One of the more remarkable pieces of data in Richard Bauckham’s 2006 book, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, is the comparison of Palestinian Jewish names in the Gospel period to those recorded in the Gospels themselves. ¹ He draws on the work of the Israeli scholar Tal Ilan, who compiled totals of all the recorded name occurrences in Palestinian Jews from 330 BC to 200 AD. The … [Read more...]
Did Christianity Copy from Paganism? (Part 1 of 5)
By James M. Rochford Many skeptics claim that the resurrection of Jesus originated from pagan myths about “dying and rising” gods—commonly called the “copycat theory” of Christianity. James G. Frazer popularized this view in his book The Golden Bough (1914),[1] though more recently, others have followed in his footsteps.[2] … [Read more...]
Why Should We Trust The Old Testament? The Old Testament Is Not A Myth
The Old Testament is rejected by a few for various reasons. Some reject it because they cannot comprehend an angry God - a God of wrath (e.g. Canaanite massacre, Levitical punishments etc.). Others reject it because of the miraculous narratives such as the Red Sea parting, Jonah living in the big fish, talking snake etc. However, scores of Christians believe in the Old … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 30
Ezekiel is known as one of Israel’s greatest prophets, but how good was he really? His prophecies against Israel’s enemies were specific, so how did Ezekiel do? How many did he get right and how many did he get wrong? In recent studies we have looked at archaeological discoveries that support claims that Ezekiel prophesied in Babylon while in exile during the early part of … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Exist? (Part 5: Mara Bar-Serapion & the Talmud)
It’s remarkable that many thinking people today deny the historical existence of Jesus. In this series of articles, we have been exploring the evidence for the existence of Jesus purely from extrabiblical sources, rather than by appealing to the NT documents (see Evidence Unseen “Part Four,” 2013). In earlier articles in this series, we have considered the works of … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 29
In past studies we saw that archaeologists have discovered records of three ancient deportations of people from Judah to Babylon: 605 BC, 597 BC, and 586 BC. Daniel was taken during the first captivity in 605 BC (Daniel 1:1-7). Many scholars believe Ezekiel was taken during the second captivity in 597 BC. One thing the Books of Daniel and Ezekiel have in common among critics … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 28
Darius or Cyrus? “That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.” Daniel 5:30-31 Daniel wrote that Darius the Mede received the Kingdom of Babylon, but Herodotus wrote that Cyrus received it. Who is right? In the last part of our series we looked at how archaeological discoveries from … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Exist? (Part 2: Pliny the Younger and Suetonius)
In my previous article, I addressed the subject of Jesus’ existence. While a full and robust case can be made by appealing to the New Testament (NT) documents (see Evidence Unseen “Part Four,” 2013), here we will only appeal to the hostile witnesses of history from outside of the NT. In this article, we will consider the evidence from the Roman governor Pliny the Younger and … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 27
“The handwriting is on the wall.” The next time you hear someone use that phrase, ask them where it comes from. Many people have no idea it comes from the Book of Daniel. “In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote … Then the fingers of … [Read more...]
Convince Me There’s A God – Archaeology 26
The Book of Daniel is one of the most contested writings in the Bible. Atheists understand the significance of Daniel and attack it with regularity. Here’s a note on the Secular Web about Daniel: “The prophecies of the Book of Daniel have fascinated readers and created controversy for the past two thousand years. Evangelical Christians believe that the prophet Daniel, an … [Read more...]