Investigation by Israeli newspaper claims the Bible is not true

Israeli newspaper Haartz published a long investigation on Friday (27 October), asking whether the Bible was in fact true, coming to the conclusion that the scriptures have no physical evidence to back them up.

In around 5,000 words, the newspaper describes evidence for the Biblical text being true as "elusive". "No evidence of the events described in the Book of Genesis has ever been found." the article states, in a section quoted by Newsweek.

"No city walls have been found at Jericho, from the appropriate era, that could have been toppled by Joshua or otherwise. The stone palace uncovered at the foot of Temple Mount in Jerusalem could attest that King David had been there; or it might belong to another era entirely, depending who you ask."

Over in America, Washington, DC is soon to host the opening of the Museum of the Bible - a $500m plus project - which says it's "dedicated to the history, narrative and impact of the Bible" and set to open in 17 November.

Though the museum itself claims not to be proselytising, many have criticised it and its placement near some of America's most iconic political monuments. Another reason some are skeptical of the centre's chairman. Steve Green is part of the family which owns Hobby Lobby, a company that took its Christian values to the US Supreme Court against the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate.

If it does end up as an evangelical centre, it won't be America's first to claim the title of museum. Kentucky's Creation Museum says in a straight-forward manner on its website: "The Creation Museum shows why God´s infallible Word, rather than man´s faulty assumptions, is the place to begin if we want to make sense of our world."

"This 75,000-square-foot facility allows families to experience earth history as God has revealed it in the Bible," the centre writes.