Establishing The Case For Christianity

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Establishing The Case For Christianity
www.meeknessandtruth.org
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Establishing The Case For Christianity

• If God exists, then miracles are possible
• The N.T. documents are historically reliable
• In the NT Jesus claimed to be God
• Jesus proved to be God by an unprecedented
  convergence of miracles
• A. The miracle of fulfilled prophecy
• B. The miracle of his sinless and miraculous
  life
• C. The miracle of the Resurrection
• Therefore, Jesus was God in human flesh
• What Jesus (who is God) teaches is true
• Jesus taught the Bible is the Word of God
• Therefore the Bible is the Word of God
• See Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics
  by Dr. Norman Geisler for more details, which can
  be ordered at www.normgeisler.com

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Jesus claimed to be God!
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Jesus Asserted He was God By Claiming to be

• The great I Am. Ex. 314 Jn. 858
• Yahweh (LORD). Shepherd, First Last, Judge,
  Bridegroom, Light, Savior, God's Glory, Giver of
  Life
• 3. Equal with God. To forgive sins Mk 25-7
• 4. One with the Father. (Jn. 1030)
• The Messiah-God. (Claimed to be the Messiah Jn.
  425)
• Worthy of honor due only God (Jn 522-23)
• Worthy of worship (and accepted it from)
• Equal in authority with God (Mt 2435 2818)
• The object of prayer like God (Jn 1413-14)

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1. Jesus Claimed to be the Great I Am!
Jn 858-59 I tell you the truth, Jesus
answered, before Abraham was born, I am! At
this, they picked up stones to stone him, but
Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple
grounds.
Ex 314 God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM. This
is what you are to say to the Israelites I AM
has sent me to you.
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2. Jesus Claimed to be Yahweh (LORD)
NT Jn. 175 Rev. 117 Jn. 1011 Mt. 2531f. Mt.
251 Jn. 812 Jn. 442 Jn.521
Attribute God's Glory First Last Shepherd Judge
Bridegroom Light Savior Giver of Life
OT Isa. 428 Isa. 446 Psa. 231 Joel 312 Isa.
625 Psa. 271 Isa. 4311 1Sam. 26
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3. Jesus Claimed to be equal with God
A. By claiming to forgive sins Mk 25-7 When
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
Son, your sins are forgiven. Now some teachers
of the law were sitting there, thinking to
themselves, Why does this fellow talk like that?
Hes blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God
alone? (NIV)
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3. Jesus Claimed to be equal with God
B. By claiming power to raise and judge the dead.
Jn. 525,29) I tell you the truth, a time is
coming and has now come when the dead will hear
the voice of the Son of God and those who hear
will liveand come out-those who have done good
will rise to live, and those who have done evil
will rise to be condemned. (NIV)
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3. Jesus Claimed to be equal with God
C. By claiming to be honored as God
Jn. 518, 23 For this reason the Jews tried
all the harder to kill him not only was he
breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God
his own Father, making himself equal with God.
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Jesus claimed to be one with God the Father
Jn 1030-33 I and the Father are one. Again
the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but
Jesus said to them, I have shown you many great
miracles from the Father. For which of these do
you stone me? We are not stoning you for any of
these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy,
because you, a mere man, claim to be God.
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5. Jesus Claimed to be Messiah-God
OT Messiah is God
NT Jesus is Messiah
Isa 96 For to us a child is born, to us a son
is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace.
Jn 425 The woman said, I know that Messiah
(called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he
will explain everything to us. Then Jesus
declared, I who speak to you am he. (See Mk
1461-62)
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6. Jesus claimed to be worthy of honor due only
to God

• Jn 522-23 Moreover, the Father judges no one,
  but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that
  all may honor the Son just as they honor the
  Father. He who does not honor the Son does not
  honor the Father, who sent him.

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7. Jesus claimed to be worthy of worship and
accepted it from)

• The mother of James and John (Mt. 2020)
• The Gerasene demoniac (Mk. 56)
• A blind man (Mt. 2817)
• Doubting Thomas (Jn. 2028)
• The women at the tomb (Mt. 289)
• A Canaanite women (Mt. 1525)
• His disciples (Mt. 1433)
• A healed leper (Mt. 82)
• A rich young ruler (Mt. 918).

Note Jesus never rebuked anyone who worshiped
Him. He even commended some (Jn.
2029 Mt. 1617)
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8. Jesus Claimed to be Equal in Authority with
God
Mt 2435 Heaven and earth will pass away, but
my words will never pass away.
Mt 2818 All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.
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Jesus claimed to be the Object of Prayer like God
Jn 1413-14 And I will do whatever you ask in my
name, so that the Son may bring glory to the
Father. You may ask me for anything in my name,
and I will do it.
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Jesus Disciples Acknowledged His Claim to be
God

• By Calling Jesus God
• Jn. 2028 My Lord and my God.
• Phil. 25 Your attitude should be the same as
  that of Christ Jesus Who being in very nature
  God

2. By considering Jesus the Messiah (Jn.
1936-37) These things happened so that the
Scripture would be fulfilled Not one of his
bones will be broken, and, as another Scripture
says, They will look on the one they have
pierced. (NIV)
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I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the
really foolish things that people often say about
Him 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral
teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'
That is the one thing we must not say. A man
who was merely a man and said the sort of things
Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.
He would rather be a lunatic - on a level with
the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he
would be the Devil of Hell. . . .
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. . . You must make your choice. Either this man
was, and is, the Son of God or else a madman or
something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool,
you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon or
you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and
God. But let us not come with any patronizing
nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
He has not left that open to us. He did not
intend to.
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Objections to the Deity of Christ
Why wasnt Jesus more overt in his claim to be
God?

• To accomplish his mission of sacrificial
  atonement.
• If he displayed too much power, they never would
  have killed Him
• If he displayed too little there would be little
  proof that he was really God

• He didnt want interference from the Jews who
  already had the misconception that the Messiah
  would free them from Roman oppression.

