Like many ideas or systems, Christianity has a central theme to it, which without causes it to collapse. Whether it be a car, a watch or a refrigerator, there are critical components which if removed cause it to be something else. Moses seems to have recognized he was a contingent component in God’s plan, which could have gone on without him, when he said, "Send someone else…" … [Read more...]
Miracles and Science
I am privileged to be one of the general editors of the upcoming Dictionary of Christianity and Science (Zondervan, April 2017). Paul Copan, Tremper Longman, Michael Strauss, and I–along with our excellent team at Zondervan–have endeavored to create a reference work that tackles the most important terms, concepts, people, and debates at the intersection of Christianity and … [Read more...]
Did Christianity Copy from Paganism? (Part 2 of 5: No causal influence)
In our previous article in this series (found here), we began by articulating the popular argument that Christianity stole its central themes from antecedent Pagan deities. There, we argued that even skeptics and critical scholars reject such a view. However, we didn’t explain why they do so. In the subsequent articles, we will outline the reasons scholars reject this specious … [Read more...]
The Least Popular Jewish Names
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...]
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...]
Did Jesus Exist? (Part 4: Lucian and Thallus)
Did Jesus exist? While a robust case can be made by appealing to the NT documents (see Evidence Unseen “Part Four,” 2013), we have chosen instead to appeal to hostile non-Christian sources. In earlier articles in this series, we have considered the works of Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, and Josephus. In this edition, we will consider the works of Lucian and Thallus. … [Read more...]
Did Jesus Exist? (Part 3: Josephus)
Did Jesus exist? While a robust case can be made by appealing to the New Testament (NT) documents (see Evidence Unseen “Part Four,” 2013), in this series, we will only appeal to the hostile witnesses of history from outside of the NT. In previous articles, we considered the works of Cornelius Tacitus, as well as Pliny the Younger and Suetonius. In this article, we will consider … [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...]
Did Jesus Exist? (Part 1: Tacitus)
Jesus of Nazareth has had more of an impact on world history than any other man to have walked the face of the Earth. In their 2013 book Who’s Bigger? Where Historical Figures Really Rank (published by Cambridge University Press) Steven Skiena and Charles B. Ward place Jesus of Nazareth as the most significant figure in all of human history. And rightly so. Two thousand … [Read more...]