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"Textual" Article Items

Textual problems associated with Scripture; particularly concerning the reliability of the Scriptural text.

Historical Reliability of the Gospels
Bible with Hands

Posted on June 20, 2021 by

Categories: Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence, Textual

The historical reliability of the gospels offers another means for determining their historicity.   There are two means for determining the authenticity of any  historical account. The first is the most obvious; does the historical account have events that can be corroborated by multiple accounts.  This becomes progressively more difficult as the historical account becomes more remote.  Sometimes corroborating accounts become lost to history due to their loss or destruction.  Think for example of all the historical accounts that were lost during the destruction of the ancient Alexandria papyrus library. The second means for determining the reliability of an ancient historical… Read More »

Textual Reliability of the Gospels
Bible Image

Posted on June 12, 2021 by

Categories: Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Textual

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The reliability of the gospels is extraordinarily important to establish.  If they are not a reliable record of what actually happened during Christ’s life, then they would hold little value.  This is why the reliability of the gospels has been such an area of intense interest to theologians throughout church history. Skeptical authors have always held that the four gospels are folklore – just tales of epic stories that in reality represent a gross exaggeration and manipulation of actual events.  This is thought to have been done by ancient scribes interested in magnifying their country’s history.  These skeptics believe that… Read More »

Messianic Prophecies
The crucifixion date was derived from an Old Testament prophecy from Daniel that Christ expected the Jews to know.

Posted on June 6, 2021 by

Categories: Biblical History, Textual

Messianic Prophecies The fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies represents one of the most remarkable facets of Christianity.  There is no doubt these prophecies were written down before Christ.  They can be found in the Septuagint, a Greek translation from the original Hebrew texts.  During the several centuries before Christ, Greek was used as the common language throughout most of the Roman Empire. Greek Scriptures such as the Septuagint were in wide use throughout the Roman Empire by the time of Christ and Paul.  This is because most Christian converts spoke Greek, but could not read Hebrew.  The Greek translation was… Read More »

Age of the Old Testament
Shrine of the Book houses the ancient Isaiah Scroll written about 200 BC including Isaiah 53 which gives a description in great detail about Jesus Christ - the coming Messiah.

Posted on April 16, 2021 by

Categories: Biblical History, Historical Evidence, Philosophical, Textual

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Dating the Age of the Old Testament The age of the Old Testament has been debated for the past two hundred years – it is a very controversial and very important topic.  Traditionalists say the Old Testament was written many hundreds of years before Christ by the authors attributed to each book.  For example, the Torah (first five books in the Bible) was written by Moses, the Psalms mostly written by David, Proverbs written by Solomon, and the major and minor prophetic books written by their respective prophet. Recent handwriting analysis published in peer-reviewed journals lends credence to the traditional… Read More »

Yitzhak Kaduri
Kaduri was the most senior rabbi in Jerusalem who quoted the Messiah as Jesus.

Posted on September 21, 2020 by

Categories: Biblical Names, Historical Evidence, Textual

One of the most remarkable – and controversial – news stories out of Israel concerns the renowned Ultra-Orthodox teacher of Israel – Yitzhak Kaduri. He was apparently a remarkable man revered by Jews all throughout Israel as a man of God and was a rabbi’s rabbi. He was born on July 9, 1898, in Baghdad as Yitzhak Diba who studied the Torah and the Kaballah, and was considered very intelligent.  He memorized much of the Scriptures and texts and was able to give advice to those who would ask. Everybody who knew the rabbi recognized him as a great man… Read More »

The “Lost” Gospels
Bible Image

Posted on May 17, 2020 by

Categories: Biblical History, Biblical Names, Historical Evidence, Textual

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Television documentaries about Bible history often are aired during the major Christian holidays, especially during Easter.  These documentaries invariably include a spacial concerning the “lost” gospels.  These books are also known as apocryphal gospels from the Greek meaning “hidden book.” These “hidden” gospels purport to have been written by eyewitnesses to Christ’s ministry such as Peter, Judas, or Thomas – but they tell a story that is very different than the gospels included in Scripture.  These differences are not minor, but so substantial that they are “shocking” making them a frequent topic of discussion on popular outlets such as the History… Read More »

Timing of Messiah Appearance
The crucifixion date was derived from an Old Testament prophecy from Daniel that Christ expected the Jews to know.

Posted on February 21, 2020 by

Categories: Christ In Old Testament, Historical Evidence, Textual

There was much anticipation of the timing of Messiah appearance among the Jewish population of Jerusalem in the early part of the first century AD.  This anticipation related to the expected appearance of the Messiah who they hoped would lead a revolt against the hated Roman occupiers of their country. Ancient rabbinical deliberations expressed in the Talmud placed his expected appearance in the early first century which represents a problem to many Jewish faithful.  Some believe the Messiah may have come but because of Jewish unfaithfulness did not declare himself to the nation.  Others suggested in hushed tones that maybe… Read More »

Ruth
Ruth is an ancient story about a kindman-redeemer named Boaz. He would marry Ruth and would become an ancestor of Christ.

Posted on December 18, 2019 by

Categories: Biblical Names, Christ In Old Testament, Historical Evidence, Textual

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Ruth is a small book buried in the Old Testament. It consists of only about 2500 words but it conveys a great picture of a redeemer.  As part of the redeemer image, Ruth was adopted into the lineage of the great redeemer, Christ. This book is particularly useful for those without a Jewish understanding of the Torah.  While Christians understand the notion of a redeemer in the context of Christ’s sacrifice for us, they only have a vague understanding of what it meant to be a “redeemer” in ancient Jewish law. The story uses these Jewish principles with Boaz accepting… Read More »