Siloam Tunnel dates

Hi coragyps,Hezekiah’s tunnel is a little bit too late for my period of research, but I was drawn to the radiocarbon reference in the abstract. Frumkin must have made a distinction between ‘biblical structures’ and ‘biblical events,’ because radiocarbon dating has been used before to try and determine the accuracy of the biblical text.The fundamentalist ‘scholar’ Bryant Wood used radiocarbon dating to try and undermine Kathleen Kenyon’s dating of the destruction of Jericho ( Bryant Wood Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho: A New Look at the Archaeological Evidence , Biblical Archaeology Review, 16.2 1990, 44-58).Wood had confidently declared that he had blown away Kenyon’s dating of Jericho’ destruction by using evidence that included pottery association, a single radiocarbon date from the destruction, a cartouche plaque of Thutmosis III and a scarab of Hateshput in tomb 5 of Garstang’s pre-Kenyon excavation.Big problem for Wood was that this particular radiocarbon assay was part of a series of systematically defective dates. (M.S. Tire et al, Preliminary Statement on an error in British Museum radiocarbon dates BM-1700 to BM-2315), Antiquity 61 1987 page 168) Woods’ sample came from this batch that should have been dated 220 years earlier plus or minus 40 years of course, when calibrated again the dating fits Kenyon’s original assessment and negated Woods’ claims. Woods was slated by professional archaeologists for his sloppy scholarship, for example James Weinstien was shocked that Woods had only used one sample, Weinstein said ‘it is unacceptable to employ a single radiocarbon assay without even taking into account the date’s standard deviation, for the precise dating of an archaeological event.’ (Weinstein, Archaeological Reality in Exodus : The Egyptian Evidence Eisenbrauns, Indiana 1997, page 101.)The inscription where the tunnel workers met has been used to ‘prove’ that Hezekiah ordered the construction of the tunnel, which is surprising, as it never mentions his name!I wonder if radiocarbon dating will now be accepted as a reliable dating method in certain quarters, or will it just be dismissed as a coincidence?Brian.

Hi,I thought of this earlier and you know what, YEC could accept carbon dating without any problems. They would just claim that God created the Universe with age and this would bypass any difficulty.I think the only technique acceptable to YEC are the genealogies of the Bible, even though they are nearly all artificial.Brian.