Question: How can I defend my faith to skeptics who say that Moses of the Old Testament did not exist? Answer: To be honest, this is not an easy question. Here is why. The evidence for the historical reality of Moses is relatively indirect. There is no ancient inscription from the second millennium BC which […]
Question: Skeptics like Robert McNair Price and others says that a historical figure Jesus Christ of the Nazareth of our Christian Bible did not exist. Is there any historical evidences to their claim that a historical figure Jesus Christ of the Nazareth of our Christian Bible did not exist? My question is: Did the historical […]
Question: It is said that the writings of the historians Publius Cornelius Tacitus and Titus Flavius Josephus, born Yosef ben Matityahu were forgeries. Is there any historical evidence that the writings of the historians Publius Cornelius Tacitus and Titus Flavius Josephus were forgeries? How far it is true? Answer: About these authors, the answer depends […]
Question: Scholar Bart D. Ehrman says that we have very scanty evidence and documentation of Jesus’ life. Bart D. Ehrman says that Jesus is never mentioned in any Greek or Roman, non-Christian sources until 80 years after his death. There is no record of Jesus having lived in these sources. In the entire first Christian […]
[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 […]
Question: Doesn’t Revelation 17: 10 show that John got his vision during the sixth king, who is Vespasian? and the seventh king who is to come is Titus, who according to this verse will rule for a short time, and he did, from 79 till 81 AD? If this is true, then John got […]
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 […]
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 […]
Comment: I googled “Is Darius the Mede real?” and your article was #1 on the list. https://evidenceforchristianity.org/if-darius-the-mede-daniel-6-is-a-real-person-why-does-the-cambridge-history-of-judaism-not-mention-him-as-it-lists-all-the-rulers-of-bablyon-after-the-persian-conquest/ But your article did not have the amazing and powerful evidence that is now available. So I want to share it with you. You can talk directly to the author of the book himself (I recommend it) to […]
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 […]
Questions: I have some questions. 1- The first question is historical and about Saint Mark the writer of the second gospel. Do we have strong reasons to think that he really visited Egypt? I think the first to say that Mark visited Egypt was Eusebius. Do you think he really visited Egypt? In addition, What […]
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 […]
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 […]
Question: It is my understanding that Octavian, otherwise known as Augustus died in Rome. This does not seem to agree with Daniel 11:45 and therefore does not support him as being the final “King of the North.” What do you say about this? Thanks and God bless. Answer: You are doing a great job here of […]
Question: Since the announcement from Trump that he would move the US embassy to Jerusalem, there has been an uproar in the media about how this pushes back the effort for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. I am aware that the Jews have violated human rights in the occupied West Bank, but somehow deep […]
Question: I have a question about some archaeological information regarding the Exodus. I recently saw some information that is out there that puts the original Mt. Sinai in western Arabia near Midian. It is specifically mentioned in Exodus 2 and 3. Archaeologists know where the ancient city of Midian was located and when they went […]
Question: I found this article particularly interesting due to the impact it may have on a historical interpretation of Revelation. I am not familiar with much of the evidence the author uses to support his perspective but I do understand the bottom line. In short the author claims that there was no Domitian persecution of […]
Question: When was Paul killed? I’ve heard one person say AD 64 and someone else say AD 67. Also why was he killed? Answer: Here is the simple answer. No one knows. There are two general opinions, as you have heard. One is that his imprisonment in Rome, as described by Luke, led to his […]
Question: What happened to the 10 tribes who were taken captives by Assyrians? Did they ever come back? Answer: Good question. There have been many speculations about what happened to the ten “lost” tribes of Israel. The answer is that our knowledge is a bit limited. Besides, it is most likely a complicated tale. […]
Question: In Jeremiah 45, God says that Egypt will fall and most all the remnant of Judah will be destroyed. How does this work historically? I don’t see where Babylon invaded Egypt at this time in history. Am I incorrect? Thanks for clarifying. Answer: I assume you mean Jeremiah 46. In this prophecy we are […]
Question: Who is Melchizedek in the Bible? Is he Shem the son of Noah? I there any evidence about his geneology? Answer: Melchizedek is a somewhat enigmatic figure in the Bible. He only appears in Genesis, Psalms and Hebrews. He was a worshipper of Jehovah, but was not from Abraham’s family and, therefore, by […]
Questions: I was confronted with these questions. Did Paul teach that the law was over by Jesus’ sacrifice? Also, when will the ten tribes come back to Israel? Answers: Not sure if I would say it exactly that way: “the Law was over by Jesus’ sacrifice.” What Paul did say is, “When you were dead […]
Question: I am happy to find your resourceful website and I hope you can help solve my puzzle. Why did the book of Daniel get all the history wrong from verse 11:35 to the end? I tried to find answers in your power point but you list the historical facts just up to 11:35. This […]
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 […]
Question: The book of Ezra mentions that after Artaxerxes stopped the rebuilding of the temple that it began again during the reign of Darius. Is this Darius II that reigned after Artexerxes or is this Darius I and the Ahasuerus and Artexerxes mentioned in chapter 4 Cambyses and Smerdis? This is all a bit confusing. […]
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 […]
Question: [editor’s note: This is a series of two questions from the same member of the same topic] I wanted to know if you know much about fulgurites and the evidence they give to support the reality of the ten plagues in Egypt? How about this for a bible study? Studying out about […]
