The Oldest Trick in the Book
I love that new GEICO commercial where the guy in the movie theater says, “Did you know there really is an ‘oldest trick in the book’?” Then the scene flashes back to ancient times where a man looks into an old book, and says, “Trick number one. Lookest over there.” The man then points across the room. His apprentice looks and of course sees nothing. Then the man says, “Madest thou look.”
The Puritan Thomas Brooks, in his wonderful work Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, reminds us that there is also an ‘oldest trick in the book’ when it comes to Satan’s devices against us. The title of his … Continue reading...
Put on your Indiana Jones Hat: Dr. John Currid Leads RTS Trip to Israel
One of my favorite films of all-time is Raiders of the Lost Ark. In addition to being one of the first of many modern “adventure” films, it raises intriguing issues regarding history and the Bible. Can we find remnants of the biblical stories in the sands of the Middle East even still today? Are there treasures of the ancient past just waiting to be discovered?
My interest in archaeological issues is why (some of) my research has focused on ancient biblical manuscripts. This field of study presents an opportunity not only to read ancient biblical texts, but also to touch them. It brings to life the lost world of … Continue reading...
Roman Catholicism and the NT Canon: Today on the Dividing Line with James White
My new book, The Question of Canon, is designed to challenge a particular approach to the New Testament canon that is prevalent in the modern academy. It is the approach that suggests that in the earliest stages of Christianity the canon was in disarray; the canonical process was a wide-open affair where no one agreed on much of anything and no one was able to distinguish canonical books from apocryphal ones.
What is ironic about this critical approach is that it has an unexpected ally: Roman Catholicism. The Catholic claim is remarkably similar to the one of critical scholars (at least in its premise). Both claim that the canonical … Continue reading...
Bible Secrets Revealed?: A Response to the New History Channel Series (Part 5)
This is the fifth installment of a series of posts reviewing the new History Channel series entitled Bible Secrets Revealed (for others installements, see here, here, here, and here). I am now a few episodes behind due to (a) the holiday break, and (b) the fact that History Channel locked all their videos and restricted access. Not sure why they did this, but I have finally found a way to view them online.
The latest episode is entitled, “Mysterious Prophecies,” and examines the role of prophets in the history of Israel and the Church. Did these prophets really predict the future? Were the prophecies true? In particular, … Continue reading...
Bible Secrets Revealed?: A Response to the New History Channel Series (Part 4)
This is the fourth installment of a new series reviewing the History Channel series entitled Bible Secrets Revealed (for others, see here, here and here). The newest episode is entitled, “The Real Jesus,” and addresses the question of what we can know about the historical Jesus.
Not surprisingly, the tenor of this latest episode is the same as the other episodes, namely that the accounts of the Bible (in this case, the Gospels) cannot be trusted. This documentary catalogs a number of places where (it claims) the Gospels are simply mistaken. Let’s run through some issues that are raised.
1. The Virgin Birth. Almost from the start, … Continue reading...