Dr. John Oakes – Page 6 – Evidence for Christianity

Which is the more reliable translation of Zechariah 12:10, the Jewish Tanakh or the typical Christian translation (pierced vs. slain)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Versions of the Bible .

Question: I’ve been comparing some “Messianic passages” from the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) to the corresponding verses in our Christian Bible (KJV, NKJV, NASB). And I’ve noticed that, in many passages, the Tanakh translation differs significantly from our OT/NT translations. Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Zechariah 12, for example, are quite different in the Tanakh, […]

How should we, as Christians, respond to textual criticism which points out “doubtful” verses? Should we be afraid?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I’m new to your website. I only have three questions: 1. How should we, Christians, react to textual criticism and to what extent we should believe their opinion about the Bible? 2. How should we react to several textual criticism opinion that some Bible verses are “doubtful”? 3. Should we be afraid? Answer: A […]

Is the KJV the ONLY true Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Versions of the Bible .

Question: Can you please explain to me why Baptist think they are the chosen one? Jesus was a Jew, not Baptist. I feel like I’m being condemned because I don’t believe in denominations of today. What I do believe is, I am a child of God, and he is my Heavenly Father. Is the KJV […]

Is Luke 23:34a part of the original book of Luke?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A .

An EFC subscriber named Michael has written an article about whether or not the textual variant in Luke 23:34 was in the original autograph of the Book of Luke. He concludes that the phrase, “forgive them father, for they do not know what they are doing” was most likely in the original of Luke. This […]

What diseases known to modern science might be considered by some to be demon possession?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Science and the Bible, Supernatural .

Question: What diseases known to modern science would be considered demonic? Thank you Answer: This is an interesting question. Actually, we had a conference on “Christianity and the Paranormal” a few years ago at which we had a presenter take a stab at this question. (The audio is available at www.ipibooks.com) Please allow me to […]

The Quran is 100% perfect, whereas the Bible has many errors. We (Muslims) can enjoy reading the Quran without having to worry about whether it is authentic or not. Response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Dr Oakes, how do you respond to Muslims’ argument such as this: “Even if your Bible is 99,5% accurate, the Quran is more. It is 100% accurate. Unlike your Bible that have forgery verses added and changed many times, the Quran didn’t have anything like this and perfectly preserved from the start. All our […]

Daniel is a forgery because its author was very ill-informed about history (for example about Belshazzar in Dan 5). Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I read that: Book of Daniel is forgery because his author was very ill-informed about history. He said: Belshazzar succeed Nebuchadnezzar as his son (Daniel 5; cf. Daniel 7:1 and 8:1). But Belshazzar was neither his successor nor his son; and abundant contemporary records show he was never King of Babylon, but only served […]

The Quran is God’s verbatim word. It does not have “human words,” like the Bible. Isaiah 53 and Daniel 9 are not prophecies. This is misinterpretation.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Dr. John, Bible Expert Mr. Naveed Khan writes: The Quran consists of God’s verbatim. It does not have “human words” or “interpretations” like the Bible. Christians misinterpret the Jewish scriptures and try to show that Isaiah 53 or Daniel 9 were fulfilled prophecies, but the truth is: they are misinterpretations, nothing else. Moreover, Christians […]

None of the prophetic books came from the 8th or 7th centuries BC. These prophets are fictional characters, as is proved by the fact that they are not quoted in Kings and Chronicles. Response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Dr. John, recently it has been claimed that nothing in the prophetic books came from the 8th and 7th centuries and that the prophets are fictional characters created by post-exilic authors who produced an imaginative history for the Jewish community of their time. It is also confirmed by the fact that books of Kings […]

Jesus is not of the “David Lineage” through Solomon, as required by 2 Sam 7:14 and 1 Chron 17:11-14. Therefore he is not the Messiah. Also, he did not build a “third temple” as prophesied in Ezek 37:26-28.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Jesus is not from the “David Lineage” and he did not fulfill the Hebrew scriptures. Proofs are: 1) Messiah must be a descendent of David through his son Solomon (2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chr. 17:11-14, 22:9-10, 28:4-6) but Luke 3:31 describes the lineage of David’s son Nathan, not Solomon. 2) Ezekiel (37:26-28) said “he […]

How are the dates of biblical manuscripts determined?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A .

