Question: 1 – I’m reading a book where an atheist asks: “How can the heavenly voice at Jesus’ baptism have said both ” You are my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11) and ” This is my beloved Son” (Matt 3:17) at the same time? “ 2 – Why did God order killed the Canaanite children? Are […]

Read More

[Editor’s note:  This question comes from a person who has asked many questions, as you will see from my answer. To find more on Ehrman, go to the site and do a search on his name] Question: Bart Ehrman claims that the “we” passages in Acts are forgery by the author to convince the readers […]

Read More

Question: I read an article that claims that John 7:53-8:11 was not part of the original book of John.  https://www.gotquestions.org/John-7-53-8-11.html Please comment on this article.  Is today’s KJV bible accurate as to the original manuscripts written by the original gospel writers?  Are there any additional example of material that has been added to the Gospels over the […]

Read More

Question: How did the Jewish government handle the resurrections of the dead during the Good Friday story? I mean today once your social security file is closed its over for you! Imagine how our government would handle the dead coming back into the cities! Is there any Jewish mention of these saints when they came back […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: I received a long and somewhat rambling set of comments and questions from someone. I asked for a more succinct set of comments and questions so that I could respond. You will see below that the shorter version is still a bit unfocused, but this person asks sufficiently important questions that I felt […]

Read More

Question: What do you say to the idea that Joseph of Arimathea did not actually exist? Is there good historical proof that he did? Answer: There is no “proof” that any single person lived in ancient history.  It is literally impossible to prove that Nero or Julius Caesar or Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else in ancient […]

Read More

Question: Did Paul really write the pastoral epistles? Most scholars refuse this opinion and say that they were written later after Paul’s death. They say that the vocabulary and style are different from that of the seven undisputed epistles. Some have suggested that Paul used a secretary to write these epistles, probably Luke, because he […]

Read More

Question: Some people think that Jesus was begotten by the father only at his resurrection because the apostle Paul said about Jesus that he was appointed Son of God by His resurrection ( Romans 1 – or the speech of Paul in the Act of the Apostle).  I’m currently reading the Bart Erhman’s book “How Jesus […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: I am dispersing my answers among the questions.  They will be in italics.] Question: I have been a believer of Jesus Christ for more than 10 years. Recently my brother who is an atheist challenged me with many absurd theories he found on the internet. That provoked me to look for solid evidence […]

Read More

Question: I had a question about a couple of things that I heard an atheist bring up the other day. How do you respond to an atheist that says they can’t believe in the Bible because of some of the things that are in there like talking snakes, talking bushes, unicorns or even the time […]

Read More

Question: I have heard it said that if all the New Testament manuscripts were lost, the entire NT could still be replaced merely by the quotes from the church fathers…except for a scant few verses. My questions: 1. Who all has done a study to verify this? 2. How accurate were the quotations by the […]

Read More

Question: My brain is overheated since i’m trying to reconcile the apparent contradictions we find in the narratives of the apparitions of Jesus after his resurrection.  For example, Jesus said to the disciples to go to Galilee and that He will precede them there and then they will meet Him in Galilee. (Matthew)….but no….Jesus appeared […]

Read More

Question: I have three questions: 1- I have searched and found that there is division between scholars about dating the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Although some believe that they were written before 62 AD because there is no mention of Paul’s death or destruction of Jerusalem, most scholars believe that they […]

Read More

Question:    [editor’s note: this is a rather long question with an even longer answer, so be patient] I came across a write up on the fact/fiction of the Resurrection of the Lord herehttp://capturingchristianity.com/fact-fiction-resurrection-jesus-comprehensive-case/ My questions to you won’t focus on street epistemology but on the last comments of this article from Bob. His line […]

Read More

Questions: 1 – In Luke 24 we read that two disciples met Jesus and talked with him but did not know him!  We read also about Mary Magdalene who did not know Jesus at first in John 20. Jesus appeared again in John 21 to the disciples but they did not recognize him!!!  Doesn’t this support the […]

Read More

I have several questions:   How can I believe in God when I grew up from a background of science and critical thinking?   What about evolution?   What if we believe and God commands us to kill someone? What is the most compelling scientific evidence or argument available? If you can, please provide three scientific arguments.   What […]

