Epic Archaeology Cancel Culture

I recently replied to a post about Bab edh-Dhra being biblical Sodom on an Epic Archaeology Facebook post. In the past I had posted many times to this group and they have warmly appreciated my comments, scholarship, and links.

On June 19, 2022, I responded with several posts including links to my book on the Location of Sodom and other Sodom research and raised questions that challenged his post and claim that Bab edh-Dhra is Sodom. He immediately responded "I thought you would reply" after I did pointing out Bab edh-Dhra is the in the wrong period, wrong archaeology, and wrong geography. Soon Eric Wright who runs this group, PMed me and told me to stop posting anything on his post. I said I would stop posting but then he posted Dr. Bryant Woods article (Wood, Bryant G. “Locating Sodom: A Critique of the Northern Proposal.” Bible and Spade 20, no. 3 (2007): 78–84) challenging Dr. Collins research. So in the spirit of fair scholarship I responded with the reference to the article that Dr. Collins wrote (Collins, Steven. “A Response to Bryant G. Wood’s Critique of Collins’ Northern Sodom Theory.” Biblical Research Bulletin 7, no. 7 (2007): 1–36). 

Now Ted Wright who runs this group (Epic Archaeology) is certainly free to control it, but I was not disrespectful nor did I violate any of the group rules (none posted). All I did was challenge his article with research that differed from the claim that he was making.

In the PM, I did express my concern about "cancel culture" approach in asking me to stop posting anything to his article. In response he deleted all my post including my replies to other comments on the article. All with facts and research nothing rude or hurtful.

 in PM and now all my links have disappeared from the post along with a colleague who also replied to his posts. Free speech and cancel culture is an epidemic in our culture and sadly has also been adopted by fellow Christians if one do not agree with their date of the Patriarchs. 

Also, many of those who believe Bab edh-Dhra is Sodom are long time friends and respect them deeply, although on this issue of Bab Edh-Dhra as the location of Sodom I believe they are wrong based on the evidence. I have spent over 50 years researching and led to the writing of my book on the Location of Sodom having also taught about it for 15 years. I believe that it should give me the right to provide a professional opinion.

It is sad that someone who is promoting biblical archaeology censors one who gives academic evidence that they will not interact with. Shame on Eric Wright and Epic Archaeology for their censorship of a fellow Christian wanting to defend the authenticity of the biblical text. I would expect better from a Christian and in the spirit of transparency.

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For Journal articles and papers see  Follow me on Academia.edu or Selected Works

For Books see Amazon or Amazon

For all books by Dr. David E. Graves

 

Modified June 19, 2022

Bab edh-Dhra the Southern Sodom?

Bab edh-Dra City gate (C) David E. Graves

Today we visited the ancient castle of Karak high on the ridge of the kings highway. Then it was off to see Bab edh-Dhra the site of the southern argument for Sodom. Between 1965 and 1967 Bab edh-Dhra was excavated under the direction of Paul Lapp. Much work was done at a large cemetery south of the city. It was more than five-eighths of a mile in length and at least half that wide. If the work which was done is typical, the area may contain a minimum of 20,000 shaft tombs estimating the dead at over half a million and the number of potsherds at two million! Unfortunately, Paul Lapp died unexpectedly in 1970 and the task of further research fell to R. Thomas Schaub and Walter E. Rast. They set out to answer some unanswered questions about Bab edh-Dhra. In late May, 1973, they began to examine some similarities between pottery from Bab edh-Dhra and pottery found at Safi and Feifa. 

Charnel house (graves) in Bab edh-Dhra cemetery.
I am in the background while Dr. John More is in the foreground
We are indicating the size of this Charnel house.
(C) Dan Galesini Used with permission.

      In first examining the Feifa site they discovered a burial ground which could compete with Bab edh-Dhra in size and usage. However, there is no structural remains of occupation only a cemetery. Then they found the remains of a city wall and a tower. Early Bronze Age 3000-2350 B.C. pottery was also discovered which placed this ruin in the same time period as Bab edh-Dhra. Feifa was discovered on the north side of the Wadi Feifa. While exploring the Wadi south of Bab edh-Dhra, Schaub and Rast came upon another early bronze fortification. Numeira was also located on a level top of a plain just south of the spring, Wadi Numeira. 

     We visited Numeira as well on the way back from Bab edh-Dhra. There was a pattern forming. Each of the early bronze sites was discovered built on a piece of ground overlooking a Wadi (ravine), enclosed by a stone wall with a tower at one end, and situated near a spring. 

      Now knowing what to look for, Schaub and Rast combed the area between Lisan in the north to the Southern tip of the Ghor between Numeira and Feifa. They found Safi located on a piece of limestone overlooking the Wadi Hesa where they found early bronze pottery. They again found a cemetery that could compete with Bab edh-Dhra and Feifa in size and kind. The last early bronze site to be discovered was Khanazir, but again only a cemetery located on the northern side of the Wadi Khanazir. 

     Note that Bab edh-Dhra was destroyed ca. 250 years apart from Numeira so if one is Sodom, as some have suggested, the other cannot be Gomorrah. Also, the destruction of Bab edh-Dhra occurred in 2350 BC which is in the Early Bronze age well before when the Patriarchs lived.

 

 Bible Interact Podcasts

Podcast Interview on Sodom and Salt Part 1 September 2023

Sodom and Salt Part 2 September 2023

 

For all the research on Sodom see the following:

Research

Sodom research 

The Location of Sodom: Second Edition: Key Facts for Navigating the Maze of Arguments for the Location of the Cities of the Plain. Toronto, Ont.: Electronic Christian Media, 2016.

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For Journal articles and papers by D. E. Graves see  Follow me on Academia.edu or Selected Works

For Books see Amazon or Amazon

For all books by Dr. David E. Graves

Modified Jan 16, 2022