Church History

/Category Archive for "Church History"

wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: There is a substantial amount of extra-biblical material written by historians that lived within a couple generations of Christ’s ministry supporting His existence, His status as a well-known miracle worker, and His crucifixion (Josephus, Tacitus, Seutonius, Pliny the Younger, Philo, as well as mention in much later editions to the Talmud). However, there is […]

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wrote in Church History, General, Practical Christianity, Q & A .

Question: I am intrigued by your take on early Christianity and how you believe the Catholic Church can trace its history back to the 1st century AD, yet don’t believe it’s the one true church. If the RCC was founded in the first century AD and was originally the one true church, but then went […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Versions of the Bible .

[editor’s note: The person sending this comment included a document claiming that the NIV (and presumably nearly all other translations) have omitted major portions of the New Testament, including John 5:4, Acts 8:37, Acts 15:34, Matthew 17:21, Matthew 23:14, Acts 24:7 and several others.] Comment: As I dug deeper into your site I had to […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

[Editor’s note: This is a series of three related questions about the teachings of the very early church leaders, including on baptismal regeneration. Question: How much weight should be given to the early church fathers’ theological positions? Answer: The simple answer is that their theological position should be given zero weight.  When Irenaeus or Polycarp […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Other Religions, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: I live in India where 80% are Hindus and believe in reincarnation. I don’t believe in it but yesterday I checked out a website that has testimonies regarding Near to Death experiences. Some of them have seen Jesus after their death and he told them either to go back or reincarnate to a new […]

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wrote in Church History, General, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Resurrection of Jesus .

Question: Jesus is the pillar of Christian faith, I want to know, what are some evidences that show that he existed and not just fabricated? Answer: It has been argued that hardly anyone in the ancient world is more well attested to than Jesus of Nazareth. Within one hundred years of his life, at least […]

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wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

[editor’s note: This is a follow-up from an inquiry last week.  The original question is below to give context to the concern of the one who asked. As you read the question, bear in mind it is a follow-up to the original, which is if Luke grossly exaggerated the number of converts in Jerusalem in […]

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

Question: Dr. Oakes, I am reading a book for one of my classes called “the rise of Christianity” and the author makes a point that if the early church had well over 3,000 adherents then a significant of the population in Jerusalem would have been Christian. He claims that there is no evidence of this […]

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wrote in Church History, General, Q & A .

Question: Is Foxe’s book called Foxe’s Book of Martyrs historically and biblically accurate? I was interested in purchasing it, and wanted to know what you thought about it. Answer: Foxe’s book of martyrs is mostly accurate, but it is extremely biased against the Catholic Church.  The coverage of them martyrdoms in the early Church is generally good. […]

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wrote in Church History, General, Q & A, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: First of all I would like to thank you for all the teaching you have available on your website.  As a new believer, it has helped me tremendously to better understand the Bible and strengthen my faith.  I do have one question (well have many more, but start with this one).  In one of […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Hello Dr Oakes. I am taking an early Judaism and Christianity course in university and I have a question about the Bible.  My teacher is very critical towards the New Testament writers and writings (as most are in the department of religion) and he told us in class the other day that the first […]

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wrote in Church History, Daniel, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Comment: I’ve been reading your book “Daniel: A Prophet to the Nations” and I’ve been very inspired and overwhelmed by the very specific prophecies. I’m thankful for how God is using you to reveal his word to others. So suffice it to say, while I have a problem with your response to Daniel 11:36-45 my […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Parchment 470–a Catholic writing from 250 AD that says they worshipped Mary in the early Christian church..this is from a Catholic scholar’s site from Canterbury England, I should have written down his name but I forgot to….he is trying to win Protestants to his Catholic faith. Answer: It is true that there is a […]

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wrote in Church History, General, Other Religions, Philosophy, Practical Christianity, Social Issues, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: How does the view on suffering in Christianity differ from other religions?   Does Christianity have a better answer? Answer: A great question.  Before I describe the different worldviews and their view of suffering, let me note that individuals may not act according to the worldview that they appear to believe in.  Although atheists, […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, History, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

[Editor’s Note:    I recently answered a question about R. G. Price but, not knowing his middle name, thought the question was about a different critic of Christianity named Robert Price.  Interestingly, the positions of the Robert Price and of R. G. Price are actually fairly similar.  Nevertheless, I am a bit embarrassed and apologize […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Other Religions .

Question: I have a question regarding the disputed texts in the Bible i.e. the Adultery Pericope, the extended ending of Mark 16 and the Comma Johanneum. I’ve encountered some Muslims who try using these disputed texts in the Bible to prove that the Bible has been corrupted. While I’m aware that there is overwhelming consensus […]

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wrote in Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, Church History, General, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: Do critics have a case for the allegation that since Jesus’ life and events were recorded way after his actual death that they cannot truly reflect his image and deeds during his life? Are there any other examples of historical texts that were recorded 20 to 40 years after the fact? Is the reason […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Practical Christianity, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Does 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11-12 imply that the church should be led by apostles only? What bearing do these scriptures have on the church today and it’s leadership? Answer: To be honest, I do not see where you could get the idea that the church should be led by apostles only from […]

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wrote in Church History, General, History, Reliability of the Bible .

Question:  Is there historical evidence that the apostle Paul was a real person?  Posted on May 12, 2013 by John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, Questions and Answers, Reliability of the Bible.   You gave no evidence for Paul being a real person.  I’ve searched and have yet to find any historical information outside of […]

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wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Practical Christianity, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Why does the church follow the doctrine of the divine right of kings, in this country (USA) ?   The founding fathers established a government based on limited government and a free market economy.   Did the first century church believe in no king but king Jesus ? [editor’s note: This question included a […]

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wrote in Church History, General, History, Reliability of the Bible .

Question: In the works of Celsus recorded by Origen, Celsus tells of a Jew he obtained certain information from concerning the possibility that Mary was impregnated by a solider named Panthera. In addition the Talmud records an individual named Jesus ben Pandera or Pandira. Does this affirm that the Jews knew who Jesus’ biological father […]

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wrote in Church History, General .

Question: A religious friend of mine shared this with me. Basically a “theologian” friend of hers wrote it showing “support” for Jesus actually being born on December 25th. “Why do we celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th?  Dec. 25 was chosen because the 25th of the 12th month (Chislev) is the first day of […]

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wrote in Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Prefigures and Foreshadows, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible .

Question: Does the account of the Last Supper as a Passover meal indicate biblical errors and historical unreliability? 1. Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-26, and Luke 22:7-38 call the Last Supper a Passover Meal as described in Deuteronomy 16:5-6, occurring on Thursday Nisan 14, and that Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday.2. John 13:1 […]

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