In recent years
many Biblical archaeologists have abandoned their long held
"Biblical-Historical" approach in
research to a secular one. Some insist the Bible
should no longer be the focus of the discipline. Many academics now prefer
to call themselves "Syro-Palestinian archaeologists", thereby
disassociating themselves from any Biblical ties to their archaeological
research.
While Syro-Palestinian archaeologists
were dismissing the historical validity of the Bible in their
archaeological research, Ron Wyatt, a Christian biblical archaeologist
lacking formal archaeological training set out to prove the very existence of
the biblical events that Syro/Palestinian archaeologists had denied.
Wyatt theorized the remains of ancient
Egyptian chariots from the army that followed the fleeing Hebrews into the Red Sea could
still be found on the ocean floor. He also postulated the real Mt. Sinai site would
not be far from the Red Sea crossing. With great diligence and
perseverance, Wyatt's
archaeological team found the remains of chariots from the Pharaoh's army in an "underwater
land bridge" in the Gulf of Aqaba near the Red Sea, and found the real Mt. Sinai
(Jabal al Lawz) in the mountains of Saudi Arabia.
In
1989 Wyatt again trusting the
validity of the biblical word and historical documents, discovered the ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah
near the Dead Sea in Israel. These
discoveries have
shocked and confounded an unbelieving academic community and have led many to new
biblical/historical perspectives.
While some archaeologists consider Ron Wyatt's
accomplishments to be nothing but fraud and sensationalism, many have
examined the evidence and perceive the truth beyond the personalities and politics of the profession.