Field Guide: Ron Wyatt: Who's Who in the world of the late Ron Wyatt

In a Nutshell

The late amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt claimed during his lifetime to have discovered … or identified conclusively (at least to his own satisfaction) for the first time in modern times … scores of significant Biblical sites and objects, including Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, Mt. Sinai, the remains of Pharaoh's army at the bottom of the Red Sea, the Ark of the Covenant, the Ten Commandment stones, actual blood from the body of Jesus Christ, and much more.

Those who wish to examine in detail the evidence for and against those claims (and the claims of those groups and individuals who are continuing to promote his work to this day) may find the following Who's Who helpful in searching for more information on the Internet and in print.

PLEASE NOTE:

This list is a section of a much longer profile of Wyatt's claims on this Field Guide website. Click here to go to the beginning of the Profile of the Archaeological Claims of Ron Wyatt.

A number of listings below make reference to the book Holy Relics or Revelation by Colin and Russell Standish. See the main Wyatt profile on this Field Guide website for a bibliography entry for the book.

Israeli authorities claimed by Wyatt to have had some connection with his excavations

(Note that the positions such as "Director of the Israeli Antiquities Dept." listed for each name indicates that the person held such position during some period of interest to those investigating the claims of Ron Wyatt. Each may now hold a different position, some may be deceased.)

Dr. Daniel Bahat

Previously Head Government Archaeologist in Jerusalem, later Professor of Archaeology at Bar Ilan University.

Denied that he ever signed an "excavation license" for Wyatt as he had no position which entitled him to sign such licenses

Talked to Russell Standish in 1999 and specifically gave him permission to quote his statements in Holy Relics or Revelation. These included :

"We are unconcerned if Ron Wyatt publishes his evidence concerning Christ's blood or the Ark of the Covenant. He is perfectly free to do so."

Wyatt claimed to have been divinely inspired to spontaneously point to an area near the Garden Tomb and to utter the words "There's Jeremiah's Grotto-- the Ark of the Covenant is there." And he claimed that Bahat was walking with him at that point, and enthusiastically replied "Then you must find it. We will help you." Bahat categorically denies witnessing this action and hearing these words from Wyatt, and denies making the response credited to him by Wyatt.

General Amin Drorie

Director of the Israeli Antiquities Dept

In meeting at the SDA Amazing Truth Ministries in January 1999, Wyatt affirmed that four men had signed his 1988 license to dig…

Kloner, Gat, Bahat and Drorie. Only Drorie had the right to sign such licenses, but he wasn't in that position until a year later, 1999.

Drorie told Russell Standish in Feb 1999 that his office had never given Wyatt a permit, and that there was NO directive from the government prohibiting the release of any information Wyatt had. AND when asked about the chromosomal report, he said, "Let him go ahead and openly show the report." (see page 93 of Holy Relics or Revelation)

Abi Eytan

Director of the Israel Antiquities Dept

Joseph Gat

Now deceased. One of the "Israeli authorities" Wyatt claimed had signed his 1988 license to dig in Israel.

Professor Amos Kloner

Previously Head Government Archaeologist in Jerusalem, later Professor at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv.

Claimed by Wyatt to have signed a license for him to dig, but Kloner had never held any position that allowed him to sign Israel Antiquities Dept licenses

Joseph Zias

Curator of Anthropology/Archaeology of the Israeli Antiquities Authority during entire period of Wyatt's discoveries

An avowed atheist who does not accept OT or NT

Put letter on Internet in 1996 disclaiming Wyatt's allegations that the Israeli authorities ever requested or coerced Wyatt into not revealing details of his alleged finds

http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/Zias.html

Prominent Critics of the claims of Ron Wyatt

Dr. David Pennington

Brother in Law of Colin and Russell Standish. Approached Wyatt with serious questions about Wyatt's claims, but never received persuasive answers.

J Randall Price

Author of Temple Treasures

Linda Gunderson writes about Price's credentials in a footnote to her article Noah’s Ark, the Ark of the Covenant, and Ron Wyatt at Twin Cities Creation Science Association website :

Dr. Randall Price is president of World of the Bible Ministries, Inc., a nonprofit educational equipping organization providing a clearer understanding of the Bible and biblical issues through information on the ancient and modern Middle East; Bible prophecy; and historical, cultural, and archaeological studies. He holds a master’s degree in Old Testament and Semitic Languages from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Hebrew Literature and Middle Eastern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also taught courses in biblical archaeology and the history and culture of modern Israel. He has done graduate studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has conducted archaeological excavations in Jerusalem and the region of Galilee, and is a certified tour guide to the State of Israel. He has authored several books and has appeared nationwide on the CBS television specials Ancient Secrets of the Bible, and was the focus of a series about the Temple and its treasures on the nationally acclaimed Christian program The John Ankerberg Show.

