Question for Christians?

Question

First off, I would like to say I am an atheist and many atheists here are disrespectful and I try not to be one of those.

I think people of all groups can go overboard into thinking they know it all and I just wanted you guys to know that I respect you and your beliefs.

Okay, now on to my question:

I asked about where the graves of King Saul, Solomon and David were. I was just trying to find an honest answer because I wanted to learn more. I just hope that it didn't come across as unintentionally snide.

Are there any secular websites that you can point me to that shows evidence that King Saul existed?

He very well may have been a real person. I believe many different religions around the world have based their stories on real people, I just want a secular information only.

Thank you for your answers.

Answer 1

as a christian, let me say that i appreciate your tactful approach. it's a rare thing on this site.



i don't know about websites, but i do know that there was a special on the history channel that i watched a while back, called ''bible battles,'' or ''great battles of the bible,'' or something similar. the special reenacted some of saul and david's battles against the philistines, as well as david's fight with goliath, and showed what kind of weapons were most likely to have been used. i would say they were fairly unbiased, due to what they said about david at the time he fought goliath (they said he was probably in his early to mid-twenties, which is contrary to the biblical portrayal of the event.). i've also seen a special on an archaeological study done to verify who goliath would have been. the lead archaeologist said the same thing you said; he was an atheist, but he was willing to admit that even folklore is almost always at least BASED on real events. the results were quite impressive. goliath (which simply means ''tall'' in hebrew) was said to be about 9 1/2 feet tall, which is hard to believe, but this particular archaeological dig found that there was a race- the refaim- that were known to be far taller than average people, and one skeleton was found to be the exact height mentioned in the bible (6 cubits and a span, if i remember correctly). anyway, check the history channel's website. if you find anything, i hope you'll post it. i'd be interested in taking a look as well.

Answer 2

There are many people who we do not know where they are buried. I respect your kindness for others and their beliefs, so that being said, let's say something about your question.

You have to start with the very beginning to start accepting religious things and people. God created the universe and us, from nothing. The more scientific people get into studying the universe, the more they lean towards the hand of a creater, the master engineer. When you can accept that, then you go on and learn that basically man chose sin, and therefore his life was made harder by that decision. We live in a world of laws, so why wouldn't there be laws from a creator? How do you get those laws across to people who are deep into sin, and need these laws to live by in order that they will be better people. God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses who in turn gave them to the people. Then came Jesus, who did die for the sins of man. This was a project from God to give his creations a chance to redeem their sin, and be allowed to go to His place He made for us after death, which was Heaven. All the people who were in the Bible, that was written by scribes, the deciples, and stories about Christianity are in the Bible. These people existed, but if you have faith, and accept God from the beginning, you have to accept the fact that He would not allow a testament to be circulated all over the world, if it were not true. This is faith, you believe in the whole thing, or none at all. Regardless if King Saul has a burial place known by all or not, does not really matter, if that is the thing that represents the proof of God, as the real proof is in the mirror, the creation of you. This may not be the answer you wanted, but it is the one I wanted to give to you. I am sure there are things on the internet that would help you, if this burial site exists, or has been found, but even if it hasn't, it does not really matter.

Answer 3

I don't know of any secular websites that deal with evidence for Saul. David Rohl identifies Saul with the Labayu of the Amarna Letters. His existence is taken for granted by Richard Friedman, Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman (the books that happen to be sitting next to me). But there is no evidence outside the Labayu of the Amarna letters.

Answer 4

You need some archeology from Israel I think. I have found it just searching on line. They have their own debates about it not always similar than a western perspective.

I recently search about the Tabernacle in Shiloh and found some great pics of the ancient floor. Fascinating.

This is where the Hebrews set up God Tabernacle for the last time as they made it out of the wilderness. I also think this will be the site of the New Temple to come.