Question: How are the dates of biblical manuscripts determined and all other ancient manuscripts? Answer: This is a somewhat complex question. A number of factors are used. First is the type of script used. The style of script used in writing changed over time. The way letters were written, the kinds of punctuation (of which […]

Isn’t the Bible supposed to be perfect? Should it not have exact quotes from Jesus? But there are many errors in the text. Explain, please.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Supernatural .

Question: This question came from my atheist friend. I recommended him to read at your website and books, but he was curious regarding your answer on certain textual variations, particularly your response that “No, Christianity doctrines are affected by these variations” in your website. He asked back that: 1.) Isn’t God supposed to preserve His […]

When was the letter of 1 Peter written?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A .

Question: When was 1st Peter written? Answer: According to the letter of 1 Peter itself, the author of the letter is the apostle Peter. Multiple sources, including Church historian Eusebius, tell us that Peter was crucified in Rome by Nero. We know that Nero was murdered in AD 67. Therefore, Peter was probably killed in […]

New Testament Survey Class by Dr. John Oakes

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, Jesus, PowerPoints .

Dr. John Oakes is teaching a 14-hour New Testament Survey class for the Southwest Ministry Training Program. The first class will be Fri/Sat 2/18-19 at the Orange County building of the Los Angeles International Church of Christ. 10 Goodyear, Irvine, CA. I will be posting notes, PPT and audio. NT Survey Syllabus New […]

What is your response to Muslims who say that the Qur’an is inspired because it contains poetry of inimitable quality?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: How would you respond to the following Muslim claim made in https://www.islamic-awareness.org/quran/miracle/ijaz ‘The Qur’an in many places challenges the people to produce a surah like it. It appears that the Christian missionaries who call the challenge irrelevent or an utterly subjective criterion are pretty much unaware of how the Arabic poetry and prose compares with […]

When Isaiah describes God as “stretching out the heavens” in Is 44:24, 42:5, is this a reference to the expanding universe revealed to us by science?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Science and the Bible .

Question: I see in the Bible lots of references to God stretching out the heavens l.e, Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 42:5 etc. Is this a potential reference to the universe’s expansion as approved by the vast majority of scientists today? Is there any Hebrew to support this view in these “heaven stretching” passages with the universe’s […]

Israel (singular) is called God’s servant in the Old Testament but sometimes Jesus is called God’s servant. This is confusing. Also, can God be his own servant?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Israel, in the singular, is called God’s servant throughout the Bible, for e.g. Isa. 45:4; 48:20; 49:3; Jer. 30:10. Also, note that in Jer. 30:17, the servant Israel is regarded by the nations as an outcast, forsaken by God, as in Isa. 53:4; Jer. 46:27-28; Ps. 136:22, a messianic reference. Also, given the Christian […]

Presumably there were thousands of prophets in the history of the Jews. Why do we only know of a few of them?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A .

Question: Moses died presumably around 1410 BCE, and Malachi existed around 430 BCE. During this period of 1000 years, hundreds of prophets came to the Jews, but the Jews/Christians know only a few dozen Hebrew prophets. What’s the reason? Answer: The reason is that God decided that the most appropriate prophets through whom to speak […]

Can you respond to a Muslim claim that the early church did not believe Jesus was God and that Constantine changed this?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: Dr Oakes, can you view this article: https://quranandbibleblog.com/2022/01/02/what-did-the-ante-nicene-church-fathers-believe-about-jesus/ What did the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers Believe About Jesus? بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم What did the Ante-Nicene Church Fathers Believe About Jesus? Read as PDF “…but of His Son the Master said thus, Thou art My Son, I this day have begotten thee. A… quranandbibleblog.com This came […]

The great number of schisms and sects of Christianity proves that it is not the right religion. Comment?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

