often called the Babylonian Chronicle #5 or the Nebuchadnezzar Chronicle. It contains descriptions of the events leading to Nebuchadnezzar’s rise to the throne and his dealings with various kings of the region, including Israel’s kings. The Bible also contains records of these events. How well do the historical and biblical Nebuchadnezzars align?
Credits
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5
PHOTO CREDITS: KLMircea on Flickr, Corbin Mathias on Unsplash
Episode 3: Lachish Letters | 26 min
The book of Daniel takes place after the complete Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. A set of ostracons found at the ancient city of Lachish give important clues to important characters and the order of events in the Babylonian conquest of Jewish cities. This lesson looks at the Lachish letters and how their eyewitness accounts compare to the record in our Bible.
Credits
Lachish Letters hosted by the British Museum CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
James Leslie Starkey by W. Slaninka via fiminganitquity.com.
Map of Old Testament Israel via bible-history.com
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5
Episode 4: The Case for Belshazzar | 30 min
The Bible describes King Belshazzar as the last king of Babylon before the Medo-Persians took over but history tell us that Nabonidus was king at the time. Is this an error in the biblical record? An archeological artifact called the Nabonidus Chronicle which describes the fall of Babylon and its rulers sheds some light on this apparent discrepancy. This video is from our series on the Archaeology of Daniel. The book of Daniel is the second most criticized book of the Bible (behind Jonah). Each episode in this series takes a look at the archaeological evidence against the Biblical record and what we know to be true.
Credits
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5
PHOTO CREDITS: Belshazzar’s Feast by Rembrandt, Public Domain
Episode 5: The Cyrus Cylinder | 31 min
In 1979 the British Museum conducted a dig at the ancient city of Babylon where they found a plethora of clay cylinders covered in writing. These could be considered old library books with important historical records about the city, its rulers, and major events. This cylinder and the works of the historian Josephus help us piece together a picture of the rise and reign of Cyrus. The Bible also contains an account of the reign of Cyrus. How well do these stories match? Can the Bible be trusted as a source of history?
Credits
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5
PHOTO CREDITS: Cylinder Transcription by Theophilus Goldridge Pinches M.R.A.S. (1856 – 6 June 1934 Muswell Hill, London), Public Domain
Cylinder Front and Back Photographs by Prioryman, CC BY-SA 3.0
Hormuzd Rassam by Philip Henry Delamotte, Public Domain
Sir Henry Rawlinson by Henry Wyndham Phillips, Public Domain
Episode 6: The Nabonidus Cylinder | 25 min
A common criticism of the book of Daniel is that it gets its dynastic lineage wrong. The Nabonidus cylinder is another artifact that brings some clarity to the lineage of the kings of Babylon. It turns out the official lineage of kings is not always so straight forward.
Credits
MUSIC CREDITS: Stock Music provided by mv_production, from Pond5
PHOTO CREDITS: Black Obelisk by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg), CC BY-SA 4.0
Black Obelisk Jehu Detail by GFDL, CC BY-SA 3.0
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