History

Is it right that the religion of Islam came from Ishmael's descendant?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, History, Other Religions .

Yes, this is essentially correct. The Bible describes the peoples who came to be known as the Arabs as having been descended from Ishmael. As Muhammad, the founder and chief prophet of Islam is Arab, he would be a direct descendent of Ishmael. This is why historians of religion would claim that Judaism, Christianity and […]

Did Moses actually lead the Israelities through the Red Sea?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History, Miracles .

I recently watched a tv show about Moses, and it was discussing the Red Sea Crossing. They claimed that Moses never led the children of Israel through the “Red Sea,” but through an unknown sea. They also said the original Hebrew for Red Sea was Yam Suph which meant Sea of Reeds, and the “Red […]

Is there credible evidence for the historicity of Jesus?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, History .

I was looking for some credible evidence for the historicity of Jesus. Two main historians who wrote about Jesus, Thallus and Josephus, are controversial. It is not clear if they wrote it and when they wrote it. Are there records which date to the 1st century which we know where scholars are sure that they […]

If Jesus really did all the things that are recorded in the Bible, why isn't there more information about him outside the Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History .

If Jesus really did all the things that are recorded in the Bible, why isn’t there more information about him outside the Bible? Thousands must have seen or somehow heard from him. Is it maybe because the written testimonies about Jesus were burned, destroyed by the enemies in the 1st century ? Paul persecuted the […]

Why wasn't the Great Commission accomplished in the first century?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, History .

I was thinking about the first century church and I was wondering why God didn’t let the great commission be accomplished in the first century. He knew that a lot of people would not hear the message due to false teachings, traditions, other religions, illiteracy and because in some places in the world Jesus wasn’t […]

Is the 1st century author Josephus accurate in his writing of Jewish history?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Church History, General, History .

Many scholars have used the writings of Josephus the Jew as historical evidence for Jesus. But there are a lot of critics who say that the writings of Josephus didn’t even exist until the sixth century. In other words Josephus couldn’t have written it. What do you know about this? I have not personally heard […]

Did miracles happen or were the just the perspective of the observer?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, General, History, Miracles, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Miracle of Science or Perspective of the observer; Did the sun stand still? God is a God of order, yet he performs miracles outside of the natural laws that govern our world. From a scientific perspective, even a miracle would not allow the sun to suddenly simply stop in the sky. That would mean that […]

How did people learn about God without the Bible?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in General, History, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

“Could you clarify how ancient races outside the Middle East had the opportunity to learn about God? E.g., what about the 40,000+ year-old aboriginal culture of Australia, Pacific islanders, or the Aztecs?” ? Several inquirers Without the scriptures or the Hebrew prophets (who addressed a number of Middle Eastern nations), the gentiles had the opportunity […]

What is it and who wrote the book of Jashar (Joshua 10:13, 2 Samuel 1:18)?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Manuscripts and Textual Questions, General, History .

The book of Jashar is one of the many books cited in the OT. Following is a list (possibly incomplete) of sources cited in the O.T. books. The list omits references to other O.T. books. These works are “extrabiblical”-outside (extra, Latin) the Bible. The Book of the Wars of the Lord-Numbers 21:14The Poets-Numbers 21:27The Book […]

Is the Old Testament historically reliable?

Dr. John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, General, History .

I have heard that the Old Testament was written by Jewish priests just a couple of hundred years before Christ, and that it is totally unreliable historically, with lots of religious fables and myths. How can I be sure about this? Two hundred years ago it would have been hard to produce hard evidence to […]