Read More

Question: What proof is there against the stories about Jesus in the Talmud (for example in the Toledot) and Celsus? Answer: I am well aware of Celsus and his spurious attacks on Jesus and the Christian faith, but,  to be honest, I had not heard of the Toledot before.  Technically, the Toledot is not part […]

Read More

Question: Robert Price claims that 1 Corinthians 15 : 3 – 11 is an interpolation  https://depts.drew.edu/jhc/rp1cor15.html  How can you prove the authenticity of this important text? [Editor’s note: this passage is a key one with regard to the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus] Answer: I did some research and found that, as far as I can […]

Read More

[Editor’s note:  This is a follow-up to a question just posted a couple of days ago.  I asked the questioner to send specific examples from a rather long article by an atheist who claims that Jesus did not even live at all.  The material in italics is the material he asked me to comment on […]

Read More

Question: If an atheist sent you the website below claiming that Jesus did not even exist, how would you debunk it? I know there is a lot to this article but what are some thing that stand out to you that he may have gotten wrong.   https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/did-jesus-exist/ Answer: This article is too long for me […]

Read More

Question: We read in the gospels that Jesus informed his disciples that he would be resurrected on the third day, but we read also that the disciples at first didn’t believe the resurrection (Luke 24 :11).  Isn’t this a contradiction? Isn’t this an evidence against the resurrection? Answer: If the Bible was a whitewashed version of […]

Read More

Question: Our Hindu friends often quote from the Bhaghavad Gita where Krishna himself says that he would incarnate from age to age in order to protect the righteous and punish the wicked. He came thus to destroy the evil from the world. How shall we give our response and present Jesus as only the true […]

Read More

Question: Whenever I approach my Hindu friends to present Jesus to them, they usually talk about their gods Rama and Krishna. What they say is that archaeology has proven both Ramayan and Mahabharat as historic events and hence were Rama and Krishna. How shall I give response to them regarding historicity of Ramayan, Mahabharata, Rama […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: This question comes from a believer somewhere in the Middle East and the criticism he/she is reacting to is almost certainly coming from a Muslim critic who teaches that the Bible is corrupt. This will explain part of the response.] Question: I have a question about the inerrancy of Bible.   In the first […]

Read More

Question: The other day I overheard an atheist talking to someone about the Bible. I didn’t join in on their conversation, but they were loud enough and close enough for me to hear every word they said. Anyway, the atheist (I know he’s an atheist because I heard him say it) said that all the […]

Read More

Question: What would you say to an atheist who is a complete materialist (who believes in only the things he can see) to convince him that Jesus is the truth? Answer: That would depend on the person.  Not every materialist is the same.  If the person is even an iota open, I might do a […]

Read More

Question: The definitions of both anger and disappointment are emotions based on an unmet expectation by either a person or circumstance. There are numerous Bible verses that refer to God’s anger, wrath and disappointment. I don’t understand why God would be disappointed or angry if He knew in advance what the outcome would be.  Also, as […]

Read More

[editor’s note: The third of three sets of comments that came into the site with responses] Comments: 5. The reporting of miracles in Bible is NOT surprising, convincing or unique. Why? Throughout history reported attested miracles are a dime a dozen. The Middle Ages are awash with them. Monasteries competed with each other for power, […]

Read More

[Note: the second of a series of three sets of comments from a site user] Claims: 3. The versions of events that didn’t make it into the Bible [Apocrypha] are very strange – ie: Jesus slaying children & blinding their parents. The early Church [up to 400 years after the life of Jesus] accepted this […]

Read More

Question: I came upon your page while researching some Old Testament Biblical prophecies. I have a couple questions about two of them if you have the time.  I’ve read two responses of yours to the Ezekiel prophecy regarding Nebuchadnezzar and Egypt, and found them very enlightening. However, in neither of your responses did I see […]

Read More

Request: Please, can you refute this video, I’d really appreciate it (considering Islam).   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R27Kb__1Ko&feature=youtu.be Response: I cannot refute a video.  I can attempt to refute particular things said in a video.  What you ask I cannot do.  In fact, a number of the things said in this video are actually true.  I certainly cannot refute […]

