Matti Friedman of the Associated Press filed this portion of a news story on Monday, February 22, 8:07 pm Eastern Standard time.

"JERUSALEM – An Israeli archaeologist said Monday that ancient fortifications recently excavated in Jerusalem date back 3,000 years to the time of King Solomon and support the biblical narrative about the era. If the age of the wall is correct, the finding would be an indication that Jerusalem was home to a strong central government that had the resources and manpower needed to build massive fortifications in the 10th century BC. That's a key point of dispute among scholars, because it would match the Bible's account that the Hebrew kings David and Solomon ruled from Jerusalem around that time."

Once more the credibility of the Bible is being authenticated. While the Bible has many liberal critics within the church and more skeptics outside, it continues to stand the test of scrutiny of objective investigation. Indeed, Christianity is the only major religion that basis its foundational validity on a historical fact, the resurrection. The hearts of Christians everywhere should rejoice, not because the spade of the archeologist has confirmed Scriptural data, but because God has spoken to humanity and given us a sure Word of prophecy. I am reminded of A. Z. Conrad's poem, There It Stands:

"Century follows century—there it stands.
Empires rise and fall and are forgotten—there it stands.
Dynasty succeeds dynasty—there it stands.
Kings are crowned and uncrowned—there it stands.
Atheists rail against it—there it stands.
Agnostics smile cynically—there it stands.
Profane, prayerless punsters caricature it—there it stands.
Unbelief abandons it—there it stands.
Higher critics deny its claim to inspiration—there it stands.
The flames are kindled about it—there it stands.
The tooth of time gnaws but makes no dent in it—there it stands.
Infidels predict its abandonment—there it stands.
Modernism tries to explain it away—there it stands."