• To prevent people from thinking that he was God
  the Father.
• To allow people to draw their own conclusions (as
  he did with parables).

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Establishing The Case For Christianity
4. Jesus claim to be God was miraculously
confirmed by
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about
Himself
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Prophecy (Messianic)
J. Barton Payne in his Encyclopedia of Biblical
Prophecies (P. 665-670) lists 191 Prophecies that
were literally fulfilled in the life, death, and
resurrection of Christ

• Place of birth (Mic. 52)
• Time of birth (Dan. 925)
• Manner of birth (Is. 714)
• Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 1112)
• Manner of death (Ps. 2216)
• Peoples reactions (mocking, spitting, staring,
  etc.) (Ps. 227,8, 17)
• His side pierced (Zech. 1210)
• Burial in a rich mans tomb (Is 539)

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Test For A False prophet

• Deuteronomy 1821-22 You may say to yourselves,
  How can we know when a message has not been
  spoken by the Lord? If what a prophet proclaims
  in the name of the Lord does not take place or
  come true, that is a message the Lord has not
  spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously.
  Do not be afraid of him.

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Prophecy (Messianic)
J. Barton Payne in his Encyclopedia of Biblical
Prophecies (P. 665-670) lists 191 Prophecies that
were literally fulfilled in the life, death, and
resurrection of Christ

• Place of birth (Mic. 52)
• Time of birth (Dan. 925)
• Manner of birth (Is. 714)
• Sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 1112)
• Manner of death (Ps. 2216)
• Peoples reactions (mocking, spitting, staring,
  etc.) (Ps. 227,8, 17)
• His side pierced (Zech. 1210)
• Burial in a rich mans tomb (Is 539)

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To Discover Whether the Bible is Reliable, You
Need M.A.P.S.!
(M.A.P.S. was developed by Hank Hanegraaff)

• Manuscripts
• Archaeology
• Prophecy
• Statistical Probability

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Statistical Probability Affirmed

• H. Harold Hartzler, of the American Scientific
  Affiliation writes,

The manuscript for Science Speaks has been
carefully reviewed by a committee of the American
Scientific Affiliation members and by the
executive Council of the same group and has been
found, in general, to be dependable and accurate
in regard to the scientific material presented.
The mathematical analysis included is based upon
principles of probability which are thoroughly
sound and Professor Stoner has applied these
principles in a proper and convincing way.
In Forward to Science Speaks by Peter Stoner
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Statistical Probability

• 8 prophecies all being fulfilled in the life of
  Christ
• I X 10 to the 17 power
• Taken from Peter Stoner, Science Speaks

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Statistical Probability
8 prophecies all being fulfilled in the life of
Christ I X 10 to the 17 power Taken from
Peter Stoner, Science Speaks Texas is 1159
times the size of Singapore. So a 2 ft high pile
of silver dollar in Texas would be equivalent to
0.7068 km of silver dollars in Singapore. This
is equivalent to about 166 floors of a tall
building. It is like taking the Republic plaza
(66 floors) and staking it on top of the UOB
Plaza (66). (only 132) Yet the pile of Silver
dollars would have to be even higher than that
and it would have to be that high all throughout
Singapore. That is to equal the probability of
just 8 prophecies being fulfilled in the life of
one person, Jesus.
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Statistical Probability

• 48 Prophecies
• I X 10 to the 157 power
• (more atoms then there are in the Universe)
• Taken from Peter Stoner, Science Speaks

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Mathematical Odds

• You could win the Singapore Lottery toto for
  millions and millions and millions, and millions
  of years in a row, and never even come close to
  equaling the high improbability of Jesus
  fulfilling just 48 prophecies by happy
  coincidences.
• Now heres a question we should consider. Why do
  some people think if I win the lottery once, I am
  lucky, but if I win it twice the gods must be
  hind it, yet think so little of Jesus when the
  probability of Jesus fulfilling through lucky
  coincides 48 O.T. Prophecies is so much greater
  than they could even think possible. And yet he
  not only fulfilled 48 but 191.

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Establishing The Case For Christianity
4. Jesus claim to be God was miraculously
confirmed by
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about
Himself b. His sinless and miraculous life
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Jesus was sinless as evidenced by

• His challenging of others to show otherwise
• Jn. 846 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?
  If I am telling the truth, why dont you believe
  me?

• His disciples believed it (They spent three years
  with Him day and night)
• 1 Pet. 221-22 For you have been called for this
  purpose, since Chris also suffered for you,
  leaving you an example for you to follow in His
  steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit
  found in His mouth.
• 1 Jn. 33-5 And everyone who has this hope
  (fixed) on Him purifies himself, just as He is
  pureAnd you k now that he appeared in order to
  take away sins and in Him there is no sin.

• His enemies who could find no evil in him
• Mark 1455 Now the Chief priests and the whole
  Council kept trying to obtain testimony against
  Jesus to put Him to death and they were not
  finding any.
• Luke 2322 And he said to them the third time,
  Why, what evil has this man done? I have found
  in Him no guilt (demanding) death I will
  therefore punish Him and release Him.

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Jesus was without sin.

