Dr.John Oakes gave a lesson on an introduction to church history for the West region of the Los Angeles Church of Christ. This is a very short review, but it will be a good starting point for accessing this important topic. Dr. Oakes has a three volume series of books on church history, The Christian […]
Question: 1. How many Greek manuscripts we have dated before the 3rd century? I will be so happy if you give total manuscript numbers by century up to the 3rd century 2. How many copies do we have for the New Testament compared to secular ancient texts within the 3 centuries from the writing of […]
Question: Why should Israel punish heretics with death? in the NT it does not seem to happen in the same way. Should a Christian country tolerate pagan philosophies and religions, or should you pursue for the good of all? Answer: First of all, let me acknowledge that the distinction you notice is certainly real. The […]
Question: I have heard atheists make the claim that Jesus is immoral. One of them used Matthew 5:39 as their example. What is this verse saying? Answer: First of all, it is the consensus of Muslims, Hindus and even humanists, deists and most atheists that Jesus was one of the greatest people to have ever […]
Question: Hello I had a question regarding an interesting theory that I heard from Dr. William Lane Craig regarding the historicity of Adam and Eve. Dr. Craig stated that he has been studying the question of the historicity of Adam and Eve for around 2 years now. He has discussed information with scientists on a […]
Question: I have been reading the book of Romans with some family members who believe salvation occurs by “praying Jesus into your heart” and that this salvation is not swayed by a lack of obedience towards God. It has been really exciting to go through Romans with them as it does not support these ideas […]
Question: Can you help me with this supposed contradiction? https://infidels.org/library/modern/j_c_jackson/galilee-or-jerusalem.html [Editor’s note: As you will see below, this is a claim that there is a contradiction between the resurrection accounts in Luke/Acts and Matthew with regard to where and when the apostles went to Galilee and Jerusalem.] Answer The claim is that the post-resurrection accounts […]
Question: I have a question concerning Daniel 11:43 where it talks about Libya and Ethiopia being at the northern kingdom leaders steps, do you have a clue what that means? Answer: This question is dealt with in my book, Daniel, Prophet to the Nations (www.ipibooks.com). You definitely should get a copy! But… I better answer […]
Question: I recently stumbled upon a theory that the story of Jesus as the Messiah is borrowed from people before him who also claimed to be the Messiah. Two claimants in particular were mentioned. The first one is called Simon, some aspects of his life are extremely similar to those of Christ. The second one […]
Question: How did the priesthood of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy come to be? Were there priests in the early churche from the 1st century, which Jesus is said to have instituted? Answer: As I am sure you are aware, the Jews had priests. They were a group of Jews set apart from their brothers […]
Question: In reviewing one of your Q/A online I saw you refer to “original sin” as a false doctrine? What is your basis for this statement? Are you meaning that you don’t believe that sin originated with Adam and Eve? Do you believe that creation was perfect before Adams sin–that mankind did not, sin creating […]
Question: Why God did not reveal complete details of the Trinity to his prophets? Why did Jesus not give a full discourse about it? Answer: This is a good question, but I am afraid I cannot answer the question with certainty. God does not tell us why he reveals certain things to us at certain […]
Question: I have a question about the excavation of Tyre. Are these excavations really the city of Tyre. How do they know this if it is a sunken city? Alexander: I have been to the modern city of Tyre myself. I have also walked the ruins of Tyre–or more accurately the Tyre of the Roman […]
Question: Hi, you’ve helped so much on my journey to Christianity. There is just one thing holding me up: pantheism. I just want to know what your thoughts are on the idea that everything/everyone is ultimately one essence and everything we see in the world, including our personhoods, are just illusionary–that once we die we […]
[Editor’s note: As you can guess, I am getting a lot of questions about the Covid-19 outbreak. Here is one and my attempt at an answer. I want to urge believers everywhere to not fear, but to set a good example of trying to prevent the spread of this disease by following all guidelines from […]
[Editor’s note: This question is specific to the Indonesian translation of 1 Corinthians, although it is relevant to the general question about unknown languages and whether they are mentioned in the Bible] Question: I am from Bandung, Indonesia. One of my friends asked me about 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 What is the meaning speak in tongues […]