Three letters between Randall Price and Jim Pinkoski regarding Price's negative evaluation of Wyatt's claims

Colin D. Standish and Russell R. Standish

Seventh Day Adventist authors of the book Holy Relics or Revelation, an in-depth examination and evaluation of Wyatt's claims, published by Hartland Publications. (See the main Wyatt profile on this Field Guide website for a bibliography entry for the book.)

Associates and promoters of the claims of Ron Wyatt before and after his death

Kevin Fisher

Creator of Arkdiscovery.com

http://www.arkdiscovery.com

Bill Fry

Former associate of Ron Wyatt, creator of Anchorstone.com to promote Wyatt’s claims, now deceased

http://www.anchorstone.com

Jonathan Gray

Long-time aggressive promoter of Ron Wyatt's discoveries, particularly in Australia and New Zealand

Author of Ark of the Covenant, Dead Men's Secrets

Former SDA pastor, left the church, returned by 1999

No longer has an active website

Dr. Hiler

Friend and fellow worker of Wyatt

Said by Wyatt at the opening of the Wyatt Archaeological Research Museum in Gatlinburg in 1995 to be the one who would "analyze the blood" (see p. 53 of Holy Relics or Revelation ) . No such analysis seems to have ever been made by Hiler. In an interview in 1999 with Colin Standish, Hiler said that he was still inclined to believe that Wyatt had found the Ark of the Covenant, but he was skeptical about the claims regarding Jesus' blood.

James Irwin

Former astronaut. Promoted Wyatt's activities at the alleged Noah's Ark site at Durupinar.

Jim Pinkoski

Former Curator of the [first] Wyatt Archaeological Research Museum, drew the Ark of the Covenant for the cover of Wyatt's book

Website: http://www.pinkoski.com/

Introduction:

"Welcome to the one and only website on the Internet that contains an extensive "behind the scenes" look at the museums and work of the late Ron Wyatt! I met Ron Wyatt in 1989 and worked with him for 10 years -- I am an artist and a Christian, and to a large degree this website contains my own personal testimony of my involvement with Ron Wyatt's extremely important Biblical archaeological discoveries. I believe it is important for those of us who worked with Ron to step forward and carry on his work.

Richard Rives

Current director of Wyatt Archaeological Research (WAR), long-time Wyatt promoter.

WAR official website is at http://www.wyattmuseum.com/

Mary Nell Wyatt Lee

Widow of Ron Wyatt, later married Randall Lee. Was intimately involved in Wyatt's projects, wrote articles for his newsletter, maintained an an active role in Wyatt Archaeological Research (WAR) after Ron Wyatt’s death.

WAR official website is at http://www.wyattmuseum.com/

Former supporters of the work of Ron Wyatt who have since rejected some or many of his claims

Bernard Bradstater

Knew Ron Wyatt personally and accompanied him on one of the archaeological projects aimed at taking others to see the alleged Ark of the Covenant hiding place. He provides a candid perspective on Wyatt's methods in ARCHEOLOGY WITH RON WYATT: a personal account at the following link.

http://www.ldolphin.org/wyatt1.html

Excerpt:

Over several days we were able to excavate our way down into the same cave system that Wyatt had explored two years before. I'm sorry to report that in the end we came up empty-handed. The connecting channel through which Wyatt had claimed to see the furniture was not there. On the final day of excavation, when we could not see the internal cavern landmarks that Wyatt had predicted, Ron himself finally climbed down into the dim space. After a long time he emerged, looking confused. As we waited respectfully to hear his report, he mumbled a few words like: "It's not the same; it's changed. It's not the way I remember it." There was no opening to be seen, giving a view into an adjacent cavern. There was nothing. In the process of our digging we had come up with a few interesting little objects from Roman times, but they were irrelevant to our main goal.

Our team was disappointed, puzzled, disillusioned. We had enjoyed ten days of close fellowship, with daily shared prayer times, and an excited anticipation of momentous events just before us. Now all those hopes came crashing down. And sadly, Wyatt was not man enough to come clean, to apologize for bringing us on a wild goose chase, or to attempt any kind of explanation. We kept expecting some sort of statement, but he just remained silent, withdrawn. And we were too stunned, and perhaps too sorry for him in his confusion, to demand that he explain.

To this day I cannot give a rational account for the extreme misguidedness that Wyatt revealed. What was happening in his head? His participation in our group worship times had left all of us in no doubt about his sincerity and his devotion to Scripture. He was a competent Bible scholar. He was a brother. Yet he had misled us terribly, and had offered no words of regret or apology or explanation. I have reviewed the whole story many times since then, and am convinced that the church administrator was right: Wyatt might be mistaken, but he himself believed that what he had originally shared was true.

