The Chronology Is Off, Say Biblical Scholars
Despite parallels between the fiery end of both Tall el-Hammam and Sodom, biblical scholars say the dates are off. The meteor reportedly struck Tall el-Hammam around 1650 B.C., several centuries after Abraham is believed to have lived. The Answers in Genesis website takes a closer look at this debate.
National Review writer Dan McLaughlin points out that connecting the two events “involves a certain amount of faith” and might be possible. An excess of salt, he notes, “seems a particularly apt detail.” But McLaughlin adds that this “would not be the first thing in Genesis to be consistent with historical evidence without being proven by such evidence.”
Archaeologist Robert Mullins, an Azusa Pacific professor who served as a ceramic consultant on the Tall el-Hammam excavation, tells Christianity Today he’s skeptical of the connection. “In my opinion, this is an example of evidence being marshaled to support the identification of the site as Sodom, as opposed to letting the site speak for itself and then—if the evidence supports it—put forth a proposal of it as Sodom,” he says. “There is no question that this is an amazing site, but they are going to have to put forth more evidence that it’s Sodom.”
