The Watchtower Society and Archaeology.
What do Jehovah's Witnesses really believe about archaeology?
First, what exactly is archaeology?Dictionary.com definition of "Archaeology":
"The scientific study of historic or prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, esp. those that have been excavated."
Insight
Book, Volume 1, Page 147 (published by Jehovah's Witnesses in 1988):"Biblical archaeology is the study of the peoples and events of the Bible through the intriguing record buried in the earth. The archaeologist digs up and analyzes rock, ruined walls and buildings, and shattered cities as well as uncovers pottery, clay tablets, written inscriptions, tombs, and other ancient remains, or artifacts, from which he gleans information."
In the 1950's, the Watchtower Society apparently trusted in archaeology and used it to help "prove" that the Bible was inspired and to help "refute" the arguments of Bible critics:
The Watchtower, November 1st, 1952, Page 652:
Following are some statements relating to the Bible as a whole. “No major contention of Scripture has been proved unhistorical.” “Archaeology contains irrefutable proofs of Biblical statements. Detailed accounts of almost innumerable discoveries dug up by pick and spade from ancient tombs and buried cities in Bible lands ably support the Scriptures.” “This writer once thumbed through the book of Genesis and mentally noted that each of the fifty chapters are either illuminated or confirmed by some archaeological discovery—the same would be true for most of the remaining chapters of the Bible, both Old and New Testament.” Concerning the wealth of archaeological findings as they relate to the Bible, one archaeologist said: “In the bewildering mass of all this evidence which together would weigh so many tons that the figure, if computed, would appear fabulous, there is not one word, one testimony, or one fact that has contradicted or disproved a single line of the Holy Bible.”
“During the last ten years the science of Biblical archaeology has shown Bible criticism to be unsound in its premise and wrong in its conclusions.” “One of the most brilliant modern archaeologists, representing one of the greatest universities in the world, said in Iraq: ‘I was brought up a “Higher Critic”, and consequently disbelieved in the actual truth of the early narratives of the Bible. Since then I have deciphered thousands of tablets, and the more I learn, the more I believe the Bible to be true.’”
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However, in the decades after the 1950's, the Watchtower Society seems to have shifted their stance on archaeology quite a bit. Their publications started putting archaeology in a negative light:
Insight Book, Volume 1, Page 959 (Published by Jehovah's Witnesses in 1988):
This does not mean that proof of the Bible’s authenticity depends on the discoveries of archaeology. Hebrew archaeologist Yohanan Aharoni noted: “When it comes to historical or historio-geographical interpretation, the archaeologist steps out of the realm of the exact sciences, and he must rely upon value judgements and hypotheses to arrive at a comprehensive historical picture.” Thus, when evaluating their finds, archaeologists have at times disagreed with the Bible.
Should this cast doubt on the Bible’s authenticity? Not at all. A faith that depends only on the interpretation of archaeological finds is a shaky one indeed. Proof that the Bible is divinely inspired is found within the Bible itself, and not in archaeology.
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The Watchtower, March 15th, 1989, Page 22:
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been interested in the findings of archaeologists as these relate to the Bible. However, where the interpretation of these findings conflicts with clear statements in the Bible, we accept with confidence what the Holy Scriptures say, whether on matters related to chronology or any other topic. As a result, Jehovah’s servants have long recognized that the prophetic time period that began in the 20th year of Artaxerxes was to be counted from 455 B.C.E. and thus that Daniel 9:24-27 reliably pointed to the year 29 C.E. in the autumn as the time for the anointing of Jesus as the Messiah. For the same reason, they have realized that the prophecy in Daniel chapter 4 regarding the “seven times” began counting in 607-606 B.C.E. and that it pinpointed 1914 C.E. in the autumn as the year when Christ was enthroned in heaven as ruling King and this world entered its time of the end. But they would not have discerned these thrilling fulfillments of prophecy if they had wavered in their confidence in the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. Thus, the insight that they have shown has been directly associated with their reliance on God’s Word.
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The Watchtower, July 8th, 1983, Pages 9-10:
Should we be swayed by the conflicting theories of archaeologists and scholars? Or should we accept as reliable the testimony of the Bible writers and Jesus Christ himself?
Why, then, do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Bible to be inspired? Does their faith depend on archaeological findings? Briefly, the proof for inspiration is found in the Bible itself, not in archaeology. It is one thing to write accurate history; it is another to write accurate history in advance. That is prophecy. The Bible contains hundreds of fulfilled prophecies attesting to its divine authorship. For example, it has been estimated that 332 distinct prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures were fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone.
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Insight Book, Volume 1, Pages 154-155 (Published by Jehovah's Witnesses in 1988):
insofar as archaeology relates to the authenticity and reliability of the Bible, as well as to faith in it, its teachings, and its revelation of God’s purposes and promises, it must be said that it is a nonessential supplement and an unrequired confirmation of the truth of God’s Word. As the apostle Paul expresses it: “Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld. By faith we perceive that the systems of things were put in order by God’s word, so that what is beheld has come to be out of things that do not appear.” (Heb 11:1, 3) “We are walking by faith, not by sight.”—2Co 5:7.