From medical school I remember hearing of a rare state of mind, with a long Latin name, that led its victims to concoct marvelously detailed accounts of events that were pure fabrications, yet which the story-teller himself had come to believe were absolutely true. I am inclined to believe that Wyatt was a florid example of this disorder. He was not a deliberate liar, a fraud. And some of his observations had merit. But I am convinced that some of his "discoveries" were matters which underwent transcription in his mind, and he came to believe as true certain ideas and observations that in fact were his own inventions.

More comments from Bradstater on his experiences with Wyatt can be seen in Chapter 24 of Holy Relics or Revelation.

John Baumgardner

Friend and associate of Wyatt, at one time supported Wyatt's claims regarding Noah's Ark.

Extensive statement at http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/BaumgardnerLetter.html

Excerpt:

"The footage of me in the video that has been shown several times on U.S. and British television during the last three years reflects my early enthusiasm about the possibility of a connection of the site with Noah's Ark, but it does not accurately represent my very firm conclusions reached after the extensive geophysical investigations we conducted at the site in 1987 and 1988. I realize this answer is brief, but I hope it is clear I am convinced the remains of the Ark must be somewhere else, that such remains are emphatically _not_ associated with this boat-shaped formation. The central claims Wyatt and Fasold have been making about the site are bogus."

Baumgardner also answers claims that he recanted his support for Wyatt for fear of his job.

Thomas Fenner

Snelling's Could This Be Noah's Ark? article notes of Fenner:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/1154.asp

Tom Fenner: Geologist/geophysicist/applications engineer with Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc., who originally went to Turkey to do radar scans on the site for Wyatt in 1985, and who is often quoted as concluding from Wyatt and Fasold's 1986 radar survey that the site is a man-made boat. However, he eventually went to the site with Baumgardner in 1987 to conduct his own full-scale radar survey with equipment he has professionally used in various parts of the world for many years.

Fenner provided the following public statement in 1996 regarding his opinions regarding the Durupinar site and the work of Ron Wyatt.

http://www.tentmaker.org/WAR/Fenner.html

It has come to my attention that a Mr. Ron Wyatt from Tennessee has been making misleading statements regarding my role and beliefs in the so-called Ark of Noah at Uzen Gili while trying to raise money for his so-called research …

In 1987 I returned to Turkey and did a methodical and complete ground penetrating radar study of the entire site. The first order of business was to duplicate Wyatt's results to support his conclusions. An inordinate amount of time (1.5 out of 3 days of intensive work) was spent trying to duplicate Wyatt's findings. We were unable to do so.

The only scientific conclusion that can be made was that the original data was erroneous. At best incompetence or, at worst fabrication of the data are the only possible explanations. Given Mr. Wyatt had no working knowledge on how to operate the system nor interpret the radar data (I tried to train him) and, my previous experience with him in Turkey, I concluded it was the former and not the latter. ( A Christian must always give the benefit of doubt.)

My radar work showed some structure on part of the site which was subsequently confirmed to be bedrock with seismic instrumentation used by Dr. John Baumgardner. Drilling at the site in 1989 also produced no evidence that this "object" was anything other than a natural geologic formation.

Herold Follett

Attorney, member of the Board of 3ABN (Three Angels Television Broadcasting network, SDA media). In 1989, 3ABN paid Wyatt $10,000 for the rights to film the contents of the chamber in which Wyatt alleged the Ark of the Covenant was secreted. Follett and 3ABN president Danny Shelton accompanied Wyatt on a trip to Jerusalem for this purpose, but the effort was fruitless, as Wyatt claimed eventually that God did not want the videotaping to occur, and the project was called off. The $10,000 was not returned to ABN.

Danny Shelton

President of 3ABN in Southern Illinois (Three Angels Television Broadcasting network, SDA media). In 1989, 3ABN paid Wyatt $10,000 for the rights to film the contents of the chamber in which Wyatt alleged the Ark of the Covenant was secreted. Shelton and 3ABN attorney and member of the Board Herold Follett accompanied Wyatt on a trip to Jerusalem for this purpose, but the effort was fruitless, as Wyatt claimed eventually that God did not want the videotaping to occur, and the project was called off. The $10,000 was not returned to ABN.

More information

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs/1154.asp

Andrew Snelling's article "Could This Be Noah's Ark?" on the Answers In Genesis site includes information about and quotations from some of the individuals above and a number of others regarding their involvement with Wyatt's claims regarding what he believed to be "the real" Noah's Ark.

Careful effort has been made to give credit as clearly as possible to any specific material quoted or ideas extensively adapted from any one resource. Corrections and clarifications regarding citations for any source material are welcome, and will be promptly added to any sections which are found to be inadequately documented as to source.

Return to Top of Page and the Navigation Bar

Who’s Who

In the World of Ron Wyatt