Question: How can I answer atheists and Muslim’s arguments like this: 1.) If Christianity is the truth, why there are so many sects and schisms? Imagine thinking you have the truth when you’re just a part of sub sect 26-times schism offshoot of another sect. Christianity has already changed from believing Jesus as a prophet […]

Surely there is life on other planets out there. Does this not make Christianity seem man-made. Why did Jesus come here an not to other planets?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: I just had a thought… and it’s disturbing me… Outer space is so vast, there must be other life out there. Now… what are the odds that Jesus came to THIS planet, out of all of them? Why not others? Think about it. There are so many other planets out there, there must be […]

John Oakes Sermons in Bakersfield Goodbye Sermon: Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching, PowerPoints .

John Oakes is now preaching regularly for the Bakersfield Church of Christ. We will be posting all of his sermons here. Services are now live streamed Sundays at 1:00 at www.bakersfieldchurchofchrist.com. 1 Thess 2 Paul’s Ministry Notes Combined Acts Sermons I – VI Acts Combined Sermons I – VI Notes Acts Combined Sermons […]

Please comment on an article I found posted which claims that Mark did not write Mark, Matthew did not write Matthew and John did not write John

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apocrypha, General, Miracles, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Dr Oakes, can you view this article: https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2021/09/17/heres-how-we-know-the-canonical-gospels-were-originally-anonymous/ This came from a historical scholar it seems. She tried to refute an apologist regarding the gospel’s names and authors. But I found several of her interpretation are quite forced (Like the Mark verses she cited) and how she said Didache and Didascallia just got accepted without […]

In the first century Palestinian world, the testimony of women was not accepted, but the resurrection of Jesus is founded on such female witnesses. Does this mean the resurrection is a hoax?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: In the world of 1st century Palestine, a woman’s testimony was not recognized as legally binding BUT the Jesus resurrection account is built on the testimony of women. Does that mean it’s a hoax? Answer: Absolutely it does NOT mean that the gospel message is a hoax. Who said that? How sad is it […]

If Jesus’ crucifixion was so evident, why did some early Christian sects deny it–saying it was Simon of Cyrene or Judas Iscariot who was crucified?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: If Jesus Crucifixion was so evident then why some early Christian sects denied it? Some said: Simon of Cyrene was crucified. Some said: Judas Iscariot was crucified. Some said: someone substituted him. What is your response? Answer: This is a flat-out, blatant lie. Plain and simple. There is absolutely no truth to this claim, […]

In Christ the Veil Is Removed San Diego and Westside LA

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching .

Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon for the San Diego Church of Christ, Mission Region 4/24/22 from 2 Corinthians, which is a follow-up to his book In Christ. He did another version of the lesson in Culver City 5/15/22 In Christ the Veil is Removed NotesIn Christ the Veil Is Removed Audio In Christ […]

Barrabas was crucified instead of Jesus of Nazareth due to confusion created by God. What is your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Barabbas, who is also called “Jesus Barabbas”, was crucified instead of Jesus of Nazareth due to confusion created by God. What is your opinion? Answer: My opinion is that this is one of the most far-fetched and outrageous proposals about Jesus I have ever heard about. Jesus’ mother Mary was at the cross. Jesus’ […]

Rabbi David Kimchi says Isaiah 53 is the “Words of the Other Nations.” They are not Isaiah’s words. What is your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A .

Question: Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi) explains Isaiah 53 except for the final two verses, as the “Words of the Other Nations”. These words are not Isaiah’s words. Evidently, this is recorded to understand the view of the Gentile Nations at that time. What is the Christian response? Answer: It should not surprise anyone that a […]

Josephus and Tacitus are not reliable sources on the crucifixion of Jesus. They only make vague references to rumors. The NT authors had no ability to know the truth about the crucifixion.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: My friend says: Josephus and Tacitus are not reliable sources of Jesus’ Crucifixion. They presented vague references based on rumours. NT authors had no ability to know what the truth was. What should be Christian reply? Answer: I think you had better find a more reliable source than this “friend” who says this rather […]

Jesus had no traits of a king who would save the Jews from their enemies as the OT prophets anticipated. Why were these prophecies fabricated?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Jesus had no traits of a King who would save Jews from their enemies as the OT prophets anticipated. Why are these prophecies fabricated? Answer: I assume that this criticism is coming from a Muslim source. You begin with an erroneous premise, which makes your question a nonsense question. I will share with you […]

Is Israel God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22) or is Jesus God’s firstborn son (Hebrews 1:6)?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Q & A .

