From http://www.worldofthebible.com/

 

Ron Wyatt Information Resources

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Q. We had a man named Ron Wyatt who came to our city and claimed that he had discovered Noah's Ark and even the Ark of the Covenant? Is this for real?


A. Ron Wyatt, who has been telling his tales of discovering Noah's Ark, the chariots of Pharaoh, the pillars of Solomon, the true  Mt. Sinai, the tomb of the Patriarchs, Sodom & Gomorrah, the place of Christ's crucifixion, and the Ark of the Covenant for many years, has been documented as an archaeological fraud. Both former "friends" as well as professional archaeologists in his own denomination (Seventh- Day Adventist) have published detailed refutations of all of his "discoveries." Rather than go into such details here we refer those interested in the documentation against Wyatt to request a free packet of papers by archaeologists in Wyatt's denomination from: Dr. David Merling, Associate Director & Curator, Institute of Archaeology, Horn Archaeological Museum, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI 49104-0990.

 

(E-Mail: hornmusm@andrews.edu). Extensive examinations of his most extravagant claims may be found on the Internet at: http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/ (and especially the following at this site:


http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/Fenner.html
http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/BaumgardnerLetter.html
http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/HasNoahsArkBeenFound1.html
http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/HasNoahsArkBeenFound2.html,
http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-231.htm
http://www.answersingenesis.org/Docs/526.asp
http://www.answersingenesis.org/Docs/1154.asp
http://www.fui.com/cim/reports/wyatt.txt
http://www.mysite.xtra.co.nz/~Papanui


Yet, despite the fact that Wyatt has never submitted verifiable evidence for his claims to competent authorities, his books, video tapes and lectures in churches and at hotel meeting rooms (with the Prophecy Club) have won him a fervent following among less discerning Christians. Concerning the claims that most excite his audiences - his supposed discovery of Noah's Ark and the Ark of the Covenant - we may briefly state the following. His Noah's Ark site had been examined and long abandoned by Ark hunters and geologists as a natural formation before Wyatt and others came to the spot, and it has continued to be proven to be such (even though the Turks gave it credibility for the sake of tourism). There are eight other smaller formations like it in the area, so if this is Noah's Ark there must have been a fleet of them!  As to the Ark of the Covenant, Wyatt says that he found it along with the Table of Shewbread, the Golden Altar of Incense, and the Menorah (a seven-branched candelabra) which stood in the ancient Temple, in a cave inside the hill called "Gordon's Calvary" in eastern Jerusalem. Wyatt even says he scrapped blood off of the Mercy Seat of the Ark, had it analyzed and found it to have half the normal number of human chromosomes (therefore, the blood of the Virgin born Christ). He further says that the Ark was positioned in such a way so that when Christ was crucified His blood fell through a hole in the cliff above and landed on the Mercy Seat  (thus fulfilling the atonement typified by this object). While such a story thrills audiences, "Gordon's Calvary" cannot be the place of Christ's crucifixion. It has no archaeological support, whereas the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, identified with Christ's crucifixion  since the 4th century A.D. has much). "Gordon's Calvary" at the site of the Protestant "Garden Tomb" is part of a complex of First Temple tombs (about 600 years before Christ), but the New Testament says Jesus tomb was "newly hewn" ().Wyatt's "discoveries" have been rejected by real archaeologists not because, as Wyatt contends, they are jealous, or lack faith, but because his stories are unsubstantiated by facts. If facts are the basis for our faith (Christ actually died and rose again), then it is no lack of faith to demand of those with incredible claims that they be supported with evidence. The bottom line is: Wyatt has given us nothing to believe, so believe nothing he says! 

Posted November 20, 1999


ARCHEOLOGY WITH RON WYATT: a personal account by Bernard Brandstater


Letter from Joe Zias

Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 10:13:12 +0300 (IDT)
From: jo@israntique.org.il
To: jsearcy@connecti.org.il
Cc: Harriet@israntique.org.il
Subject: Re: Ron Wyatt

Dear Mr. Searcy

Mr. Ron Wyatt is neither an archaeologist nor has he ever carried out a legally licensed excavation in Israel or Jerusalem. In order to excavate one must have at least a BA in archaeology which he does not possess despite his claims to the contrary. We are aware of his claims which border on the absurd as they have no scientific basis whatsoever nor have they ever been published in a professional journal. They fall into the category of trash which one finds in tabloids such as the National Enquirer, Sun etc. It's amazing that anyone would believe them. Furthermore, he has been thoroughly discredited by various Christian organizations such as Creation Research in Calif. For the latest on his "discoveries" I suggest going into the WWW (use Vista) someone called Tentmaker decided to do an expose of his various claims. Here you will find the truth, which is more amazing that his (RW) fictions.

Shalom

Joe Zias
Curator of Anthropology/Archaeology
Israel Antiquities Authority
POB 586, Jerusalem
Tel. 972 2 292624 Ê

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shalom, if you have stirred up a wasps nest you must be doing something good.

I can be quoted on the following:

A. Ron Wyatt has never received a license from the IAA to excavate here in Jerusalem. If he has then let him produce a license for his digs and surveys in Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, Mt. Sinai etc.

B. Finding a coin at the so called Mt. Sinai. This shows the total ignorance of RW and his public who want to believe rather than to know! Coins were not around at the times of Moses, even an amateur archaeologist should know this simple fact!!! There are so many so called Mt. Sinais that even the Jews do not know where it is located. Personally I believe that it is simply a literary invention which is why it will never be found. (Comment/Correction: The preceding quote about coins has been made without any proof and seems to be absolute . Is he saying there was no coins by this time in history? Joe Zias, Curator of Anthropology/Archaeology, Israel Antiquities Authority, POB 586, Jerusalem, Tel. 972 2 292624. Added 1/29/06)

C. As for the chariot wheel, a bluff, produce it, on what was the dating made? Saw it in the video, it looks like a hoax. If it exists date it in a C-14 lab. As a amateur arch. which he claims to be he should know of many.

D. The Noah's ark discovery has been discredited. If it is true, and I saw the tape, show lab reports on the C-14 lab report.

E. I personally read the junk about the blood of Christ which is totally absurd. I immediately sent a fax to RW as I knew he was bluffing asking for a) copy and address of the lab report and b) sample for some independent testing which we would do. As of yet we have not received any reply, I sent a colleague who is a professor of NT to Tenn. to see what was up and the person in charge of the museum there said that we in the IAA are a bunch of non-believers and they weren't interested in providing such info. to us.

F. I saw his video which is an embarrassment to the world of arch. The only people who can believe this junk is one who has never studied arch. As for the impt. archaeologists he mentions in his reports. I have never heard of one of them after 25 yrs in the profession. As for the James Irwin, what are his credentials regarding the world of Biblical Arch. Did he have a BA in the profession, he was conned into believing this as have many others who wish to believe rather than to know.

G. Has RW ever had any of his impt. so called discoveries published in a peer reviewed journal? If so why not?

H. Lastly if RW can supply us with the lab report on the so called blood of Jesus along with a sample for independent testing which shows 24 chromosomes I will then be led along the road to Damascus. Otherwise he is bluffing.

Joe Zias
Curator of Anthropology/Archaeology
Israel Antiquities Authority
POB 586, Jerusalem
Tel. 972 2 292624




ABR ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER
Vol. 2, Issue 2 Circulation: 2675
February 15, 2002
http://www.christiananswers.net/abr
1-800-430-0008
abrofc@aol.com

Staff Commentary

Ron Wyatt's Sodom
Rev. Gary Byers

Geologist Steve Austin of the Institute for Creation Research recently examined evidence from a site on the west side of the Dead Sea (at the foot of Masada), suggested by Ron Wyatt as the location of the destroyed Biblical city of Sodom. Austin is one of the few geologists to have critically examined evidence from this region in light of Wyatt's claims. The site was recently visited, and the geological features were photographed by Robert Brecka of Baltimore, MD. Austin examined BreckaÕs photos and also tested and evaluated samples from the area.

Having studied the geology of the local Lisan Marl in both Israel and Jordan, Austin noted the samples were typical of lake environments. Although not having specifically studied Wyatt's site, Austin has observed similar landforms and erosion features in the marl strata northeast of Masada. Referring to the Dead Sea basin as one of the world's best pull-apart basins, he pointed out its similarity to the Imperial Valley and Salton Sea of California in both tectonic structure and desert landforms.

After examining Brecka's photographs of the Lisan Marl on the west side of the Dead Sea, Austin noted the region's world-class examples of desert landforms. He described the Lisan Marl as ancient lake sediment from a former Dead Sea, which occupied the basin at a higher level just thousands of years ago at the time of the "Ice Age." The marl is very poorly consolidated and is composed of microscopic crystals of calcite (calcium carbonate) and gypsum (calcium sulfate with water). Austin identified piping tubes created by vertical fracturing, which then created sinkholes and cave-like structures. Although some have the appearance of human excavations, they are entirely of natural origin. Bridging, arches, rills, sapping structures and gully erosion were prominent in the region. Natural marl joints broke off in linear rectangular features that created narrow mesas (buttes) and pediments (gravel-covered mesas). Circular marl structures ("pinnacles" and "hodos") were also identified. Numerous erosional forms containing resistant strata (known as "elephant knees") were also observed in the marl formation.

Sulfur nodules, common throughout the site, were also examined and Austin suggested their presence was from the chemical alteration of gypsum within the strata. Earthquake-produced fluidization structures of beautiful swirls along with lamination forms and the phenomenon of desert varnish were also observed in the Lisan formations.

With all these features being common natural phenomenon and typical of dried up lake environments, Austin believed many were relic desert forms. He suggested they were created a couple of thousand years ago. Based on Brecka's photographs, Austin saw no reason to believe there was anything that was not a natural geological feature. While not totally ruling it out, he did not observe anything suggesting modification by human activity.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) also does not believe there is any evidence for ancient artifacts or structures at the site. Yet, they were favorable to Brecka's interest and encouraged him to apply for an excavation permit. (Photographs and a fuller report of the geological features at this site, believed by Ron Wyatt to be the destroyed city of Sodom, will appear in a coming issue of ABR's quarterly magazine Bible and Spade.)

Featured Link

Tentmaker.org

Since the magazine "Dew from Mount Hermon" published the article "A Great Christian Scam", Joel Davenport, the manager of WAR's Internet site, has published an article located at their website accusing Gary Amirault of not telling the truth. In the article, Amirault did not disclose the names of his sources since the article only went to a few hundred subscribers who trusted his reporting. On his website at Tentmaker.org, Amirault presents more complete information with the view of debunking the claims of Ron Wyatt.


Updated July 30, 2004.

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