Reliability of the Bible – Page 2 – Evidence for Christianity

The Westar Institute claim that Jesus was an exceptional man but not the Son of God. What do you think about their methodology?

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

Question: John, have you heard/do you have thoughts about the Westar Institute material? They claim that Jesus was an exceptional man, but not the ‘son of God’. They are very learned and seem less ’emotionally motivated’ than a Bart Ehrman type account. https://www.westarinstitute.org/projects/the-jesus-seminar https://s3.amazonaws.com/tgc-documents/carson/1994_five_gospels_no_Christ_Jesus_Seminar.pdf They are saying, yes Jesus existed, and he said and […]

How many Greek manuscripts in total do we have from the second and third centuries? How does this compare to all other non-biblical manuscripts?

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

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 […]

How do you explain the apparent contradiction between Matthew and Luke about the resurrection appearances and where the apostles were told to go?

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

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 […]

How to you deal with the fact that so-called Saint Peter was a cruel murderer?

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

[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 […]

How do you explain the textual variant in Mark 1:41 (Jesus felt indignation vs. Jesus felt compassion)?

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

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 […]

According to Rabbi Singer there is a contradiction between John which says Nicodemus added spices when Jesus was laid in the tomb and Luke/Matthew which says women did this two days later. Response?

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

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 […]

Bart Ehrman says that the tomb of Jesus is lost. Does that matter? He also says that the Exodus is a myth. Is that true?

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

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? […]

You say that the Council of Jamnia set the Hebrew canon, but scholars all agree that this supposed council did not even happen.

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

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, […]

Is there any evidence other than the Bible that shows that the twelve apostles existed?

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

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 […]

Is there evidence for the crossing of the Red Sea by the Jews under Moses?

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

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 […]

If the Ussher chronology is correct, and Adam was created in 4004 BC, then how can we explain Egyptian chronology?

John Oakes wrote in Archaeology and the Bible, Bible Interpretation, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

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 […]

If John was an “unschooled” man, then how could he write the book of John in Greek?

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

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 […]

How Did Luke get his historical information? Did he interview eye-witnesses?

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

Question: Please explain to me the introduction of Luke’s account? 1. Is Luke stating or implying that he checked facts with those first eye-witnesses to the Gospel and the words of Jesus Christ of Nazareth? 2. Or, was Luke just stating that those eye-witnesses just left accounts he referenced, like the Gospel/documents? 3. Did […]

Some say that good research will tell us that Jesus did not exist. What is your response to this claim?

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

Question: I have three questions: 1. It is said by some who do a lot of research that Jesus Christ of Nazareth did not exist and all stories about Jesus Christ of Nazareth were retellings of older pagan myths by relatively well educated Greek-speaking (and writing) Christians during the 2nd half of the first century. […]

How can Daniel be a prophet is none of the prophecies in Daniel 9:24 are fulfilled? Also, how do we know Mark was written in the 50s AD?

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

Question: My friend asked “Does Daniel live up to the criteria for a true prophet laid out in Deuteronomy 18? Daniel 9:24 says that 70 weeks are decreed to put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness and seal up vision and prophecy. Sin continues to this day, everlasting righteousness has not been brought […]

Did Paul really write the 13 letters normally attributed to him? Is Ehrman right that most of the New Testament letters are forgeries?

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

Questions: Did Paul really write Ephesians, Colossians and the Pastoral Epistles? In other words, did Paul really write all the 13 epistles of the New Testament normally attributed to him? One scholar, Bart D.Ehrman says that only the seven books, the undisputed letters of St.Paul are authentic and the rest 20 books of the New […]

How do I defend my faith to skeptics who say that Moses in the Old Testament did not exist?

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

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 […]

Why would a sovereign God allow interpolations–in essence, errors–into the New Testament text? How reliable is Irenaeus on church history?

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

Question: I have learned that there are many interpolations of several Bible verses in the Bible. Even Irenaeus and other early church fathers interpolated the version of Luke 23:34 which says ” Father forgives them,for they do not know what they are doing.” Here,I have two questions: 1. If God is a sovereign God, why does He […]

Robert Price and others say that the historical figure Jesus of Nazareth is not a real person. Can we be sure 100% that he was a real person?

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

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 […]

I heard it said that both the writings of Tacitus and Josephus are forgeries. Is this true?

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

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 […]

Paul saw a bright light on a dark desert highway. Why should we believe his or any other testimony about the resurrection of Jesus?

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

Question/Comment: If Paul can see a bright light on a dark desert highway and believe that he has seen the physically resurrected Jesus then it is entirely plausible that this is what happened to Peter, James, the Twelve, and the “Five Hundred”. They all saw a strange bright light and believed it was an appearance […]

Bart Ehrman claims that there is evidence from Papias that a different Mark wrote Mark and a different Matthew wrote Matthew. Is this true? What is your response?

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

Question: Is it true, as said by Bart D. Ehrman, that the early church father Papias of Hierapolis ,who lived around 120-140 A.D , is not referring to our Mark or our Matthew of the gospels of the/our Christians Bible? He (Bart D. Ehrman) said that there are very solid reasons that Papias of Hierapolis […]

How can we know for sure that the Gnostic gospels such as Thomas, Philip, Mary and Judas were not actually written by disciples of Jesus?