• Pilate said I find no fault in him (Luke
  2314-15)
• Judas admitted that he had sinned and that he
  had betrayed innocent blood. (Matt. 27 4)
• Even the Koran states that Jesus was without sin.
  (See Sura 345-461919-21)
• Mohammed was told to ask for forgiveness
  (Sura 4055481-2)

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Jesus
Muhammed
Not Virgin Born
Virgin born -Sura 347
Sinless - Sura 345-461919-21
Sinful -Sura 4055481-2
No Miracles except Quran -Sura 1790-93
Did many miracles
Advance by the Sword Sura 29,2,36,73,111,123
Blessed the peacemakers Mt 59
Forgave enemies
Retaliated on Enemies
Motivation by Fear
Motivation by love
Died and was buried
Rose and His tomb is empty (Muslims reject)
Adapted from N. Geisler F. Tureks PowerPoint
12 Points
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Establishing The Case For Christianity
4. Jesus claim to be God was miraculously
confirmed by
a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about
Himself b. His sinless and miraculous
life c. His prediction and accomplishment of
His resurrection
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Jesus Predicted His Resurrection

• He then began to teach them that the Son of Man
  must suffer many things and be rejected by the
  elders, chief priests and teachers of the law,
  and that he must be killed and after three days
  rise again. Mark 831(NIV)
• Because he was teaching his disciples. He said
  to them, The Son of Man is going to be betrayed
  in to the hands of men. They will kill him and
  after three days he will rise. Mark 931

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Jesus Predicted His Resurrection

• For as Jonah was three days and three nights in
  the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will
  be three days and three nights in the heart of
  the earth. Matt. 1240 (NIV)
• Jesus answered the, Destroy this temple, and I
  will raise it again in three days.After he was
  raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what
  he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and
  the words that Jesus had spoken. John 219, 22

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What is the Evidence that Jesus really did die?
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Fact 1 Jesus Death By Crucifixion
Accepted by almost all scholars of the N.T.

• It is reported by both Christians and
  non-Christian ancient sources.
• A. All Four Gospels Report it (Matt. 27 Mark
  15 Luke 23 Jn. 19)

B. Several non-Biblical sources report
it Josephus Tacitus Lucian Thallus Phelgon M
ara Bar-Serapion The Jewish Talmud
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Fact 1 Jesus Death By Crucifixion

• The chances of surviving crucifixion were bleak
  even under the best of conditions.
• A. The nature of his wounds
• (Scourging , crucifixion and spear in side)
  ensured death (Mel Gibsons movie)
• B. There is only 1 account in antiquity of a
  person surviving crucifixion.
• Josephus

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Fact 1 Jesus Death By Crucifixion

• 3. Others observed his death.
• A. His mother, friends and closest disciple
  witnessed his death. (Jn. 19 25-27 Luke
  2349 Mark 1540 Matt. 2755-56)
• B. Romans, who were professional executioners,
  pronounced him dead.
• C. Pilate double-checked to make sure Jesus was
  dead.
• D. The Jews never denied the account of Jesus
  being buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea
  (a member of the Sanhedrin

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Fact 1 Jesus Death By Crucifixion

• 4. Modern medical authorities have verified his
  death.
• A. Nearly universal in concluding that Jesus
  died as a result of being crucified.
• B. Most attribute cause of death to
  asphyxiation.

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JAMA March 21,1986, p. 1463
Clearly, the weight of historical and medical
evidence indicates that Jesus was dead before the
wound to his side was inflicted and supports the
traditional view that the spear, thrust between
his right rib, probably perforated not only the
right lung but also the pericardium and heart and
thereby ensured his death. Accordingly,
interpretations based on the assumption that
Jesus did not die on the cross appear to be at
odds with modern medical knowledge."
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Fact 1 Jesus Death By Crucifixion

• 5. 19th Century Liberal Scholar David Strauss
  famous critique.
• Even if Jesus had survived he could not have
  convinced his followers in his horrible state
  that he was the risen Lord.

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• Would this have convinced the Apostle Peter that
  he really did arise miraculously from the dead?

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Summary of Evidence

• It is reported by both Christians and
  non-Christian ancient sources.
• Chances of surviving Crucifixion were bleak.
• Others observed his death.
• Modern medical authorities have verified his
  death.
• Strauss famous Critique

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Scholars by in large accept Jesus Death

• John Dominic Crossan says
• (He is a former co-chair of the Jesus Seminar)

That Jesus was crucified is as sure as anything
historical can ever be.
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Fact 2 The Empty Tomb
Accepted by 75 of all scholars
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Fact 2 The Empty Tomb?

• Jerusalem Factor
• Jesus was executed buried and then his
  resurrection was proclaimed in Jerusalem.
• Therefore it would have be impossible for
  Christianity to get off the ground if Jesus body
  were still in the tomb.

• Why?
• Because Christianity is not based on a religious
  ideology but on an actual historical event.

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Christianity Is Based 0n A Historical Event

• And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching
  is useless and so is your faith. More than that,
  we are then found to be false witnesses about
  God, for we have testified about God that he
  raised Christ from the dead. But he did not him
  if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the
  dead are not raised, then Christ has not been
  raised either. And if Christ has not been raised,
  your faith is futile you are still in your sins.
  Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are
  lost. If only for this life we have hope in
  Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
• I Corinthians 1514 -19(NIV)

You can have Buddhism without
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Fact 2 The Empty Tomb?

• Jerusalem Factor
• All the Romans or Jews would have to do is show
  the body of Christ and Christianity would not
  have survived.

• 2. Jesus enemies attested to the empty tomb
• Justin and Tertulliam both report that the Jewish
  leaders claimed that the disciples stole Jesus
  body.

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Fact 2 The Empty Tomb?

• When the chief priest had met with the elders
  and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a
  large sum of money, telling them, you are to
  say, His disciples came during the night and
  stole him away while we were sleeping. If this
  report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him
  and keep you out of trouble. So the soldiers took
  the money and did as they were instructed. And
  this story has been widely circulated among the
  Jews to this very day.
• Matt. 2812-14 (NIV)

• You would not claim that the body was stolen if
  the body was still in the tomb.
• Little boy, homework, and dog

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Support for the empty tomb

• Paul Maier Ph.D. Distinguished Prof. on Ancient
  History, Western Michigan Univ.
• Jewish Polemic shared with Christians the
  conviction that the sepulcher was empty, but gave
  natural explanations for it. And such positive
  evidence within a hostile source is the strongest
  kind of evidence and becomes self-authenticating.
  

• If your enemies says something nice about you
  that your mom is likely to say, then there is
  good evidence for that being true.
• So if not only the disciples believed in the
  empty tomb but that the earliest Jewish polemic
  share the same view that the tomb was empty,
  there is good evidence to believe that the tomb
  was empty.

