The Bible Comes to Life in Archaeological Discoveries in Israel

One of the amazing phenomena in Israel is that when you begin to build or dig in the ground, in all likelihood you’ll stumble on some archaeological discovery.

Sometimes, it can become to be a problem, especially in Jerusalem, if your intent is to build a house. Such archaeological discoveries disrupt the scheduled construction and may cause a delay and/or a change in plans. All construction is put on hold and it is required to bring someone from the Archaeological Authority to check the findings. This means there is now an excavation underway and it takes up to 2-3 years to excavate because of the nature of archaeological excavations that are tedious and slow moving - one millimeter after the next are cleaned with a fine brush until the nature of the discovery is fully understood.

At times, the decision may be to document and move findings to a museum, and only then is it possible to resume with construction. At other times, it may be required to either change building plans; For example, build the house on columns so that the discovery remains exposed and can be seen, or you are offered an alternate piece of land to build your house.

We know about thousands of sites in Israel that would be worthwhile to excavate, however, resources are limited and not all of them can be excavated; thus we can expect to discover more in the future and can expect more diggings, more excavations, and more discoveries in Israel. So stay tuned…

Some of the excavations, like theaters, are used today for open-air concerts or other events. Try to imagine sitting in a theater built more than 2,000 years ago listening to the concert or watching the show. That additional ‘touch’ from the past adds a special unique atmosphere and ambience which are unbeatable.

Thank you Pastor Andy Cook. This video truly gives us a taste for the many archaeological discoveries in Israel and an appreciation for what you'll get to see and experience during the Relive the Bible Tours.