Science confirms Biblical account of Hezekiah's tunnel, reports the San Francisco Chronicle (Sept. 11, p. A6, story by an LA Times reporter). The tunnel, built to bring water into Jerusalem in view of an impending Assyrian seige, was radioactively dated to around 700 BC, pleasantly consistent with the account offered in the Old Testament (see 2 Chron. 32).
As a Mormon, I am pleased that science is willing to lend support to the authenticity of at least one of my holy books of ancient scripture. Alas, there is an embarrassing lack of similar evidence for Nephite horses or Jaredite cureloms, Nephite metal swords or Jaredite barges, Nephite Zarahemla or the "many mighty cities" of Coriantum the Jaredite. Where is all the Nephite stuff? Perhaps Nephite artifacts "have become slippery, that ye cannot hold them," like "treasures in the earth" that "became slippery, because the Lord had cursed the land" (Helaman 13:33, Mormon 1:18). Or perhaps it's the work of a vast, right-wing conspiracy of evangelical archeologists, hiding all their cool Nephite discoveries. Or perhaps we can't find the stuff because the Nephites actually lived near the North Pole (see D&C 133:23-26; this is a "local geography model" I haven't read about in FARMS yet). As soon as Nephite artifacts are identified and dated to 500 BC, I'll post the link.
10:22:59 PM 
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