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

Question: How can we really know for sure that the Gnostic gospels- The gospel of Thomas, the gospel of Philip, the gospel of Mary, the gospel of Judas, etc. were actually not written by the disciples of Jesus Christ? Answer: I suppose we cannot absolutely “prove” in the mathematical sense of proof that Thomas did […]

Help! Is Bart Ehrman right and the four gospels are forgeries?

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

Question: Bart D. Ehrman says that the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) of the Christians Bible don’t have names attached to them. The early church fathers who quote these gospels don’t say anything about them being Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here is what Ehrman claims: 1.The gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) don’t […]

C-14 data shows that Jericho was destroyed in the early 16th century BC. How can this be aligned with the apparent biblical date for the destruction?

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

Question: What are your thoughts on the 1995 radiocarbon dating performed on charred cereal remains found at Jericho’s (Tell Es-Sultan) Middle Bronze Age City IV which dated these remains to the 17th or early 16th century BC? (Link to report below) Many use this finding as a counter to Bryant Wood’s conclusion that the Middle […]

Is Bart Ehrman right that we have almost no evidence about Jesus?

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

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 […]

You say that Paul was an apostle, but I say that he was a false apostle. Your response?

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

Comment: I was reading some of your explanations as to why Paul was a valid apostle. I must disagree with you for a number of reasons. You made this claim, “Paul is described as an apostle multiple times, both by himself and by others” Paul describing himself as an apostle invalidates his claim because he becomes […]

How to I respond to those who claim that Joseph raped Mary?

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

Question: It is said that Matthew and Luke have skirted around the obvious contradiction of Jesus’ conception; that Mary and Joseph were only betrothed and not married. Clearly, Virgin Mary would not have allowed Joseph to have sex until they were married. Thus, he must have raped her. This is covered up by using his […]

Did Jesus cleanse the temple twice (John 2:12-25 and Mark 11:15-18)?

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

Question: I am doubtful about Jesus’ purification of the temple in John 2:12-25 / Mark 11:15-18, were there two purifications or only one? Answer: There are three possibilities: 1. Jesus never cleansed the Jewish temple and these stories are all just made up in order to create a false narrative about Jesus. 2. Jesus cleared […]

How do you account for the contradictions in the three accounts of the healing of the demoniac in Matthew 8, Mark 5 and Luke 8, especially the difference in the location?

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

Question: Can you please explain the variation in the Bible between Mathew 8:28, Mark 5:1, and Luke 8:26-27 with regard to where the miracle took place and the drowning of the swine after casting out demons from a man by Jesus? Mathew places the event in Gadara and Mark and Luke in Gerasa. They are […]

How do I respond to the allegation that the Jesus of Christianity was invented by the Flavian Roman imperial family?

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

Question: How should I respond to the false allegation that Jesus and Christianity were invented by the Roman imperial family, the Flavians (or by Titus Flavius) as claimed in a book Caesar Messiah by the scholar Joseph Atwill? He also claims that the religion (Christian religion) was headquartered in Rome. Can you explain this to […]

If it is true, as is claimed, that Luke 23:34, John 7:53-8:11 and other New Testament passages are interpolations, why did these people add to the Scriptures? Didn’t they fear God? What if much of what Jesus says about himself in the NT is also interpolated?

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

Question: I have heard that some early church writers interpolated several scriptures/verses into the New Testament: (For eg: Luke 23:34 was included by Irenaeus and Alexandrinus and others) Also, I heard it claimed that Luke 22:43-44, 22:19-20, 1 John 5:7-8, John 7:53-8:11, Mark 16:9-20, and 1 Cor 14:34-35 are all interpolated. Apparently, New Testament scholars […]

If Jeremiah 33:15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration, doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance?

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

Question: If Jeremiah 33 15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance? Answer: The timing and meaning of a prophecy is determined by the context. Besides, many of the restoration prophecies in both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are what I call “double prophecies.” […]

If Jeremiah 33:15 says that the Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration in the 6th century BC, doesn’t that contradict the time of Christ’s appearance?

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

Question: Question: If Jeremiah 33 15 says that Messiah will sprout up in the days of Israel’s restoration, doesn’t this contradict the time of Christ’s appearance Answer: The timing and meaning of a prophecy is determined by the context. Besides, many of the restoration prophecies in both Jeremiah and Ezekiel are what I call “double […]

Are there genealogies available today that purport to go back to Jesus’ brothers James or Jude, or Joseph’s other sons?

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

Question: One area of Old/New Testament which I’m interested in is the genealogy of Jesus. Now what I’m wanting to find out is whether the genealogy of the line of David (as the Jews know the Messiah must come from his line) is still being recorded to this day? Is there any record of it […]

If we believe that God is all-powerful, then why should we worry about whether there are “mistakes” in the Bible because it is obvious that a perfect God would make a perfect Bible?

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

[editor’s note: Tis is a pretty long, but nevertheless simple question. I hope you do not mind reading such a long question. My answer is below.] Question: In one of the articles at your web site someone was asking about how we can trust that the Bible came out correctly b/c it was written by […]

Is faith in God and in the things of God reasonable?