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Support for the empty tomb

• Furthermore, no competing burial story exists.
• If the burial of Jesus in the tomb by Joseph of
  Arimathea is legendary, then it is strange that
  conflicting traditions nowhere appear, even in
  Jewish polemic. That no remnant of the true story
  or even a conflicting false one should remain is
  hard to explain unless the Gospel account is
  substantially the true account.
• William Lane Craig, Did Jesus Rise from the
  Dead? in Wilkins and Moreland, Jesus Under Fire,
  p. 149

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Fact 2 The Empty Tomb?

• Jerusalem Factor
• Jesus enemies attested to the empty tomb
• Geza Vermes, Prof. Jewish Studies Oxford Univ.
• When every argument has been considered and
  weighed, the only conclusion acceptable to the
  historian must be that the woman who set out to
  pay their last respects to Jesus found to their
  consternation, not a body, but a empty tomb.

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Where does that leave us?

• Jesus died due to crucifixion
• History records that his tomb was empty

Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced a
number of people both friend and foe of
Jesus that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them. Almost all scholars agree on
this point
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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Friends of Christianity who knew the disciples
  of Christ
• Clement of Rome (Clement was a Disciple of Peter)
  - Martyred
• Polycarp (He was known to be disciples of John)
  Martyred

• Earliest Tradition traceable to disciples
• 1 Cor. 153-8
• For what I received I passed on to you as of
  first importance that Christ died for our sins
  according to Scriptures, that he was buried, that
  he was raised on the third day according to the
  Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and
  then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to
  more than five hundred of the brothers at the
  same time, most of whom are still living, though
  some have fallen asleep. The he appeared to
  James, then to all the apostles, and last of all
  he appeared to me also, as one abnormally born.

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The Significance of the referral to the 500
witnesses

• The great New Testament scholar of Cambridge
  University, C.H. Dodd, replies, There can hardly
  be any purpose in mentioning the fact that most
  of the 500 are still alive, unless Paul is
  saying, in effect, 'The witnesses are there to be
  questioned.
• As cited in William Lane Craig, Contemporary
  Scholarship and the Historical Evidence for the
  Resurrection
• http//www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth22.html

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The Significance of Jesus appearing to Paul

• According to Galatians 1 18 Paul was in
  Jerusalem three years after his conversion on a
  fact-finding mission, during which he conferred
  with Peter and James over a two week period, and
  he probably received the formula at this time, if
  not before. Since Paul was converted in AD 33,
  this means that the list of witnesses goes back
  to within the first five years after Jesus'
  death. Thus, it is idle to dismiss these
  appearances as legendary
• William Lane Craig, Contemporary Scholarship and
  the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection
• http//www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth22.html

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• People who knew disciples
• Earliest Tradition traceable to disciples
• Most scholars date this to within a few years of
  Jesus crucifixion.
• Robert Funk (founder of the Jesus Seminar
  andauthor of A Credible Jesus and Honest to
  Jesus)
• Within two or three years at most.

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Earliest Tradition traceable to disciples
• Gerd Ludeman (Former Professor of History and
  Literature of Early Christian at
  Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany)
• We can assume that all the elements of the
  tradition are to be dated to the first two years
  after the crucifixion of Jesus.
• James D. G. Dunn (Emeritus Lightfoot Professor of
  Divinity at the University of Durham)
• This tradition we can be entirely confident was
  formulated as tradition within months of Jesus
  death.

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Earliest Tradition traceable to disciples
• Seven sources in antiquity attest to their
  willingness to suffer and die for this
  convictions.
• Luke
• Ignatius
• Clement of Roman
• Polycarp
• Dionysius
• Tertullian
• Origen

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Seven sources in antiquity attest to their
  willingness to suffer and die for this
  convictions.
• Their willingness to die for their conviction
  means that they sincerely believed that it
  happened.

• So if the disciples died for what the believed
  about Jesus, they died for what they knew was
  either true or false.
• Yet history has yet to record a case of someone
  dying for something they know to be false. (Liars
  make poor martyrs)

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Yet history has yet to record a case of someone
  dying for something they know to be false. (Liars
  make poor martyrs)

• Hinduism had no single founder but grew over a
  period of 4,000 years in syncretism with the
  religious and cultural movements of the Indian
  subcontinent.
• http//www.encyclopedia.com/html/H/Hinduism.asp
• Buddha lived from 563 B.C. to 483. B.C.
• After the Buddha's death his teachings were
  orally transmitted until the 1st cent. BC, when
  they were first committed to writing (see
  Buddhist literature Pali).
• See http//www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/Budd
  hism_EarlyBuddhism.asp

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Islam (Muhammad lived from A.D. 570 632 A.D.
• Muhammad himself first had doubts initially over
  the origin of these revelations.
• (Different fragments of the Koran were revealed
  to Muhammad verbatim by the angel Gabriel over a
  period of twenty-three years (2532 17106)
• Tradition also relates that Muhammads scribes
  wrote the revelations on pieces of paper,
  stones, palm-leaves, shoulder-blades, ribs, and
  bits of leather.
• Yet during the lifetime of the prophet the
  Quran had all been written down, but it was not
  yet united in one place nor arranged in
  successive order. (Stanton, The Teaching of the
  Quran (New York Biblo and Tannen, 1969), 10-111
• A year after Muhammads death, a great number of
  those who could recite the Quran by memory were
  killed in battle.

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Yet history has yet to record a case of someone
dying for something they know to be false.

