Author Dinesh D'Souza challenges Bible skeptics with 'startling' archaeological discoveries

FIRST ON FOX — A travel to Israel by bestselling writer and filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza sparked what would go a three-year heavy dive into biblical archaeology — a tract helium says offers striking enactment for the humanities authenticity of the Bible.

In an interrogation with Fox News Digital, D'Souza said helium became fascinated with biblical archaeology due to the fact that it "stunningly supports the historicity of the Bible."

"The Stones Cry Out," his newest book, is the culmination of a multi-year effort, begun successful 2022, and is scheduled to deed shelves connected Oct. 13.

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D'Souza explores archaeological discoveries tied to people, places and events described successful the Old and New Testaments, examining what they uncover astir the humanities credibility of the Bible.

His publication delves into dozens of specified discoveries. The Texas-based adept said immoderate of the astir striking impact comparatively insignificant biblical figures whose beingness has been supported by archaeological findings.

Dinesh D'Souza, pictured astatine right, explores archaeological discoveries connected to biblical people, places and events successful a caller book.  (Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images; NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Not everyone, however, is convinced specified discoveries corroborate the biblical grounds — a presumption D'Souza is unfazed by, helium said.

"I deliberation the skeptics mostly are benignant of armchair critics," helium said.

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"The occupation for them is that archaeology is digging retired of the crushed artifacts that are a decisive refutation of the things that they say."

Skeptics, D'Souza said, person besides historically questioned accounts surrounding Pontius Pilate, the Roman politician who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. 

Biblical archaeology tin link past discoveries with radical described successful Scripture, according to writer and commentator D'Souza. (Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images; Fox News Digital)

It wasn't until 1961 that archaeologists discovered the Pilate Stone — archaeological grounds that bore Pontius Pilate's sanction and identified him arsenic "prefect of Judea." (That chromatic is connected imperishable show astatine The Israel Museum successful Jerusalem, according to the museum's ain website.)

"Boom. Not lone does it corroborate the beingness of Pilate, but the Bible writers had his rubric precisely correct," D'Souza said.

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"Later, the rubric was evidently changed to procurator — but successful Jesus' ain time, Pontius Pilate had the rubric that the Bible ascribes to him," helium added.

Another illustration involves an Old Testament story, successful which Israelites traveled toward the Promised Land done Moabite territory, and the king of Moab called connected Balaam, a diviner, to curse them, D'Souza said. 

Archaeologists person agelong searched passim Israel for grounds to backmost up stories successful the Bible. (David Silverman/Getty Images)

In 1967, archaeologists excavating Deir 'Alla successful modern-day Jordan discovered an past plaster inscription referring to "Balaam, lad of Beor," a seer who shares the sanction and patronymic of the biblical figure.

"So skeptics, nary surprise, go, ‘This worldly is intelligibly made up,’" D’Souza said. "Well, accelerated forward. … This is simply a feline who has conscionable a fewer sentences successful the Bible, and yet, acknowledgment to this plaster inscription recovered successful Jordan, helium jumps retired of the pages of the Bible and into the pages of past via the pathway of archaeology."

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One of the astir "startling" examples of biblical archaeology, D'Souza said, involves a precocious clergyman named Caiaphas, described arsenic "one of the villains of the Bible."

"He presides implicit the proceedings of Jesus. He orchestrates the crucifixion," helium said.

Tourists visiting Israel tin research biblical sites specified arsenic the Church of the Holy Sepulchre successful Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

"Yet for many, galore centuries, Caiaphus had a benignant of shady existence. He was chiefly successful the Bible, but not truly extracurricular the Bible," added D'Souza.

Archaeologists excavating successful Jerusalem aboriginal discovered an ossuary, oregon bony box, bearing the sanction "Yehoseph barroom Caiapha."

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"They look wrong the box. It's the bones of a 60-year-old man. They day it. It goes to the archetypal period A.D. It's Caiaphas," D'Souza said.

"It's a analyzable field, but it's precise rewarding."

"And the astonishing happening is, we not lone person an inscription oregon notation to him, we person his existent bones. ... Archaeology provides this benignant of stunning corroboration for the people, the places and the events successful the Bible."

D'Souza described his publication "The Stones Cry Out" arsenic an "attempt to span the spread betwixt the world satellite and the public."

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"It's a analyzable field, but it's precise rewarding," helium said.

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He besides urged his chap Christians to sojourn Israel, helium said, calling it "our spiritual homeland" — much truthful than different parts of the Levant.

D'Souza, shown supra left, visited the tract traditionally associated with the pit into which the prophet Jeremiah was thrown during his imprisonment successful Jerusalem, depicted connected the right. (Debbie D'Souza; Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

"All of the Old Testament and Jesus' ain ministry takes spot successful the [land] of Israel," helium said. "You get a overmuch deeper knowing by being there. And besides immoderate of the presumption and descriptions successful the Bible instrumentality connected a benignant of caller life."

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Visiting the Pool of Siloam, for example, entails walking the aforesaid steps that Jesus took. D'Souza described it arsenic an "exhilarating feeling" to sojourn the sites wherever Jesus taught. 

The Pool of Siloam is 1 of galore biblical sites successful Israel that archaeologists are continuing to excavate and study, arsenic seen supra left. (John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images; Heritage Art/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

"If you can't marque it, 'The Stones Cry Out' is the adjacent champion thing," helium said.

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D'Souza's publication "The Stones Cry Out" is disposable for pre-order.