The Word Set in Stone by Dave Armstrong

Summary

In his new book The Word Set in Stone, Catholic apologist Dave Armstrong defends the reliability of the Bible. He contends that Archaeology, Science, and History back up the veracity of Sacred Scripture. The book takes readers on an adventure with examples from Genesis, Exodus, and other Old Testament books as well as findings relevant to the Gospels. The work serves as an antidote to the steady diet of objections frequently posed by Bible critics. In this written interview, Dave Armstrong answers five questions about the book.

Author Bio

Dave Armstrong is the author of fifty-four books: ten published by major Catholic publishers, with several bestsellers, including A Biblical Defense of Catholicism (2003) and The One-Minute Apologist (2007).  He has defended Christianity as an apologist since 1981 and Catholicism in particular since 1990 (full-time since 2001). His blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, went online in 1997 and contains more than 4,300 articles. Dave has been a regular columnist for National Catholic Register since 2016 and has additionally been published in Catholic Answers Magazine, The Catholic World Report, Catholic Herald, and other well-known Catholic periodicals.  

Question #1: What is your new book about and what is the central argument? Are you trying to prove the Bible is true?

Armstrong: I deal with specific objective matters in relation to the text of the Bible that can be addressed by archaeology or other forms of science, starting with premises (for the most part) that Christians and non-Christians accept in common. I’m not trying to prove biblical inspiration. That’s a much more involved and complex argument. What I’m doing is “defeating the defeaters” offered up by biblical skeptics, anti-theist atheists (who specialize in and constantly focus on criticizing the Bible, Christians, Christianity), and archaeological minimalists. If they argue, for example, that a particular city wasn’t in existence when the Bible says it was, then, in response, I seek archaeological data to prove or at least offer strong evidential support for the biblical view. This approach defends the Bible’s accuracy, which in turn is consistent with biblical inspiration, though not an absolute proof of it. 

Question #2: Some people argue that the stories in Genesis are completely made up since there’s no evidence  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or Joseph even existed or that the narrative contained therein is based on real history. How do you respond to that?

Armstrong: I respond as I do regarding all of my argumentation in the book: with the confirmation of archaeology and other sciences. Regarding Genesis, in the book I offer an argument for the Garden of Eden having been located in an actual location, based on the information we have about four rivers proceeding out of it, utilizing, for example, satellite information about one now being a dry river bed in Saudi Arabia and other mineralogical evidences mentioned in the text and verified by history and science. I give evidence from physics about a meteoritic airburst that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. I show how the towns in locations mentioned in connection with Abraham have been archaeologically verified and fit the proposed time frame (based on that of Egyptologist Kenneth Kitchen).

Also, I write about how many aspects of Joseph being an Egyptian official can be verified in various ways, as can the story about his being sold into slavery. There is a very extensive argument backing up the hypothesis of a local flood in southern Mesopotamia, c. 2900 BC. None of this sort of thing suggests mere mythology or legend in Genesis, but rather, ascertainable historical facts. In a follow-up, “Part 2” book that is available for free on my blog, I offer a hundred more similar arguments and evidences, including more having to do with Genesis. 

Question #3: The Exodus narrative is often a target of Bible critics. They argue that Moses didn’t exist and there’s no evidence of the Exodus actually occurring. What do you say in your book about this topic?

Armstrong: I give various pieces of evidence supporting the pre-Exodus and post-Exodus narratives such as the state of proto-Hebrew language at the time of Moses, the striking analogies of other Middle Eastern covenants and treaties (like those of the Hittites) to Mosaic Law, Egyptian corroboration of the brick-built city of Pi-Ramesses, even getting into details like straw being used in the bricks and quotas for brickmaking. I offer possible natural explanations for many of the ten plagues, deal with the question of great numbers in the Exodus (it was actually an estimated 20,000 rather than two million), and how they could have sustained themselves in the wilderness for forty years.

Additionally, I offer a scientific hypothesis for the parting of the Red Sea (not likely the literal Red Sea), called a “wind setdown” event. I show how there is undeniable evidence of quail making an annual migration to the Sinai Peninsula and evidence of water coming out of sandstone and even granite in the same area (this is also true for the parting of the River Jordan). It was an absolutely fascinating, faith-bolstering “journey” of discovery for me, and I think it can be for many readers as well. 

Question #4: Was there anything new you learned during the research for this book that could increase someone’s confidence in the Bible’s reliability?

Armstrong: Just about everything in it was new for me, or new in particulars, nuances, and scientific detail. All of it (literally hundreds and hundreds of archaeological, scientific, or historical facts) offers a tremendous verification of the faith and belief in biblical accuracy (harmonious with inspiration) that Christians have always had. That’s the exciting thing about this book: traditional faith is backed up and confirmed by cutting-edge and often quite recent secular science. It’s not just Catholics making our claims. It’s backed up by science and the conclusions of historians at every turn. The data regarding King David and subsequent kings, for the prophets, for the astronomical evidence concerning a plausible scenario for the star of Bethlehem, and scores of verifications for NT are no less than stunning in their cumulative effect.

Question #5: What is your hope for this book? What can Catholic Christians to take away from it?

Armstrong: Not just Catholics, but all Christians, Jews, and any other open-minded inquirer would find it an educational and mind-opening read, I think. It’s not written for only Catholics (even though I am a Catholic). I received strong positive reviews from Lutheran and Baptist academics. My hope is that they will realize that faith and science are not antithetical at all, but rather, complementary. The standard atheist schtick (especially online) is that Christians are anti-scientific, scientifically illiterate troglodytes, who are silly and gullible enough to believe all these myths that they claim the Bible consists of. This book cuts through all that like a hot knife through butter.

It demonstrates that precisely the opposite is true: that the Bible is an extraordinarily accurate document that deserves serious consideration from any open-minded thinker. The overall effect also leaves the reader with the impression that the Bible and Christian / Jewish belief have been massively slandered and misunderstood, and of how tremendously unjust that is, given the facts or plausible propositions presented in the book. My faith was quite strong before I researched and wrote the book, but it is even stronger now. This is the reward of the Christian apologist! We make arguments to help strengthen the faith of others, and in the process, our own faith increases.

Grab a Copy of the Book Today!

The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back Up the Bible by Dave Armstrong (Amazon)

The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back Up the Bible by Dave Armstrong (Publisher website)

Related Episodes

Ep. #202 – The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel w/ Dr. Lydia McGrew

The Reliability of John’s Gospel (Part 2) w/ Dr. Lydia McGrew (Ep. #221)

Ep. #226 – Did Moses Write the Pentateuch? w/ Dr. John Bergsma