Question:

I was talking to a Muslim and he told me that the word that was used in
the original Hebrew New Testament for the cross actually meant Stick and
that the word has changes over time to mean cross, is this true? Also I am
readibng your book “Reasons for Belief.” It is very good and thought
provoking. Is it OK for me to keep it on my hard drive?

Answer:

Your Muslim friend is full of bologna (to use an American phrase). First
of all, the original New Testament was in Greek, not Hebrew. He has heard
anti-Christian rhetoric which does not bother with good scholarship. The
Muslims have a very strong stake in trying to prove that Jesus was not
crucified. The Qur’an says that Jesus was not crucified. If he was, then
that is further evidence that the Qur’an is not inspired by Allah. They
are flat wrong. Who should you trust, a Muslim who is doctrinally
required to believe Jesus was not crucified, or should you trust the
eye-witness of the early church, who should have known. And even if you
do not trust the Christians, you can listen to the non-Christian
historians Josephus, Tacitus and others. The historians in the first
century are unanimous that Jesus was crucified. If you want some more
specifics, you should read the article on the resurrection of Jesus I
wrote at the web site (go to the articles section and search for
resurrection), or get a hold of my book “Reasons for Belief,” at
www.ipibooks.com. There you will find references to the primary sources
on the crucifixion of Jesus. There is not the slightest doubt that Jesus
was crucified. Muslim apologists cannot be trusted on this one at all.

By the way, the Greek word used in John 19:17 (he carried his cross) is
the word enaiai which in our letters is krasson or cross. It means
cross. I have seen no evidence at all that this word ever meant anything
other than cross.

Yes, it is OK for you to have copies of my book on hard drive. Please do
not send it to other people. I would prefer that people buy the book, but
it is more important that they get the information. It is not about the
money.

John Oakes