Question: I’ve been reading through the Book of Esther and some small nuances have caught my attention. One has to do with the background of Haman the Agagite. Most websites I’ve found claim that he was a descendent from Agag King of the Amalekites from 1st Samuel 15. They say that his existence is a […]
Question: Is there any evidence in Roman records of Jesus’ body being stolen? There is an account of the body being stolen in Jewish records, but what about Roman records? Answer: The answer is no. There are no ancient Roman records of Jesus’ body being stolen. We have the Roman Tacitus reporting in the very early second century that he was […]
Question: Were our founding fathers Christians? I tried to google this and I get secular answers and articles, saying that the founding fathers were Deists not Christians. Answer: I assume you are an American and are asking about the founders of the United States of America. I have already answered this question, so I am […]
[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 […]
Question: I read in a question at the web site concerning the prophecies of Daniel 11 in which you said that the Kingdom of the North which were the Seleucids become later identified as the Romans. Why is it that this change seems random as if to accommodate for the fact that Antiochus IV did […]
Editor’s note: This is a series of about ten questions. For ease of following the arguments, I will intersperse my answers between the questions. Question: I stumbled upon a website known as “RationalWiki” which lists supposed unfulfilled prophecies of the Bible which deeply trouble me in my understanding of the Bible. The most difficult of […]
Editor’s note: The person making this inquiry included material found from a web site. This material is included, unedited, after my response. Question: I have some questions concerning archaeology and the Bible. 1.) Why is there such an absence of evidence concerning anyone mentioned in the Bible prior to Solomon or David, there is virtually […]
Question: I am writing to ask you a quick question: a Christian friend of mine shared his conviction that Daniel was not truly written by Daniel, but was written some time in the second century BC. I would like to know what are the arguments for and against this view, and the same for the […]
Question: Can you speak on ancient Kemetic religion versus Christianity? Is there any connection between the two? Was one inspired by the other? Answer: I do not know very much about the Kemetic religion. Apparently, it is a modern phenomenon. There is no evidence of Kemetism before the 1970s. I already said that I do […]
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 […]
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 […]
QUESTION: Recently I was browsing an article on Wikipedia titled “History of ancient Israel and Judah” and I read some passages I extracted and wanted to know of you could tell me if there is any actual historical credibility to them. 1 The religion of the Israelites of Iron Age I, like the Canaanite faith […]
Question: Do the ethnic depictions of biblical figures matter? I had a discussion with someone regarding an allegedly “white-washed and racist” depiction of biblical figures in a recent movie. Putting aside Hollywood or possible racial agendas, do we really need to be concerned about what color Bible characters are depicted as? Or could history provide […]
Question: Hi Dr. Oakes. I have a question about apostle martyrdom. It has been asserted by people like Bart Ehrman that the evidence for the martyrdom of the apostles is not very strong. I hope this is not true. For which apostles do we have the best evidence that they were martyred, and what are […]
QUESTION: Other than in the Bible, do we have any historical evidence that Jesus’ body was put in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and that Pilate placed guards around the tomb? Answer: The simple answer is no. We do not have external confirmation of this particular historical event. What we have is the record […]
Question: We have met in Berlin. This is a topic that seems to have stuck with me since being a teenager (I am 34 now) and I would be very glad if I could have some exchange with you on this. To equate the first three empires of Daniel 2 as Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece is beyond […]
QUESTION: Hello there, I just wanted to ask, why is the Canaanite language, Ugaritic specifically so similar Hebrew? The words such as Yam (Sea) Mot (Death) and Yarikh (Moon)are found exactly the same in Ugaritic and Hebrew writings. If the Canaanites are a Hamitic people why is their language classified as Semitic? Is it possible […]
Question: To your knowledge have there been any artifacts found in Herod’s tomb? Also, has there been archaeological/historical evidence found, out side of the Bible, of Joshua? Answer: A treasure trove of artifacts was found in Herod’s tomb. Here is a very brief introductory list, found at a web site (http://www.globaltravelerusa.com/artifacts-from-the-royal-room-inside-king-herods-tomb-on-display-at-jerusalems-israel-museum/) describing a museum special […]
Question: Dear Dr. Oakes, while Googling the use of maritime drogues (a storm drogue is “a device external to a boat, attached to the stern and used to slow the boat down in a storm and to keep the hull perpendicular to the waves”), I found a link to a page at your site entitled […]
QUESTION: This is probably a very common question, but concerning the census of Quirinius during the birth of Jesus. Luke does not use the term Legatus for Quirinius or Pontius Pilate, so how can we be sure that Quirinius was not being mentioned as governor? Was Quirinius translated as a governor due to his superior […]
QUESTION: Hi Dr J. I have just clipped your interpretations of the four parts of the great statue in Daniel for my study: nice summary. But I have been struggling with the origin of the two beasts in Rev 13:1,11. Antichrist-beast comes from the sea – apparently the disorganised nations (whatever they are); but what […]
Question: I was just wondering if you could answer some of these questions. Keep in mind I don’t expect you to answer every single question but maybe a couple answers would help. I recently compiled most of the complaints from a very unusual website called Jesusneverexisted.com. Honestly at the end of the day none of […]
Question: I was trying to do some research on the claims that the founding fathers of the United States either believed in God and or were Christians. I understand that the founding fathers were guided by secular ideas, and self, class, or state interests. Do most scholars believe that the fathers were deists, while other scholars […]
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