Historical Jesus

[1a] Is not believing what we know irrational, and is believing what we do not know irresponsible? [1b] The problem is that the harmony of humankind under God is lost because in Western societies, understanding of knowledge is set apart from or opposite to faith, and this configuration has led to the global acceptance of scientific knowledge instead of the knowledge of Christ as the truth of reality. [1c] Harmony will be regained by first knowing the reality of God and His presence in human…

A further set of Jewish writings is the responsa, a vast collection (thousands of volumes) of answers to specific questions on Jewish law. Septuagint ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible dating to before the time of Jesus Christ, and used extensively by New Testament writers and the early church. God in Judaism is strictly monotheistic, an absolute one, indivisible, and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. Judaism asserts a verifiable strength…

Dr. Elmer Towns in the article “Arguments that the Bible is the Word of God” gives ten opportunities for Christians to share with not only non-believers, but with fellow Christians that the Bible is the Word of God. Reading, I discovered that each message compliments the other. Each argument is able to stand alone while under a skeptic scrutiny, but combined becomes a powerful message. One argument has always been in my own conversation is the empirical fulfillment of prophecy. Prophecy is…

historically accurate accounts of places and cities. I concede that even the worldwide flood is historically accurate but even native americans have an account of the flood as do tribes in africa. The possibility that the old testament is mostly a work of historical fiction is too great to not be talked about. In genesis we see Cain after murdering Abel being marked by God so the peoples of the earth would not kill him. (genesis 4:15-16) Where did these people come from God never mentioned that…

elements of disobedience which ultimately lead us to death itself. “We are looking for what God is saying and not what our culture is saying. We must look to the details of the text and its historical setting to determine the answer, not to our own culture-driven pre-understanding.” (Hayes, 2012, p. 144). Historical Cultural Context The New Testament letters of Ephesians were written by Apostle Paul, who was imprisoned during his time of authorship. His manuscripts are believed to be…

1 Nestorius placed a special emphasis on the humanity of Jesus. He began preaching against the title Theotokos or Mother of God, beginning to be used of the Virgin Mary. He distinguished between the logos (“divine nature”) and Christ (the Son, the Lord) as a union of divine nature and human nature. He refused to attribute the human acts and the sufferings of Jesus to the divine nature, arguing that God could not suffer on the cross, as God is omnipotent. Therefore the Virgin Mary, could not be…

God and say utterly, ‘Thy will be done.’ We only dream this bondage. Wake up and let it go.” It relates because holy people in the Christian faith have given up everything and gave themselves to God and his plans. Jesus gave up his life and traveled to tell everyone the word of God. Jesus gave up his life so our sins may be forgiven and we may enter heaven to be with him and…

The mantra of our very first BIC course, Examined Life, was an excerpt from Plato’s Apology. All throughout freshman year, I was haunted by the phrase “an unexamined life is not worth living” as I was urged to contemplate the quality of my life. At present, in my senior year, I am challenged with the question of whether an examined life that has come to its end is worth living. Voluntary euthanasia has become a significant issue in our society and, being a Christian, I am troubled with the task…

I. Introduction According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, God is “the perfect and all-powerful spirit or being that is worshipped especially by Christians, Jews, and Muslims as the one who created and rules the universe.” “God” is a word, which has dominated cultural development and influenced the social structure of countries for centuries. In the context of the written language, the word “God” has an incredibly powerful connotation and connection to many across the globe. With such a…

surprising; not only is it located in a city that is significant to Muslims and Jews alike, but it is also built on top of one of the most sacred sites in both Islam and Judaism. The Dome of the Rock is situated in the heart of the old city on the historical site of both Solomon’s Temple and the second Temple--a location labeled by the Jews as Temple Mount (Grabar 38). In early Islamic Jerusalem, the small Jewish population of the city was once permitted to pray at the site (Peters 194). After…