This does not mean that Christian faith does not have any basis in what can be seen or that it deals only with intangibles. But it is true that in every period and age there has been ample contemporary evidence surrounding people, as well as within themselves and their own experiences, that could convince them that the Bible is the true source of divine revelation and that it contains nothing that is out of harmony with provable facts. (Ro 1:18-23) The knowledge of the past in the light of archaeological discovery is interesting and appreciated, but not vital.The knowledge of the past in the light of the Bible is, alone, essential and solidly reliable. The Bible, with or without archaeology, gives true meaning to the present and illuminates the future. (Ps 119:105; 2Pe 1:19-21) It is, in reality, a weak faith that must rely on moldering bricks, broken vases, and crumbling walls to bolster it up and serve as a crutch.
[...] archaeology has not silenced Bible critics nor is it a truly sound foundation for basing one’s belief in the Bible record. The conclusions drawn from the majority of the excavations made depend mainly upon the deductive and inductive reasoning of the investigators, who, somewhat like detectives, assemble a case for which they argue. Even in modern times, although detectives may uncover and amass an impressive array of circumstantial and material evidence, any case founded purely upon such evidence while lacking in the testimony of creditable witnesses directly relating to the matter in question would, if brought to court, be considered very weak.Decisions based solely on such evidence have resulted in gross error and injustice. How much more so must this be the case when 2,000 or 3,000 years intervene between the investigators and the time of the event.
Complicating the matter further is the fact that, in addition to their obvious inability to bring the ancient past into focus with anything more than approximate accuracy, and in spite of their endeavoring to maintain a purely objective viewpoint in considering the evidence they unearth, the archaeologists, like other scientists, are nonetheless subject to human failings and personal leanings and ambitions, which can stimulate fallible reasoning. Pointing up the problem, Professor W. F. Albright comments: “On the other hand, there is danger in seeking new discoveries and novel points of view at the expense of more solid earlier work. This is particularly true in fields like Biblical archaeology and geography, where mastery of tools and of methods of investigation is so arduous that there is always a temptation to neglect sound method, substituting clever combinations and brilliant guesses for slower and more systematic work.”—The Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible, edited by G. E. Wright, 1956, p. 9.
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All Scripture is Inspired Book, Pages 336-337 (Published by Jehovah's Witnesses in 1990):
In the same way that the discovery of ancient manuscripts has helped to restore the pure, original text of the Bible, so the discovery of the multitude of artifacts has often demonstrated that the things stated in the Bible text are historically, chronologically, and geographically reliable, right down to the minutest details. However, it would be a mistake to conclude that archaeology agrees with the Bible in every case. It must be remembered that archaeology is not an infallible field of study. Archaeological findings are subject to human interpretations, and some of these interpretations have changed from time to time. Archaeology has at times provided unrequired support for the truthfulness of God’s Word. Further, as stated by the late Sir Frederic Kenyon, director and principal librarian of the British Museum for many years, archaeology has rendered the Bible “more intelligible through a fuller knowledge of its background and setting.” But faith must rest on the Bible, not on archaeology.—Rom. 10:9; Heb. 11:6.
The Bible contains within itself incontrovertible evidence that it is indeed the authentic “word of the living and enduring God,” as we will see in the next study.—1 Pet. 1:23.____________________________________________________________
God's Word or Man's Book, Page 65 (Published by Jehovah's Witnesses in 1989):
Hence, history and archaeology illustrate, and to some extent confirm, the historical elements of the Greek Scriptures. But, again, the strongest proof of the truth of these writings is in the books themselves. When you read them, they do not sound like myths. They have the ring of truth.
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The Watchtower, February 15th, 1970, Page 110:
Such information has also been considered in preparing Aid to Bible Understanding. There is an eight-and-a-half-page article on “Archaeology” itself. Again, however, the editing staff was careful to avoid the error many reference works make of giving exaggerated importance to such archaeological finds. In reality, archaeologists are much like detectives who try to assemble a case from the evidence they find. While their findings may seem very impressive—huge monuments, temples and tombs, ancient writings thousands of years old, some of them engraved in stone—yet we should remember that grave errors are committed in modern times when detectives try to go simply by circumstantial evidence without reliable witnesses to give the true meaning to that evidence. How much greater is the possibility for error when dealing with evidence that is thousands of years old. We should realize that many of the archaeologists’ conclusions are based on conjecture, even imagination. It is therefore unwise to try to build understanding, conviction and faith on an archaeological foundation. The apostle Paul says: “We are walking by faith, not by sight,” and our faith is based on God’s Word and our own experience in our relationship with God and his people.—2 Cor. 5:7.
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Why the switch? Why did Jehovah's Witnesses start distrusting archaeology so much and start claiming that it is only "weak" Christians who need archaeological evidence as a "crutch" to help support their "shaky" faith?