Much of What We Thought We Knew About the Biblical Past May Be Wrong

New archaeology, ancient manuscripts and artificial intelligence are reopening questions about the historical world of the Bible.

BELGRADE, Serbia — Some of the most familiar assumptions about the biblical past are being re-examined as archaeological research, ancient manuscripts and new computational methods reopen questions about ancient Israel, Jerusalem and the transmission of biblical texts.

At biblical Shiloh, researchers are examining archaeological evidence connected with Israelite sacrifice and a monumental building whose possible relationship to the Israelite Tabernacle remains an open archaeological question.

In Jerusalem, archaeologist Dr Joe Uziel of the Israel Antiquities Authority will examine Iron Age destruction evidence, written sources and new archaeological discoveries from 2026.

Other researchers are approaching the ancient world with tools that did not exist a generation ago. Machine learning is being applied to Hebrew Iron Age inscriptions, while artificial intelligence and statistical methods are increasingly being used to investigate ancient Hebrew texts — alongside growing debate about the limits of what AI can reliably tell us about the past.

Ancient manuscript traditions are raising different questions. The programme includes research on the survival of 1 Enoch in Ethiopia, Gəʿəz biblical traditions, Dead Sea Scrolls and textual transmission, as well as a presentation concerning 43 Hebrew-script New Testament manuscripts and a largely underexplored textual world.

These questions will be brought together during the EHJ Hebrew Bible Conference 2026, an international scholarly online conference taking place 6–10 November 2026, with more than 60 confirmed researchers working across archaeology, biblical studies, Hebrew and Semitic studies, manuscripts, Jewish studies, early Christianity, history and digital humanities.

Rather than presenting a single new theory of biblical history, the conference brings together competing evidence, methods and interpretations — including research that may challenge assumptions that have shaped modern understanding of the biblical past.