Answer 5

A messianic Jew is a Jew that believes that Jesus is the Messiah. Christians and Messianic Jews believe that Jesus is the Messiah. They are Jews. The point of view of the anti Messianice Jews is best summed up by Mark JPAS when he said "it is acceptable to blend some degree of foreign spiritual elements with Judaism. The one exception is Christianity, which is perceived to be incompatible with any form of Jewishness. This is the double standard that is applied to Christianity even though Jesus is considered the Jewish Messiah in Christianity. Messianic Jews are looked at with even greater disdain. Why? its a cover for there own deviations from Judaism. Some Jews need to maintain a connection to Jewish family because they have deviated so much from traditional Judaism that many Orthodox question their Jewishness. They need find some way to distract attention because of there deviation from the Torah. This is done by pointing their finger at others to direct attention away from their own actions. You can't give yourself a title and expect that it makes you something. This is the argument that has been used against Jews that decide that Jesus is the Messiah. We are told that the mere belief of a different nature of God immediately invalidated a Jews Jewishness. At the same time Jews that become atheists, pantheists or stop practicing any element of their religion we are told are still Jews. They say that you can believe in anything but Jesus. Jews call conversion "joining the tribe". Things that would never fly in Orthodox or for that matter Messianic Judaism can be found in the Reform and Reconstructionist movements. A good example of this is a previous question asked here. The person asking worshiped the God Ferris but did not believe in him or the Jewish God. The focus of the question was" ...would you PERSONALLY feel comfortable welcoming me not just as a fellow congregant at your Synagogue, but as a member of the Tribe?" (so he was clearly asking about converting to Judaism). The response was "Reform Judaism covers a wide swath of beliefs and practices and I am sure you will be wholly accepted. ... I personally would accept you whole heartily as a fellow Jew." So some Jews will accept all kinds of deviations from the Torah but not belief in "Jesus". Let's not forget the Reform movement wanted to change the sabbath to Sunday to be more like Christianity. Most Messianic Jews are Torah observant yet you can become an atheist, stop practicing their faith, become a Buddhist, join a Unitarian Church and still be a Jew in the eyes of Reform/Reconstructionist Jews. Most Orthodox when asked about other Jews will say they don't know what non Orthodox Jews are. The same applies to the other sects. Speaking of sects Jews will tell you there are no sects but its not true. Rabbinical Jews follow an understanding of their faith that was established 1,900 years ago. They have their own canon of Scripture. There are also non Rabbinical Jews such as the Ethiopian Jews that follows the pattern of the Christian Old Testament and they have many additional books that they consider to be scripture. A group called the Karaites is the opposite of the Ethiopian and only believe in the 5 Books of Moses. Rabbinical Jews call Karaites "a sect of Judaism". You can goggle it and see for yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that there are no sects in Judaism. They say the the teachings of Jesus are very different from Judaism. They also claim that Jesus taught nothing new from the rabbis before him. Then they we tell you that there were no rabbis until a hundred years after the time of Jesus. Its all about winning the argument to them not about what's true. The problem is not differences but similarities. You should know ALL the writers of the Christian Bible were Jews but one. Much of our Scriptures are shared. The vast majority of early believers in Jesus were Jews. So when you hear the exact opposite you need to keep that in mind. A Jew can believe in Jesus and still be a Jew. Edit: those that make personal accusations should include links or shut up.

Answer 6

David is mentioned, I''m pretty sure, in 1st and 2nd Kings. I think Saul and Solomon are mentioned, a lot, there too...... It might give that kind of info, I seem to perhaps, recall. But i can't be sure. Also, see 1st and 2nd Chronicles..... Get an online search engine; it will show all occurences of these names. Biblical search engine, I mean. Wait a sec...... From memory this is a pretty good one: http://www.biblegateway.com/ .

Answer 7

The graves of Saul and David are lost to history for now.



Just as the grave of Herod Antipas was also lost until a few years ago.



The graves may eventually be found, but one thing is certain, they will be opened on the last day! Then we will know, and realize their location doesn't matter.



Mark

Answer 8

I wish I could help since I am a history major but I have never researched Old Testament history yet - I want to learn Hebrew first. I'm sure there are books at your local college library, usually they let anyone in you just cannot check out books.

Answer 9

Why are interested of King saul, Solomon... Try to search Jesus Christ.

Answer 10

I know there are archeological magazines and journals that seek to examine biblical events from a secular standpoint. I don't know the names, but I would google "Bible events" "archeology" or something like that...

Answer 11

Just type Kind Saul on your Internet browser and it will give you the sites to fulfill your question.

Answer 12

You will probably have to go to a Jewish website. Afterall who would know better than them? secular or not.

Answer 13

Why do Muslim call them self atheist when ask any question from christian same as you.

Answer 14

i hope u find wat u r lookin 4!i dnt no the asn so i wnt lie 2 u!

Answer 15

Nobody knows except God. Nobody knows where Moses is buried, because God buried him.

Answer 16

They were eaten by dinosaurs.