• Islam (Muhammad lived from A.D. 570 632 A.D.)
• During the reign of Uthman, the third Muslim
  Caliph, Muslims were faced with another crisis.
  It was reported that several Muslim communities
  were using different versions of the Quran which
  could lead to great doctrinal confusion.
• Zayd ibn Thabit (one of Muhammads most trusted
  secretaries) was called to head the new project
  of editing an official revised version of the
  Quran after which it was sent to each major
  center of the Islamic empire.
• All other copies of the Quran were recalled and
  burned by the expressed order of the Caliph
  Uthman. (See Al-Bukhari, 478-479 as cited in
  Norman Geisler Abdul Saleeb, Answering Islam
  The Crescent In Light Of the Cross, pp. 91-92)

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Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Friends of Christianity who knew disciples like
  Clement of Rome
• Foes of Christianity
• Paul
• Paul himself
• Acts
• Early Oral Tradition

• James
• He was an unbeliever through Jesus crucifixion.
  (neither James, nor any of Jesus' younger
  brothers, apparently believed in Jesus during his
  lifetime (see Mark 3.21, 31-5 John 7. 1 - 10).
  Yet he became a leader in the early church.

68
Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Foes of Christianity
• James
• In Gal. 1. 19 Paul tells of his two week visit
  to Jerusalem about three years after his Damascus
  Road experience. He says that besides Peter, he
  saw none of the other apostles except James the
  Lord's brother.
• Paul at least implies that James was now being
  reckoned as an apostle. When Paul visited
  Jerusalem again 14 years later, he says there
  were three "pillars" of the church in Jerusalem
  Peter, John, and James (Gal. 2.9).
• By Acts 2118, James is the sole head of the
  Jerusalem church and of the council of elders.
• Josephus
• Hegesippus (He is the earliest of the Church's
  chroniclers )
• Clement of Alexanderia

James believed so strongly that he died for that
belief as a Martyr (stoned).
69
Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• Paula Fredriksen, Ph.D. (Historian of ancient
  Christianity at Boston University.
• I know in their own terms what they saw was the
  raised Jesus. Thats what they say and then all
  the historical evidence we have afterward attests
  to their conviction that thats why they saw. Im
  not saying that they really did see the raised
  Jesus. I wasnt there. I dont know what they
  saw. But I do know that as a historian that they
  must have seen something.

70
Fact 3 Something occurred that convinced
others that he had been resurrected and had
appeared to them.

• That something happened even convinced a Jewish
  New Testament Scholar Pinchas Lapide, who is not
  a Christian, that Jesus must have rose from the
  dead.
• In fact in 1979 Time Magazine did an interview
  with him. Notice what Pinchas says about the
  disciples.

He says, If the Disciples were totally
disappointed and on the verge of desperate flight
because of the very real reason of the
crucifixion, it took another very real reason in
order to transform them from a band of
disheartened and dejected Jews into the most
self-confident missionary society in world
history. Time, May 7th, 1979 He concludes that
a bodily resurrection could possibly have been
that reason.
71
Fact 4 The Burial of Jesus

• The historical reliability of the burial story
  supports the empty tomb. Jesus' burial is
  described in the earliest gospel in the following
  way

And when evening had already come, because it
was the preparation day, that is, the day before
the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea came, a
prominent member of the Council, who himself was
waiting for the kingdom of God and he gathered
up courage and went before Pilate, and asked for
the body of Jesus. And Pilate wondered if he was
dead by this time, and summoning the centurion,
he questioned him as to whether He was already
dead. And ascertaining this from the centurion,
he granted the body to Joseph. And Joseph brought
a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the
linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had
been hewn out in die rock and He rolled a stone
against the entrance of the tomb. And Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were
looking on to see where He was laid. (Mark
1542-47)
72
Fact 4 The Burial of Jesus

• If the burial account is accurate, then the site
  of Jesus' grave was known to Jew and Christian
  alike. In that case, it is a very short inference
  to historicity of the empty tomb. For if Jesus
  had not risen and the burial site were known

(a) The disciples could never have believed in
the resurrection of Jesus. For a first century
Jew the idea that a man might be raised from the
dead while his body remained in the tomb was
simply a contradiction in terms. (b) Even
if the disciples had believed in the resurrection
of Jesus, it is doubtful they would have
generated any following as the body was in the
tomb. (c) The Jewish authorities would have
exposed the whole affair. The quickest and
surest answer to the proclamation of the
resurrection of Jesus would have been simply to
point to his grave on the hillside. Therefore
the accuracy of the burial story supports the
historicity of the empty tomb. Taken from
William Lane Craig, Contemporary Scholarship and
the Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ http//www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth2
2.html
73
The Burial of Jesus

• The late liberal scholar John A. T. Robinson of
  Cambridge conceded that the burial of Christ is
  one of the earliest and best-attested facts about
  Jesus.
•  John A. T. Robinson, The Human Face of God
  (Philadelphia Westminster, 1973), 131, as quoted
  by William Lane Craig in Paul Copan, ed., Will
  the Real Jesus Please Stand Up? A Debate between
  William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan
  (Grand Rapids Baker Books, 1998), 27.

74
Evidence Jesus Rose
75
Other Evidence Jesus Rose for the Dead

• The tomb was empty with grave clothes in it
• Over 500 witnesses saw Him at one times
• They touched His physical body
• They saw His crucifixion scars
• They ate with Him four times
• He taught them for 40 days
• He did miracles for them
• He transformed them
• From cowards to martyrs overnight!

76

The Order of the Twelve Appearances of
Christ Persons Saw Heard Touched Other
Evidence
1. Mary X X X Empty tomb (Jn.
2010-18) 2. Mary Women X X X Empty
tomb (Mt. 281-10) 3. Peter X X Empty
tomb/clothes (1Cor. 155) 4. Two
Disciples X X Ate with Him (Lk.
2413-35) 5. Ten Apostles X X X Saw
wounds, ate food (Lk. 2436-49 Jn.
2019-23) 6. Eleven Apostles X X X Saw
wounds (Jn. 2024-31) Offered Himself to
be touched
77

The Order of the Twelve Appearances of Christ
Persons Saw Heard Touched Other Evidence
7. Seven Apostles X X Ate food (Jn.
21) 8. All Apostles X X (Mt.
2816-20 Mk 1614-18) 9. 500 Brethren X X
(1Cor. 156) 10. James X X
(1Cor. 157) 11. All Apostles X X Ate
with Him (Acts 14-8) 12. Paul X X (Acts
91-9 1Cor. 158) Implied
78
Alternative Theories to the Resurrection

• The Swoon Theory
• Hallucinations
• The Disciples stole the body
• Witnesses went to the wrong tomb
• Judas was substituted for Jesus
• It was a case of mistaken identity

79
Establishing The Case For Christianity

• 4. Jesus claim to be God was miraculously
  confirmed by
• a. His fulfillment of many prophecies about
  Himself
• b. His sinless and miraculous life
• c. His prediction and accomplishment of
  His resurrection
• 5. Therefore, Jesus is God.

