- History of life other than human life, would you use archaeology or paleontology?
Paleontology
- If you wanted to learn name the three tests used to evaluate documents that claim to be historical?
The internal test, the external test, and the bibliographic test
- Give a brief description of each of the tests listed in #3.
The internal test makes sure that the document does not contradict itself. The external test makes certain that the document does not contradict other known historical or archaeological facts. The bibliographic test makes certain the document we have today is essentially the same as the original.
- In what test is Aristotle’s dictum used? Why must we use it?
Internal test, we must use it because what seems to be a contradiction in a document might not be a contradiction
- There are two reasons to believe that the copy of an ancient document might not be the same as the original. One is that the person making the copy might have made some unintentional mistakes. What is the other reason?
Often those who are making the copy or those who are ordering the copy to be made will make intentional changes.
- What two things help a document pass the bibliographic test?
First, there should be a small time period between when the original was written and when the first available copy was made. Second, there must be a lot of different copies from a lot of different sources
- Does the bible contain any contradictions that make it fail the internal test?
No.
- Does the bible have any difficult passages that might seem like contradictions?
yes
- Why are the two accounts given in acts 9:7 and acts 22:9 not contradictory? Feel free to use your bible to look up those verses
The first tells us that the men heard sounds, but the second tells us that the men could not understand those sounds.
- Why are the two genealogies of Christ given in luke 3 and Mathew 1 not contradictory? Once again you can use your bible.
One of the genealogies traced Mary’s line, while the other traces joseph’s line
- Why can we say that the bible passes the external test better than any other document of its time?
No other work has had so much archaeological evidence compared to it.
- Suppose a document passes the internal and bibliographic tests but some of the conclusions of archaeologist go against what the document says. If the document has some other external support (other historical documents or some archaeological evidence, why should you not automatically say that it fails the external test?
Sometimes it turns out that archaeology is wrong.
- Why can we say that the New Testament passes the bibliographic test better than any other document of its time?
The New Testament has significantly shorter time spans between original and copy as compared to any other work of the same time period. It also has thousands more supporting documents than any other document of its time.
- Does the Old Testament pass the bibliographic test?
yes
- The age of an ancient settlement is determined by using dendrochronology on some firewood that had been chopped down but never used by the inhabitants. Does the settlement have a known age or an absolute age?
Absolute
- A coffin of a great king is discovered. The date of the king’s death is recorded in a document of old the artifact is?
Known age
- if an archaeologist gives an absolute age for an artifact, does that mean we know for certain how old the artifact is?
No
- Why does an archaeologist use master tree ring patterns?
Master tree ring patterns help the archaeologist determine the age of preserved logs
- What is the underlying assumption of the principle of superposition?
- What is the underlying assumption of the principle of superposition?
- Suppose an archaeologist uses endocrinology to determine that a city was built in 2500 B.C. several years later, another archaeologist is digging deeper under the site of the city and, in a lower layer of soil. He finds the remains of another city. Unfortunately, there is nothing he can use for any dating technique. He can still conclude something about the age of the city. Assuming the principle of super position is true in this situation, what can he conclude?
He can conclude that the city he found was built before 2500