Read More

Question: It is written in the Bible that God never changes. But when you look at the Old and New Testament, God seems to be quite different in the two testaments. It is written that Jesus has always existed. So is it correct to say that God was not changing himself from what He was […]

Read More

Question: In Leviticus God tells the Jews not to eat winged insects which fly.  Why, then, did John the Baptist eat unclean locusts and honey in the desert? Answer: About locusts being clean, Leviticus 11:20-23 addresses this issue.  This passage declares all flying insects as unclean with the exception of those which walk and hop […]

Read More

Question: Esther 2:6 says Mordecai was captured and brought to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. That makes him a contemporary to Daniel yet he is Esther’s older cousin. Am I wrong about the timing? Please clear up the chronology for me. Thank you . Answer: Here is Esther 2:5-6.  Now there was at the citadel in […]

Read More

Question: I came across this forum on Reddit about the Old Testament. It says that it is mostly oral histories rather than detailed written histories. See the comment by BigBennP.  https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/8k455b/there_are_two_places_that_i_know_of_in_the_bible/ He referenced Schinderman’s book that I’m quite familiar with.  I’m not sure if this is correct.  But if it is true, then I have to ask […]

Read More

Question: I have a question regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Do we know if the disciple Christians fled to the mountains like Jesus advised or did they participate in the Jewish-Roman war?     Mark 13:14-15  14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong– let the […]

Read More

Question: I have a question regarding the biblical history of humanity and the archaeological view which has been bugging me lately.  Allow me to explain: In the early chapters of Genesis, there is evidence of human agricultural activity (Gen 2:15) (Gen 4:2) before the Tower of Babel incident which spread humanity across the face of the […]

Read More

Question: My questions are about authorship of the gospels.  We know that the first man to say that the second gospel was written by Mark was Papias, However some skeptics say that it’s a long time between Mark (who may have died in 60s) and Papias (who may have been born at the same time). It’s […]

Read More

Question: My questions are about authorship of the gospels.  We know that the first man to say that the second gospel was written by Mark was Papias, However some skeptics say that it’s a long time between Mark (who may have died in 60s) and Papias (who may have been born at about the same […]

Read More

Question: I have a question regarding Jesus as being God. It is clearly stated in the Gospel of John, and in some of the epistles that Jesus is God as well as the Son of God. But after some research I found that the reliability of the Gospel of John and of those epistles are […]

Read More

Question: Recently, I read a Muslim’s article and the writer stated that the Bible itself says that it is corrupted using Jeremiah 8:8. How would you respond to this? Answer: First of all, almost without exception Muslim writers are disingenuous in their treatment of the Bible.  If they study the Bible, they only do so […]

Read More

Question: I have recently had some doubts in my faith. I am worried about the many similarities between Christianity and Zoroastrianism. I have already read your posts on the subject, but I have also seen how the major scholars of this religion like Mary Boyce unanimously believe that Zoroaster lived in 1200 BC. I am […]

Read More

Question: Is the history of Israel’s kings recorded in the OT/NT all there is we have on those kings?  O r is there significant Israeli history we should know outside the biblical narrative that can help our faith? Answer: The Old Testament is the most thorough and reliable source of historical information from the ancient […]

Read More

Question: I recently heard an argument that Bill Maher uses to debunk the authority and authenticity of the Bible. It says, “the Bible was a book written by men and edited by men as well”. How would you respond to this? Answer: My response would be to say that this is true.  Maher is right.  […]

Read More

Question: I found the cartoon below on the internet.  It is about calculating the amount of  rain water which supposedly would have been enough to destroy Noah’s Ark. I’m not sure how they measure rain water so any comment would be appreciated. Kind regards. Answer:  I have never believed or taught that the level of […]

Read More

Question: Some people claim that Jesus Christ didn’t rise on Sunday but on Saturday.  This claim is based on that the Bible said that Mary Magdalene came to the tomb very early in the morning in the first day of the week, and Jesus rose before that, perhaps on Saturday.  They also claim that the […]

Read More

[Editor’s note: this is a follow-up question from a Christian who is in debates with Muslims over the reliability of the Bible. The Gospel of Barnabas is a pseudepigraph (falsely claimed authorship) from about the sixteenth century by a Muslim person who is trying to make it appear that the Gospels are in line with […]

Read More