80
Establishing The Case For Christianity
5. Therefore, Jesus is God. 6. Whatever Jesus
(who is God) teaches is true.
81
Establishing The Case For Christianity
5. Therefore, Jesus is God. 6. Whatever Jesus
(who is God) teaches is true. 7. Jesus taught
that the Bible is the Word of God
82
Seven Things Jesus Taught About the Bible

• It is divinely authoritative (Mt. 44, 7, 10).
• It is imperishable (Mt. 517-18).
• It is infallible (Jn. 1035).
• It is inerrant (without error) (Mt. 2229).
• It is historically reliable (Mt. 1240 Mt.
  2437-38).
• It is scientifically accurate (Mt. 194-5).
• It has ultimate supremacy (Mt. 153, 6).

83
Jesus Determines Which Books To Accept As Part
of Sacred Scripture

• Jesus defended himself from Satans attacks three
  times with the phrase, It is Written (referring
  to the Old Testament, Matt. 44ff).

84
Jesus Affirmed the Old Testament

• 2. Jesus said it is easier for heaven and earth
  to pass away than for one stroke of the letter of
  the Law to fail. (Luke 1617)
• Beginning at Moses, he expounded to them all the
  scriptures the things concerning himself (Lk.
  2417)
• Jesus said The Scriptures . . . testify of Me.
  (Jn. 539)
• Jesus said, Do not think that I came to destroy
  the Law or the
• Prophets . . . (Mt. 517-18)
• 6. Jesus said, It is Written . . . . The
  authority of the OT is cited that way 92 times in
  the NT

85
Jesus Promised the New Testament
1. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would teach
the apostles all things and lead them into
all truth
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in My name, He will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all things
that I said to you (Jn. 1426). However,
when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you into all truth for He will not speak
on His own authority, but whatever He hears He
will speak and He will tell you things to come
(Jn. 1613).
86
The Holy Spirit will guide
2. Jesus promised that the Apostles that the
Holy Spirit would guide what they wrote.

• Above all, you must understand that no prophecy
  of Scripture came about by the prophets own
  interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin
  in the will of man, but men spoke from God as
  they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2
  Peter 120-21

87
Jesus Promised the New Testament

• 3. The Apostles claimed to continue in Christs
  teaching, being directed by the Holy Spirit.
• 4. The qualification for being a member of the
  twelve apostles was that they must be an
  eyewitness of the ministry and resurrection of
  Christ (Acts 121-22)
• 5. The New Testament church itself is said to be
  built upon the foundation of the apostles and
  New Testament prophets. (Eph. 220 cf. 35).
• 6. The Apostles claimed the divine authority for
  their words (JN. 2031 I JN. 11 41, 5-6).

88
Jesus Promised the New Testament

• 7. Peter acknowledged all Pauls writings as
  scriptures (2 Peter 315-16).
• 8. Paul says in 1 Thes. 24 that "we" are
  entrusted with the gospel.
• 9. Paul quoted from the Gospel of Luke (Luke
  107) and refers to it as scripture. (1 Tim.
  518)
• 10. Luke claims to give an accurate account of
  what Jesus began to do and teach.
• 11. Therefore only books and letters that were
  associated with an apostle or associate were
  considered acceptable into the New Testament
  Cannon.

89
How do we know the books we have are the correct
ones?

• General Introduction to the Bible p.423-425
  points out, every single New Testament book was
  referred to prior to 150 A.D., with the possible
  exception of Philemon and 3 John.
• Irenaeus (170-202 A.D.) made about 1,800
  quotations and references from the New Testament,
  (except possibly Philemon and 3 John) and his
  writings show the books in his New Testament were
  the same as ours today.
• Clement of Alexandria (wrote 193-217/220 A.D.)
  made about 2,400 quotations and references of
  every New Testament book except Philemon, James,
  2 Peter, and possibly 3 John.
• Cyprian (200-258 A.D.) made about 1,030
  quotations and references from the New Testament.
  His quotes include every book except Philemon and
  2 John, and possibly 3 John, which are the three
  shortest books in the New Testament.
• For the preceding, see General Introduction to
  the Bible p.425-427
• for more info.

90
The Apostolic Fathers recognized these writing
as coming from the Apostles

• Between 70 150 is the period called the
  Apostolic Fathers
• Some of the Apostolic Fathers knew some of the
  apostles
• Clement is understood to be a Disciple of Peter.
• Polycarp and Papias were known to be disciples of
  John.
• The Apostolic Fathers specifically quoted from at
  least 17 books and letters in the New Testament.
• A.D. 125 Polycarp quotes Ephesians twice and
  refers to it as Sacred Scripture.

91
List of Authoritative Works

• A.D. 140 Marcion compiled a canon that included
  one Gospel (a large portion of Luke that had been
  altered and 10 of Pauls letters.
• He did not believe in the supernatural.
• A.D. 180 Muratorian Canon Fragment (23 books)
• A.D. 185 Irenaeus recognized 22 books and letters
• A.D. 200 Tertullian recognized 22 books and
  letters
• A.D. 225 Hippolytus recognized 22 books and
  letters
• A.D. 230 Origen recognized 24 books
• A.D. Eusebius lists 22 books
• A.D. 367 Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, lists
  the 27 books and
• letters of the N.T. we now have today.

