The Irony of the Hittite Temple

Genesis 23:17-18
“And the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was therein, and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made sure unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city.”

A fascinating recent article in New Scientist magazine concerned a new theory about a Hittite site. Yazılıkaya is situated in modern Turkey but was once a significant site in the religion of the Hittites – a major civilization of the ancient world frequently mentioned in the Bible. The beautiful limestone carvings of Hittite deities has been compared, as a work of religious art, to the Sistine Chapel.

The New Scientist article featured an interesting new theory about the purpose of Yazılıkaya. There are 12 inscriptions of deities and 30 other inscriptions. The new theory suggests that there could have been markers on these two groups of inscriptions; that the 12 deities represent lunar months and the 30 other inscriptions represent the days. Therefore, the whole site could have been a large calendar.

Whether or not this theory is correct is not what interests me. My interest is piqued by the irony of such learned discussion of the culture of the Hittites, when, prior to the archaeological discovery of nearby Hattusa in 1834, most “experts” actually ridiculed the idea of the existence of the Hittites. The only evidence for the Hittites, they maintained, was mention of them in the Bible, and, of course, it was not possible to accept the biblical accounts as evidence!

The lesson we draw is that we can and should always accept the truth of the Bible. External evidence is not necessary to verify God’s word.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for the truth of Your word. We pray that we might always have confidence in what You have told us through Your word. Amen.

Author: Paul F. Taylor

Ref: Yazılıkaya: A 3000-year-old Hittite mystery may finally be solved, < https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24232353-600-yazilikaya-a-3000-year-old-hittite-mystery-may-finally-be-solved/ >, accessed 6/25/2019. Image: Klaus-Peter Simon, 2002, CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported.