It is probably best to view the collapse of the walls of Jericho as metaphorical because archaeology has found no walls that fell.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Kenyon’s stratigraphic work at Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho) showed no Late Bronze Age fortification layer that was destroyed at the time the biblical conquest would traditionally be placed, so reading the miraculous “collapse of the walls” as metaphorical is reasonable.

Relevant knowledge points:
- Archaeology uses stratigraphy to date occupation layers and destruction events.
- Biblical chronology places Joshua’s conquest in the Late Bronze Age; a literal collapse would require a destroyed, fortified city layer from that period.
- Excavations (notably mid-20th century stratigraphic work) found earlier fortifications and destruction layers (Early Bronze/Chalcolithic), but little or no evidence of a fortified, occupied Late Bronze Age Jericho that was toppled by a single conquest event.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. If the biblical account described a literal, historical collapse at the time of Joshua, archaeologists should find a Late Bronze Age city with collapsed walls and a destruction horizon datable to that century.
2. Excavations revealed fortifications and a major destruction, but those belong to much earlier periods; the site shows little evidence of a fortified, inhabited Late Bronze Age city.
3. Because the archaeological record lacks the expected Late Bronze Age destroyed fortification, the specific historical claim of a miraculous, army-caused collapse at that time is not supported by material evidence.
4. Therefore, treating the story as metaphorical or theological—expressing theological meaning (divine aid, covenant fulfillment) rather than recording a literal military event—best fits the archaeological facts.

Why other option (False) is incorrect:
Saying False would assert that archaeology has found collapsing walls corresponding to the biblical conquest; that claim is not supported by mainstream archaeological findings, which do not show a Late Bronze Age destruction of Jericho consistent with the biblical timeline.

Conclusion: Given the lack of archaeological evidence for a Late Bronze Age collapsed fortification at Jericho, it is reasonable to view the walls’ collapse as metaphorical—answer: True.

It is probably best to view the collapse of the walls of Jericho as metaphorical because archaeology has found no walls that fell.True/False

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