92
List of Authoritative Works

• A.D. 380 Amphilocius of Iconium lists 22 books
  and letters
• A.D. 382 Synodin in Rome Pope Damascus lists 27
• A.D. 397 3rd Council of Carthage, lists 27 books
• A.D. 1442 Council of Florence lists 27 books
• A.D. Council of Trent lists 27 books
• Remember Brown said these issues were decided
  in 325 at the Council of Nicaea.
• Yet the Council of Nicaea did not deal with the
  issue of scripture, it had to do with whether
  Jesus was Divine, was he god, or was he latter
  made divine and that he was originally a man.

93
What They All Had In Common

• All lists accepted the 4 New Testament Gospels as
  the true Gospels (except Marcion)
• All accepted Pauls letters as authoritative

94
The Four New Testament Gospels Were Considered As
Authoritative By the Early Church

• Justin Martyr (A.D. 150)
• 15 times referred to the Gospels as the memoirs
  of the Apostles.
• He cites stories or quotes found in these four
  gospels.
• When referring to these memoirs he never cites
  as story that is
• found in the other N.T. gospels.
• Irenanus (A.D. 185)
• Gospel is quadriform (Four Forms)

95
Even Those Considered Heretics Use The Four
Gospels

• Ebionites used a shorten form of Matthew (2nd
  Cent)
• Marcion used Luke (A.D. 140)
• Certain Gnostics used Luke (2nd 3rd cent.)
• Valentius used John (A.D. 110)
• Titian (Gnostic) combined Matthew, Mark, Luke,
  John into the Diatessaron. (A.D. 172)
• (This was the first attempt to combine the four
  into one continuous Gospel. Yet none of the other
  Gospels were included)
• All of these predated the Council of Nicaea by
  153 215 years

96
Certain Gospels Were Rejected By The Church
Prior to Nicaea

• Origen (A.D. 185-254) wrote
• I know a certain gospel which is called the
  Gospel according to Thomas and a Gospel according
  to Matthias, and many others have we readnever
  the less among all these we have approved solely
  what the church has recognized, which is that
  only the four gospels should be accepted.

97
Jesus Seminars Dating of Gospels and acceptance
of the Gospel of Thomas

• With regard to dating the Gospels, Jesus
  Seminar fellows stand in opposition to even their
  liberal counterparts. As New Testament scholar
  Craig Blomberg points out, the standard dating
  accepted by liberal scholars sets Mark in the
  70s, Matthew and Luke in the 80s, and John in the
  90s. Says Blomberg, these dates are well within
  the lifetimes of eyewitnesses of the life of
  Jesus, including hostile eyewitnesses who would
  have served as a corrective if false teachings
  about Jesus were going around.6 Moreover, there
  are substantial reasons to suggest that the
  entire New Testament was completed by a.d. 70,
  including the fact that the destruction of
  Jerusalem and the Temple (August a.d. 70) is
  repeatedly prophesied but is never mentioned in
  the New Testament as having happened.7
• Hank Hanegraaf, The search for Jesus hoax
• http//www.equip.org/free/DJ925.htm
• 6.    Craig Blomberg in Lee Strobel, The Case for
  Christ (Grand Rapids Zondervan, 1998), 33.
• 7.    See, e.g., Matthew 233536, 38 2412
  cf. Mark 1312 Luke 2156 also cf. John
  21822. This is an argument from significant
  silence.

98
Was the Bible tampered with?

• Tatian (110-172 A.D.) an Encratite (ascetic)
  Gnostic made his own scripture called the
  Diatessaron (meaning 'The Four') where he
  combined the four gospels into one. It was
  tampering because he left out the parts that show
  Jesus' humanity. He did not add anything we do
  not have today, he only left out parts. However,
  the heretic still quoted verbatim about 79 of
  the gospels. Here is a rundown of what he left
  out.Details Here are the verses absent from
  each chapter of the Diatessaron. These numbers
  were computed from Ante-Nicene Fathers volume 9
  p.34-138.ChapterWork    TOTAL   IN
  THE       ABSENT FROM         VERSES 
  DIAT.      PERCENTAGE INCLUDED THE DIAT.
• Gospels 3779    2995           784     79.3
  Matthew 1071    819        252         76.5
  Mark    678 402        276    
  59.3 Luke    1151    919        232    
  79.8 John    879 855 24   
  97.3 of the verses are in the
  Diatessaron

99
Who wrote what in the N.T.?

• Matthew Matthew the apostle
• Mark John Mark, (Acts 1537, 2 Tim 411) and
  Peter's interpreter
• Luke Acts Paul's companion
• John Revelation John the apostle
• 1, 2, 3 John John the apostle
• Romans - Philemon Paul the apostle
• Hebrews Ä unknown today, (knew Timothy Heb 1323)
• James the Lord's ½-brother
• 1 2 Peter Peter the apostle
• Jude the Lord's ½-brother

100
What about James

• James was not James the disciple but Jesus'
  half-brother. He was an apostle based on these
  verses
• Called an apostle by Paul Galatians 119
• Like Paul, Jesus appeared just to him 1 Cor
  157
• Pillar of the Church Galatians 29

101
What About Jude?

• We do not know as much about Jude the Lord's
  brother as James. While it is easy to prove Jude
  was an apostle, because an apostle's teachings
  are God's direct word, and Jude is in the Bible,
  that is a circular argument. He was certainly an
  eyewitness, but we rely on the judgment of the
  early church Fathers to recognize that it
  belonged in the Bible.