Question: Is Israel God’s firsborn son (Exodus 4:22) or Jesus (Hebrews 1:6)? My understanding is it’s both but in different senses. Would this be correct? In what sense is Israel God’s firstborn? Is it in the sense that Israel was chosen among the nations? In what sense is Jesus God’s firstborn? Is it in the […]

Did Daniel accept the worship of himself by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:46?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Daniel, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Did the prophet Daniel accept worship in Daniel 2:46? ‘Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him.’ (Daniel 2:46) Answer: That is a good question. I can answer it in one of two ways. One way involves me […]

Set Apart for God (Sermon in Lifeway Church)

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching .

Dr. John Oakes gave a sermon for the Lifeway region of the Los Angeles International Church of Christ 4/10/22. The lesson is a discussion of what it meant to be set apart for God in Christ, to be made holy/sanctified in Christ and to have the veil lifted in Christ, which leads to transformation, with […]

There was no OT canon until the second century BC, giving great opportunity for Jewish scribes to amend the writings. How do we know our received OT is inspired?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: There was no proper canon or collection of the writings of the Old Testament, until the time of the Synagogue under the Maccabees, which was only about 200 years before the appearance of Jesus. Up to this period, the “Holy books” were scattered and liable to be altered or amended just as priests might […]

Did Paul invent the God-Son concept of Jesus to attract the Romans to Christianity?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: It is impossible for any part of God, even if incarnate, to decompose in any way and still be considered God. The everlasting, one God, in whole or in part, does not die, disintegrate, or decompose: ‘For I the Lord do not change.’ (Malachi 3:6). Did Paul invent God-Son concept to attract Romans? Answer: […]

Could the supposed vision of Paul on the road to Damascus be the result of Paul having epilepsy?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Miracles, Q & A, Supernatural .

Question: 1) The article ‘St Paul converted by epileptic fit, suggests BBC’ By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent and Jonathan Wynne-Jones https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1427916/St-Paul-converted-by-epileptic-fit-suggests-BBC.html?fb states ‘ ‘A documentary about St Paul has infuriated Christians by suggesting that the apostle’s conversion on the road to Damascus may have been caused by an epileptic fit’How would you respond to this claim?2) […]

Does the Old Testament include anonymous prophecies, as a Muslim critic claims?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: I asked on chabad.org this: How did Rabbis know that Isaiah 8:19-20 belongs to Beeri and Micah 3:12 to Uriah? Are there any other instances of anonymous prophecies in prophetic books? I got the following answer: “I could not find any other examples. There may be more, but I don’t know them and have […]

Christian Men: Running the Race

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Articles, Bible Teaching .

Dr. John Oakes gave a lesson 4/2/2022 at a Men’s Camp on the theme “Be Like Men.” I know… It is a bit corny, but the lesson was fun and a bit inspiring, so here it is: Running the Race PPT Running the Race Notes Run the Race Audio […]

A Muslim says that according to Midrash (Levit. Rabba 15) Isaiah 8:19-20 is actually written by Hosea’s father Beeri. This proves that Isaiah is not the pure words of the prophet. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: According to Midrash (Levit. Rabba 15), Hosea’s father, Beeri, was also a prophet, and fragments of his prophecies are preserved in Isa. 8:19-20. It means that works ascribed to well-known Prophets include anonymous portions. On the other hand, Megillah 15a says: when the name of a Prophet’s father is recorded, the latter, too, probably […]

