The Bible as Knowledge

Obviously the Bible serves as a source of knowledge for those that try to live their lives according to what is written in this famous work. The Bible is full of advice and principles on how one should conduct their lives so that they are lived to the fullest. One can find information about managing finances, handling relationships, parenting, healthy living, and many more principles. This is one reason the Bible remains relevant to this day. One may choose not to believe/follow what the Bible has to say, but the fact remains that this book is a source of knowledge for millions of people across the world. 

However, the Bible doesn't only function as a guide for how to live one's life. It is also an accurate historical document that has contributed greatly to historical research, especially archaeology. Wikipedia defines "Biblical Archaeology" as "the recovery and scientific investigation of the material remains of past cultures that can illuminate the periods and descriptions in the Bible, be they from the Old Testament (Tanakh) or from the New Testament, as well as the history and cosmogony of the Judeo-Christian religions." It differs from standard archaeology of the Middle East because the archaeologists are looking for discoveries that are specifically connected to Biblical accounts. It is important to note that these archaeologists use the same techniques of used in general archaeology to make their discoveries. The main difference is that they are using Biblical accounts to guide their searches for specific items/locations.

Granted, many of these archaeologists are conducting this research to prove the veracity of the Bible, but that does not impact their scientific approach to their research. In fact, an archaeologist professor of mine, that taught my standard evolution course during my undergraduate degree, told me that she found biblical archaeology to be the most fascinating branch of archaeology since so many discoveries verified biblical accounts. And she was an admitted atheist. If she found biblical archaeology to be credible research then I think that we all should. 

Perhaps one of the most debated stories in the Bible that archaeology has shed new light on is the account of the city of Jericho. Many people have thought that no city existed in the specific area described in the Biblical account during the given time period. Biblical archaeology, and specifically Dr. Bryant Wood, has made significant findings that support the historical accuracy of this Biblical account. The following videos discuss these findings. Obviously, these men are seeking to prove the truth of the Bible, but the videos do discuss his scientific findings and how the Bible essentially guided the search. I encourage you to watch these videos to gain a deeper understanding of how the Bible functions as a source of knowledge.

Of course this isn't the only discovery attributed to Biblical archaeology. For further reading check out this article on the top ten discoveries of 2014.

Sources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_archaeology

http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/06/the-walls-of-jericho.aspx#Article