102
Why the Gospels can be substantiated

• Finally, the notion that there is no reliable
  evidence about who wrote the Gospels, that the
  writers were not eyewitnesses, and that they
  probably wrote the Gospels 40100 years after
  Jesus death is completely ad hoc. The early
  Christian church offers virtual unanimous
  affirmation as to authorship and no competing
  claim to authorship even exists. The early church
  also explicitly acknowledged the canonical
  Gospels precisely because they were written by
  eyewitnesses or by their associates. While a
  plethora of alleged gospels, including the Gospel
  of Thomas, were rejected in accordance with
  strict criteria, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
  were never in doubt.
• Hank Hanegraaf, The search for Jesus hoax
• http//www.equip.org/free/DJ925.htm

103
Why the Gospels can be substantiated

• The suggestion that the Gospels contain
  contradictory versions of Christs life is never
  substantiated. In reality, far from being
  contradictory, the Gospels are clearly
  complementary. Throughout the centuries,
  countless Bible scholars and commentaries have
  attested to that fact. Had all the Gospel writers
  said the exact same thing in the exact same way,
  they could have legitimately been questioned on
  the grounds of collusion.
• Hank Hanegraaf, The search for Jesus hoax
• http//www.equip.org/free/DJ925.htm

104
What about the books they questioned?

• There were only seven books eventually accepted
  into the New Testament cannon by the church at
  large (which make up our New Testament Bible)
  that were ever even questions whether they should
  be including in the Canon. This books we
  considered (antilegomena) or disputed because
  these books possessed neither uniform nor
  universal recognition in the early church. Yet
  these books were never given an anti-canonical
  status. The seven books were Hebrews, James, 2
  Peter, 2 and 3 Jn., Jude, and Revelation.

105
Principles for Discovering Canonicity

• Canonicity is determined by God and discovered by
  man (Principles taken from Norman Geisler, From
  God to Us, p.67-71)
• Criteria

• Is the book authoritative - does it claim to be
  of God?
• Does it say Thus says the Lord
• Unless they were convinced of Divine authorship,
  the book was rejected

106
Principles for Discovering Canonicity

• Canonicity is determined by God and discovered by
  man
• Criteria

• 2. Is it prophetic- was it written by a servant
  of God? (2 Pet. 120-21 Heb. 11)
• Inspired books came only through Spirit-moved men
  known as prophets
• Paul argued in Galatians that his book should be
  accepted because he was in fact an apostle not
  from men nor through man, but through Jesus
  Christ and God the Father. (Gal. 11)
• 2 Peter was questioned because it was written in
  a different style than 1 Peter until it was
  accepted that he dictated his letter to someone
  else who recorded what he said. All 2 Peter was
  claimed to have been written by Simon Peter (2
  Pet. 11)

107
Principles for Discovering Canonicity

• Canonicity is determined by God and discovered by
  man
• Criteria

• Is it authentic-does it tell the truth about God,
  man, etc.? (Acts 1711)
• The Apostle Paul considered the Bereans more
  nobel because they searched the Scripture to see
  whether what Paul taught them was consistent with
  Gods revelation in the Old Testament. (Acts
  1711)
• The letter of James was questioned because it
  seemed to contradict Pauls teaching on
  justification by faith not by works.
• Others questions Jude because of its citation of
  an Pseudepigraphal book which was rejected by
  virtually all (Vv. 9, 14)

108
Principles for Discovering Canonicity

• Is the book dynamic-does it possess the
  life-transforming power of God? (Heb. 412 2
  Tim. 316-17)
• Is this book received or accepted by the people
  of God for whom it was originally written - is it
  recognized as being from God?
• Since communication and transportation was what
  it was in ancient times, sometime it too much
  time and effort on the part of the later church
  fathers to determine this.

109
Establishing The Case For Christianity
5. Therefore, Jesus is God. 6. Whatever Jesus
(who is God) teaches is true. 7. Jesus taught
that the Bible is the Word of God. 8.
Therefore, it is true that the Bible is the
Word of God (and anything opposed to it is
false).
110
NT Timeline
Temple
James
Cross
Creed
1Cor.
Acts
Paul
Luke
Mark
Rom, 2 Cor, Gal
Most or all NT
111
GETTING THE BIG PICTURE!
112
GETTING THE BIG PICTURE!
113
GETTING THE BIG PICTURE!
114
GETTING THE BIG PICTURE!
115
In Him all things hold together. Col. 117
I came that they might have life, and might have
it abundantly. Jn. 1010
116
Establishing The Case For Christianity
www.meeknessandtruth.org
117
Why Does the Catholic Bible Have Some Books That
The Protestant Bible Does Not Have?

• They included those books called the Apocrypha
  (Hidden)
• These were Jewish Apocrypha and listed between
  the Old Testament and the New Testament.
• These documents were respected by Jews for
  historical significance but never considered by
  them to be inspired.
• When the Hebrew O.T. was translated into Greek in
  Alexandria Egypt, the Apocrypha was translated
  and included into the Greek OT (Septuagint)
• When the Catholic Church translated the Old
  Testament into Latin (Vulgate), they use the
  Greek Septuagint rather than the Hebrew O.T. As a
  result the Apocrypha was also included
• Protestants believe that since the O.T. was
  originally written in Hebrew it is probably more
  reliable than the Greek O.T. since it was the
  original language and since the Jews would have a
  much better idea as to what books were considered
  authoritative in the O.T.
• This is why the English translation does not
  include the Apocrypha

118
What about the Apocrypha?

• There are books that were not considered
  canonical (by a large majority of the church) yet
  were a part of the religious literature quoted by
  the Fathers and sometimes appeared in local
  ecclesiastical canons and bible translations. At
  best they had local canonicity or books that had
  canonicity of something very like it in a
  particular church for a particular period but
  were afterward dropped. Final canonical decisions
  reveal however that their partial and local
  judgment was faulty.

119
Fact 2 The Empty Tomb?

• Jerusalem Factor
• Jesus enemies attested to the empty tomb
• The concept of Resurrection
• Most Jews believed in a resurrection after
  Christs return. (example Lazarus sister)
• Yet this is different than one Paul taught in 1
  Cor. 15
• It is not something that the disciples would have
  invented

120
What Should We Conclude About The Other
BooksThat Were Not Included?

• The only book thought to exist prior to the
  middle of the 2nd century