Lawrence Mykytiuk of the University of the Perdue University search for past personalities who have left their mark - whether on a signet ring or a monument.

 Introduction

Thanks to a unique system developed by a researcher, 53 characters from the Hebrew Bible have been recognized as authentic historical personalities thanks to material evidence of their existence. The creator of this system, Lawrence Mykytiuk, Assistant Professor of Library Science at Purdue University (Indiana, U.S.A.) describes this system as «a means of developing historicity».

Image opposite: Lawrence Mykytiuk, assistant professor of library science. DR

It sounded like an unlikely project: a Midwestern professor verifying ancient Middle Eastern names. And yet, Mykytiuk's training as a librarian and his interest in the Bible help him to do what archaeologists in the field can't do for lack of time - delve into journals and books, scrutinize the inscriptions found on excavations and try to match names from history with those in the Bible.

 The three criteria

The Mykytiuk system is based on the following criteria:

   - A biblical name must correspond to a name appearing on an authentic inscription, with no possibility of forgery (thus excluding objects on the antiques market).
   - The names - in the Bible and on the inscription - must match in terms of setting and time.
   - And, perhaps the most demanding category, Mykytiuk looks for matches in at least three specific identifying details - name, father's name and status.

«If these details match the same three mentions put forward in the Bible, it offers almost complete certainty,» says Mykytiuk. «There may be a number of people with the same name, the same father's name,» he adds, «But the same status? That's going too far. So I consider these criteria to establish a near-certainty, or it's that it's a look-alike - a near-complete certainty.».

The list of 53 characters presented on three boards

TABLE 01
Egypt, Moab, Aram-Damascus, Northern Kingdom of Israel, Southern Kingdom of Israel

TABLE 02
Kingdom of Southern Israel (continued), Assyria, Babylonia

TABLE 03
Perse and footnote