Author Dinesh D'Souza challenges Bible skeptics with 'startling' archaeological discoveries

FIRST ON FOX - A trip to Israel by bestselling author and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza sparked what would become a three-year deep dive into biblical archaeology - a field he says offers striking support for the historical authenticity of the Bible.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, D'Souza said he became fascinated with biblical archaeology because it "stunningly supports the historicity of the Bible."

"The Stones Cry Out," his newest book, is the culmination of a multi-year effort that began in 2022. It is scheduled to hit shelves Oct. 13.

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D'Souza explores archaeological discoveries tied to people, places and events described in the Old and New Testaments, examining what they reveal about the historical credibility of the Bible.

His book delves into dozens of such discoveries. The Texas-based expert said some of the most striking involve relatively minor biblical figures whose existence has been supported by archaeological findings.

Not everyone, however, is convinced such discoveries corroborate the biblical record - a view D'Souza is unfazed by, he said.

"I think the skeptics generally are sort of armchair critics," he said.

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"The problem for them is that archaeology is digging out of the ground artifacts that are a decisive refutation of the things that they say."

Skeptics, D'Souza said, have also historically questioned accounts surrounding Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. 

It wasn't until 1961 that archaeologists discovered the Pilate Stone - archaeological evidence that bore Pontius Pilate's name and identified him as "prefect of Judea." (That stone is on permanent display at The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, according to the museum's own website.)

"Boom. Not only does it confirm the existence of Pilate, but the Bible writers had his title exactly correct," D'Souza said.

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"Later, the title was evidently changed to procurator - but in Jesus' own time, Pontius Pilate had the title that the Bible ascribes to him," he added.

Another example involves an Old Testament story, in which Israelites traveled toward the Promised Land through Moabite territory, and the king of Moab called on Balaam, a diviner, to curse them, D'Souza said. 

In 1967, archaeologists excavating Deir 'Alla in modern-day Jordan discovered an ancient plaster inscription referring to "Balaam, son of Beor," a seer who shares the name and patronymic of the biblical figure.

"So skeptics, no surprise, go, 'This stuff is clearly made up,'" D'Souza said. "Well, fast-forward. … This is a guy who has just a few sentences in the Bible, and yet, thanks to this plaster inscription found in Jordan, he jumps out of the pages of the Bible and into the pages of history via the pathway of archaeology."

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One of the most "startling" examples of biblical archaeology, D'Souza said, involves a high priest named Caiaphas, described as "one of the villains of the Bible."

"He presides over the trial of Jesus. He orchestrates the crucifixion," he said.

"Yet for many, many centuries, Caiaphas had a kind of shady existence. He was mainly in the Bible, but not really outside the Bible," added D'Souza.

Archaeologists excavating in Jerusalem later discovered an ossuary, or bone box, bearing the name "Yehoseph bar Caiapha."

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"They look inside the box. It's the bones of a 60-year-old man. They date it. It goes to the first century A.D. It's Caiaphas," D'Souza said.

"And the amazing thing is, we not only have an inscription or reference to him, we have his actual bones. ... Archaeology provides this kind of stunning corroboration for the people, the places and the events in the Bible."

D'Souza described his book "The Stones Cry Out" as an "attempt to bridge the gap between the academic world and the public."

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"It's a complex field, but it's very rewarding," he said.

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He also urged his fellow Christians to visit Israel, he said, calling it "our spiritual homeland" - more so than other parts of the Levant.

"All of the Old Testament and Jesus' own ministry takes place in the [land] of Israel," he said. 

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"You get a much deeper understanding by being there. And also some of the terms and descriptions in the Bible take on a kind of new life."

Visiting the Pool of Siloam, for example, entails walking the same steps that Jesus took. D'Souza described it as an "exhilarating feeling" to visit the sites where Jesus taught. 

"If you can't make it, 'The Stones Cry Out' is the next best thing," he said.