John Oakes wrote in General, General Apologetics, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Science and the Bible .

Question: Is faith in God and in the things of God reasonable? I mean do you believe with a reason? Answer Yes, certainly. Paul told Festus on Acts 26:25 that what we believe about Jesus is “true and reasonable.” Of course, this is just a statement and you should not believe it is true and […]

In your book Daniel, Prophet to the Nations you make the inaccurate claim that much of Daniel is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Why do you make this inaccurate claim?

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

[Editor’s note: this is part of an interaction with a questioner who feels my treatment of Peter Enns’ book How the Bible Actually Works is not fair. The article is found here: https://evidenceforchristianity.org/a-review-of-peter-enns-book-how-the-bible-actually-works/ ] Question: I have worked my way through some fairly lengthy portions of your sermon at the Boston Church of Christ on […]

Why does the Old Testament not mention heaven and hell?

John Oakes wrote in Daniel, End Times, General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible .

Questions: I have two questions that cause a lot of troubles to me: Some people believe that the concept of hell is a pagan idea which Jesus copied from Egyptian and Greek culture. In the Old Testament they find nothing about the existence of hell and believe that the idea of hell was born in Egypt and […]

Is demon possession, as in the gospels, real? Does it happen today?

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

Question: Is demon possession like in the gospels real? Does it still occur today? Answer: Yes, demon possession was and is real. The principle reason I believe this is that Jesus clearly believed in it. He drove demons out of the man called Legion (Mark 5:6-10), out of the boy after being on the Mount […]

Please explain the apparent contradiction: You are my beloved Son (Mark 1:11) vs This is my beloved Son (Matt 3:17)

John Oakes wrote in General, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Supposed Inconsistencies in the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: 1 – I’m reading a book where an atheist asks: “How can the heavenly voice at Jesus’ baptism have said both ” You are my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11) and ” This is my beloved Son” (Matt 3:17) at the same time? “ 2 – Why did God order killed the Canaanite children? Are […]

Bart Ehrman says that the “we” passages in Acts are a deception used to convince readers that the writer was a companion of Paul. Your response?

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

[Editor’s note: This question comes from a person who has asked many questions, as you will see from my answer. To find more on Ehrman, go to the site and do a search on his name] Question: Bart Ehrman claims that the “we” passages in Acts are forgery by the author to convince the readers […]

I read an article that claims John 7:53-8:11 in the KJV was not in the original John. Is that correct?

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

Question: I read an article that claims that John 7:53-8:11 was not part of the original book of John. https://www.gotquestions.org/John-7-53-8-11.html Please comment on this article. Is today’s KJV bible accurate as to the original manuscripts written by the original gospel writers? Are there any additional example of material that has been added to the Gospels over the […]

Are there any contemporary reports from the Jews of the resurrections on “Good Friday”?

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

Question: How did the Jewish government handle the resurrections of the dead during the Good Friday story? I mean today once your social security file is closed its over for you! Imagine how our government would handle the dead coming back into the cities! Is there any Jewish mention of these saints when they came back […]

Hosea 11:1 cannot be a prophecy about the Messiah because it speaks of Israel, not Jesus.

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

[Editor’s note: I received a long and somewhat rambling set of comments and questions from someone. I asked for a more succinct set of comments and questions so that I could respond. You will see below that the shorter version is still a bit unfocused, but this person asks sufficiently important questions that I felt […]

What do you say to people who claim that Joseph of Arimathea did not actually exist?

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

Question: What do you say to the idea that Joseph of Arimathea did not actually exist? Is there good historical proof that he did? Answer: There is no “proof” that any single person lived in ancient history. It is literally impossible to prove that Nero or Julius Caesar or Nebuchadnezzar or anyone else in ancient […]

Did Paul really write the pastoral epistles?

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

Question: Did Paul really write the pastoral epistles? Most scholars refuse this opinion and say that they were written later after Paul’s death. They say that the vocabulary and style are different from that of the seven undisputed epistles. Some have suggested that Paul used a secretary to write these epistles, probably Luke, because he […]

Did Jesus become the Son of God at his resurrection as Bart Ehrman claims?

John Oakes wrote in Bible Interpretation, Church History, General, Historical and Messianic Prophecy, Q & A, Reliability of the Bible, Theology and Doctrinal Questions .

Question: Some people think that Jesus was begotten by the father only at his resurrection because the apostle Paul said about Jesus that he was appointed Son of God by His resurrection ( Romans 1 – or the speech of Paul in the Act of the Apostle). I’m currently reading the Bart Erhman’s book “How Jesus […]

Could the empty tomb of Jesus be the result of a conspiracy rather than Jesus actually resurrecting?

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

[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 […]

How can I explain to an atheist skeptic that there are talking snakes, unicorns and talking bushes in the Bible (as well as 6 day creation)?

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

Question: I had a question about a couple of things that I heard an atheist bring up the other day. How do you respond to an atheist that says they can’t believe in the Bible because of some of the things that are in there like talking snakes, talking bushes, unicorns or even the time […]