[Editor’s note: The answers from this Hindu gentleman are interspersed with the questions] Questions and Answers: Acts 5: 1-11 show that the so-called Saint Peter was a cruel murderer who murdered in cold blood both, Annanias & his wife Sapphira. I am sure Peter would be horrified to be falsely accused of murder. This is terrible false […]
Question: How do you explain the background to the textual variant in Mark 1:41 (whether Jesus felt anger or compassion)? It seems that it is very hard to resolve this variant. We can detect and resolve many textual variants easily…but when it comes to Mark 1:41 how do you consider this variant and explain its […]
Question: When Jesus said the the Church of Jerusalem will fall, did he advise the Jews about the fall as well, or was it a prophecy and is there evidence of the church fleeing to the mountains? Answer: Actually, it was not the church in Jerusalem which fell in AD 70. It was the Jewish […]
Question: I have done a Bible study about the COVID 19 Virus and I wanted to get your thoughts on it. I was recently asked if I think that “meeting on line” would satisfy the command from when God said “Do not give up meeting together as some are in the habitat of doing but […]
Question: Why would the women go back to the tomb to spice the body after it was already in the cave? The spices usually were used to mask the smell of the corpse during the burial. Rabbi Tovias Singer says this verse is fake and not true. He adds that Nicodemus was created by John […]
Question: Rabbi Dtovia Singer has a video on youtube saying the church is lying about christology. In this video he says when Isaiah talks about Jesus’ peirced hands it is actually spun by Origen and other church fathers. The Rabbi claims the verse says that King David is like a lion surrounded by dogs with […]
Question: Many thanks for your kind replies to my recent questions. They are helpful. Ancient history books of Iran & Iraq confirm incidents such as the dream of Nebuchadnezer, Daniel’s interpreteion of it, God saving Daniel & his friends from fire and the mouths of lions. They also confirm both Nebuchdnezer accepting Jehovah/God is real […]
Question: First I’d like to thank you for your teaching and answers on the Evidence for Christianity website. You helped me in understanding some parts of the scriptures that troubled me. I have had paranoid schizophrenia for several years and I can easily get fearful of the future. I can feel that I could be […]
Question: I have a few theological/scientific questions that I hope you will answer. I have seen fine tuning used as evidence toward God/creation. I have heard that this might not be reliable because fine tuning will eventually be explained by other “deeper” laws that show fine tuning isn’t actually that unique and could be something […]
Question: Dear Sir, Please help! I have two questions: 1. Some like Bart D. Ehrman don’t believe in the empty tomb. Ehrman posted on the internet google page stating that the tomb of Jesus Christ was lost. Is the tomb of Jesus Christ actually lost and not found by his disciples or by other people? […]
Question: I would be very grateful for your advice, opinion or any information concerning the matter of the origin of hominids as modern anthropology sees it in contrast to the Biblical story. I decided to ask for your help because I have been translating your book From Shadow to Reality for Moscow Church of Christ […]
Question: I am a doctor and a Hindu by birth, but also a lover of all religions. I have been very fond of the Bible in particular since childhood. My question to you is this, in the Bible, in matters of vows, promises and covenants, at all places it is mentioned about words coming out […]
Question: In some posts concerning Enoch, you have stated that determining the canon of the Old Testament belongs to the Jews. How is this possible if the Jews themselves had no Old Testament canon? The Sadducees, Pharisees, and Greek Jews all had different canons. I predict that you will appeal to the Council of Jamnia, […]
Question: Hello. I want to ask some question if you don’t mind. 1. How do we relate the Law of Moses with the Christianity nowadays? I’m somewhat confused because some sources I heard said that breaking the Moses Law does not mean you sin. So how do we consider this Law of Moses Only as […]
Question: As a Theistic Evolutionist do you believe that viruses,bacteria and parasites are the result of the fall of man or are they the result of the evolutionary process? Answer: I am guessing this question is motivated at least in part by the emergence of Covid-19. There is plenty of evidence in the geological record […]
Question: Hi Dr. John. I want to have a better understanding about Melchizedek and the relevance of him to Jesus. Based on the text found in Gen 14:18 and Hebrews 7. What is his relevance to Jesus Christ? Thank you! Answer: Good to hear from you. It just so happens that I just published a […]
Question: My question regards the story of Lot’s wife. I had a discussion a week ago with an atheist who told me that the Bible is a book of legends and a good proof for that is the story of the wife of Lot who was turned into a pillar of salt. He referred to […]