My Muslim friend says there is no evidence from the first century that Christians believed Jesus is God. Is this true?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: A Muslim friend proposed this to me: I have seen this “issue” before and I haven’t done a proper investigation into it. He said there’s no evidence to support Jesus’ divinity in the first century. I believe (although I am yet to see) that there is evidence of early Christians in first century honoring […]

Was Jesus ever born again? If not, how do you justify this with John 3:3 which says no one enters the Kingdom who has not been born again? What is circumcision of the heart?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: How would you respond to someone who asked whether Jesus was born again? If He wasn’t, what about His statement, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3)? What does it mean to be born again? And what is “circumcision of the […]

There are many biblical prophecies of the Messiah which do not fit Jesus. Your response?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

[Editor’s note: This is a series of challenges from a Muslim regarding Jesus to be the fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecies. My answers are interspersed among the questioner’s examples in italics] Claim: There are many biblical prophecies which do not fit into Jesus, for e.g. Response: Whether Jesus fulfilled all potential messianic prophecies is […]

Reliability of the Bible In Boston

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Apologetics, Archaeology, Articles, Foreshadows and Prefigures, Jesus, Other Religions, PowerPoints, Prophecy, Theology, World View .

Dr. John Oakes is doing a series of two classes on evidence for the reliability of the Bible for “The Temple Project,” an on-line program of the Boston Church of Christ March 19 and 26. The first class is on the reliability of the New and Old Testament texts and on the historical accuracy of […]

I heard that Judaism was formed from a Canaanite god named Yaweh. Is this true?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Anthropology, Archaeology and the Bible, General, History, Q & A .

Question: How did Judaism form? I saw from Wikipedia that it formed from one of the Canaanite god’s called Yahweh? Is this true? I am skeptical of this notion. Answer: It is hard to prove unambiguously the path by which what we call Judaism was formed. The biblical evidence is that there were at least […]

Why did a loving and powerful God create predators? All answers I have heard are nonsense!

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Creation, General, Philosophy, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: “Why did loving God create predators”? I heard many answers but all are non-sense! The most famous 2 answers are: 1- Predators are important for the ecosystem. The problem is that God is the one who created this ecosystem. He could create an ecosystem that doesn’t need predation. He could decrease fertility rate of […]

Jesus said, “From now on you will see the Son of Man, sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One. Was this just a delusion of Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Uncategorized .

Question: In Matthew 26: 64 Jesus said: “From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” What did he mean by “from now”! Did Jesus really come on the clouds of heaven from the moment he said these […]

What does it mean that Jesus is God’s only begotten son?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: What does it mean that Jesus is God’s only begotten son? Answer: The Bible does not call Jesus the “only begotten Son.” Not exactly. The Greek word which is translated in the KJV as “only begotten” is the word monogenes. The word monogenes means unique one or the one and only one. It is […]

If Isaiah is such a great prophet, why do we know nothing of his personal life and character? Obadiah, Joel and Nahum as well.

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: If Isaiah was the greatest prophet in Israelite history from David to the exile, why are his character and personal life not known to us? Same with Obadiah, Joel, Nahum who are obscure figures. Answer: I can tell you have been hearing from Muslim critics, as this is the latest “fad” criticism of the […]

What does Romans 10:9 mean? Should we take it literally?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A .

Question: Could you explain what Romans 10:9 means? Obviously we can’t interpreted it in isolation or literally. There are many discussions and opinions on this verse. Answer: Whether we take Paul “literally” here or not depends on your definition of literally. Clearly, anyone–even a total heathen–can say the words “Jesus is Lord.” Simply mouthing the […]

The theology of the prophets before the exile had no place for blood sacrifice and no atonement. Why, then, did blood sacrifice become necessary later, after Ezra?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, History, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: The theology of the Prophets before the exile had no place for the priestly blood sacrifice system. There was no atonement. The law of forgiveness worked directly and without any ritual. If Abraham, Moses, David, etc. were saved without sacrifice, it is hard to understand how blood sacrifice became necessary for salvation from the […]