Question: I remember in your Evidence for Jesus articles that there was a Jewish source which talked about the fact that Yeshu was be executed. I looked up what Yeshu means on Wikipedia and it means Jesus but people say that Yeshu refers to people who practice magic or deal with sorcery. My question is […]
Question: Is there any evidence other than the Bible that show that the 12 disciples existed? Answer: Yes, there is plenty of evidence that the twelve disciples were real people. In fact, no one who knows the evidence can seriously entertain the thought that these men were not real people. We have evidence from both […]
Question: Is there evidence for the Red Sea crossing by the Jews under Moses? Answer; The answer is no. No physical evidence has been found to support the story in Exodus of the crossing of the Red Sea. But this is only what we would expect. What could we possibly find that would prove a […]
Question: How can I defend my faith in Jesus when the question arises as follows: How can a physical shedding of blood cleanse the sins and iniquities of a person? Is it not like a superstition and even nonsensical? How can I defend the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the materialists? Answer: This […]
Question: I have a question concerning “the number of the Beast” which is 666. Does 666 come from somewhere where the author could have copied it in Revelations and used it as the number. To put it simply did it come from any ancient civilization? Answer: The answer is no. The number 666 was chosen […]
[Editor’s note: This person is asking about the book of Enoch and its discovery in the eighteenth century] Question: Before James Bruce stole the book in Ethiopia, Western world Christians did not know the book [of Enoch] existed, so why after studying the book, did they say the book is false or non canonical? Was […]
Question: What did Jesus do between the ages of 12 and 30? Where did he live? Did he travel? What is the evidence (not belief and conjecture) that forms the basis of your assertions in this regard? Thank you. Answer: My answer is that I do not know what Jesus did or even where he […]
Question: What does it mean in 1 Corinthians 6:3 when it says, “Don’t you know that we will judge the angels?” Thanks. Answer; I get two things from this passage. 1. The angels will go through some sort of judgment at the end time. 2. We (ie faithful disciples or some subset of the faithful […]
Question: I have a question on the dates when the kings of Babylon ruled. To be more specific I am referring to Nebuchadnezzar’s sons Belshazzar and Evil-Merodach. So my question is did Evil-Merodach rule Babylon before Belshazzar? Answer; Yes, Evil-Merodach ruled before Belshazzar. Evil-Merodach was legitimate heir of Nebuchadnezzar. Nabonidus had him assasinated after only […]
Question: What is your comment on the Ussher chronology? He concluded that Adam was created in 4004 BC, and the flood covered the Earth 2348 BC, but this is incompatible with what we know about Egyptian history. The first king of Egypt, Menes died in 3150 BC (before the flood by 800 years!!!!) Can the […]
Question: Gen 3:22 …the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil… It is confusing to me. How does God ‘know good & evil’? Answer; Let me be honest. I am not EXACTLY sure what the Lord meant when he described himself as “knowing good and evil.” Let me give you […]
Question: In your understanding of the scriptures, what is the mark of Cain as described in Genesis 4? Jude 1:11 talks about the “way of Cain” which could indicate a possibility of it being a figurative mark…but maybe not? Answer: The answer is that I do not know what the mark of Cain is. Genesis […]
Question: I have a question I hope you can help me with. It’s probably one you’ve answered before but I didn’t see any like it posted on your site. With so many great scientists not believing in God it sometimes makes me doubt my faith. I read somewhere it’s 30/70 for belief/non belief for scientists. […]
Question: 2 Timothy 3:8 says : “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” How did Paul know the names of Jannes and Jambres while we can’t find them even in the Old Testament? Answer; A good question. Jannes and Jambres […]
Question: William Marrion Branham is considered by some to be an end-time prophet. They say that in order to be taken up by Jesus, every Christian must believe his end-time message. What do you think about ? Answer; I have come across the Branhamites in both West Africa and in Central Africa, especially the two […]
Question: How do I explain to someone who doesn’t believe in the inspiration of the gospels, how it is that John was able to write his gospel in Greek even though he was called “unschooled” Acts 4:13? “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they […]
Question: I’ve been looking into commentaries regarding Matthew 21:28, the parable of the two sons. One commentary used this parable to explain how it does not necessarily matter the name an individual worships, as long as they are worshiping, connecting, and acting on the principles and power of universal love. As Christians, we happen to […]
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